How to Choose the Right Esthetician Course Near Myrtle Beach South Carolina
Since you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Myrtle Beach SC, the task starts to locate and enroll in the right program. It's imperative that the school you choose not only furnishes the necessary instruction for the specialty you have chosen, but also preps you for passing the licensing examination. When you start your initial search, you may be somewhat confused about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are basically interchangeable and both refer to the same kind of school. If you plan on commuting to classes you will need to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Myrtle Beach home. Tuition will also be an important factor when reviewing potential schools. Just remember that because a school is the nearest or the least expensive it's not automatically the best option. There are a number of other qualifications that you should evaluate when analyzing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask regarding the aesthetician schools you are looking at later within this article. Before we do, let's talk a little bit about what types of training programs are offered.
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Esthetics Training Programs
Esthetics school is an investment of time, energy, and money. Requirements vary from state to state, but the majority of states require that you complete at least 600 hours of training. Full-time school can take an average of six months to complete, and part-time school can take anywhere from 9-12 months. The primary purpose of esthetics school is to get you ready to pass the state licensing exam. They also teach basic skills that you will need to perfect through experience and sometimes additional classes, such as giving facials, body treatments, and performing waxing. More advanced training includes learning to work with machines, such as IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) and Lasers used to rejuvenate the skin and permanently remove hair.
Esthetician Job Description
Estheticians provide a wide range of beauty services to help their Myrtle Beach South Carolina clients look and feel better. This includes improving the quality of the skin (including the treatment of skin disorders), hair removal, permanent makeup application, and facial massage. Some types of estheticians, like medical estheticians, provide highly specialized procedures that require detailed training in order for it to be done safely and effectively. Medical estheticians can help individuals suffering from serious skin disorders, burns, and other trauma, and to help with pre and post-operative surgery affecting the health of their skin. Estheticians work closely with their clients in a friendly and positive manner, so an enthusiastic attitude and desire to help people is an excellent attribute for an aspiring esthetician to possess. Some of the basic duties an esthetician may perform will include such tasks as:
- Assessing a patient’s needs
- Chemical peels
- Laser treatments
- Waxing
- Facials
- Massage of the head and neck
- Microdermabrasion
Online Esthetician Schools
Online esthetician schools are accommodating for Myrtle Beach SC students who are working full-time and have family obligations that make it hard to enroll in a more traditional school. There are a large number of online beauty school programs offered that can be accessed via a home computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional beauty schools are frequently fast paced since many courses are as short as six or eight months. This means that a significant portion of time is spent in the classroom. With online programs, you are covering the same volume of material, but you are not devoting numerous hours away from your home or commuting back and forth from classes. However, it's vital that the program you pick can provide internship training in nearby salons and parlors to ensure that you also obtain the hands-on training needed for a comprehensive education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's difficult to obtain the skills necessary to work in any area of the cosmetology industry. So make sure if you decide to enroll in an online program to verify that internship training is available in your area.
Questions to Ask Esthetics Schools
Following is a series of questions that you should investigate for any esthetician training school you are considering. As we have previously covered, the location of the school in relation to your Myrtle Beach residence, together with the price of tuition, will probably be your primary qualifiers. Whether you wish to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will no doubt be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school choices based on those preliminary qualifications, there are even more factors that you should research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Following we have collected some of those supplemental questions that you need to ask each school before making a final selection.
Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's important to make sure that the esthetician school you pick is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education certified local or national organization, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must comply with their high standards guaranteeing a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be important for securing student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not available for non- accredited schools. It's also a prerequisite for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, many Myrtle Beach SC employers will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more positively upon those with accredited training.
Does the School have a Great Reputation? Every esthetician institute that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to exceptional reputation within the profession. Being accredited is a good starting point. Next, ask the schools for references from their network of employers where they have placed their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, attesting that their students are highly regarded. Check rating companies for reviews along with the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any connections with Myrtle Beach SC salon owners or managers, or someone working in the trade, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are looking at. They might even be able to propose others that you had not considered. Finally, check with the South Carolina school licensing authority to see if there have been any grievances filed or if the schools are in complete compliance.
What’s the School’s Specialty? Many esthetician schools offer programs that are expansive in nature, focusing on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a particular specialty, for instance hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs typically broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's imperative that you decide on a school that focuses on your area of interest. Since your goal is to be trained as an esthetician, make sure that the school you enroll in is accredited and well regarded for that program. If your vision is to start a Myrtle Beach SC beauty salon, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will instruct you how to be an owner/operator as well. Choosing a highly ranked school with a weak program in the specialty you are pursuing will not provide the training you require.
Is Plenty of Hands-On Training Provided? Studying and mastering esthetician techniques and abilities involves lots of practice on volunteers. Ask how much live, hands-on training is furnished in the cosmetology lessons you will be attending. Some schools have salons on campus that enable students to practice their developing skills on real people. If a beauty academy offers minimal or no scheduled live training, but instead depends mainly on the use of mannequins, it might not be the most effective option for acquiring your skills. Therefore search for alternate schools that furnish this type of training.
Does the School have a Job Placement Program? As soon as a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's important that she or he receives support in landing that initial job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that offer help maintain relationships with Myrtle Beach SC businesses that are looking for trained graduates available for hiring. Confirm that the schools you are contemplating have job placement programs and find out which salons and establishments they refer students to. In addition, ask what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only verify that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.
Is Financial Aid Available? Almost all esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid office. Speak with a counselor and learn what student loans or grants you might qualify for. If the school is a member of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships accessible to students also. If a school meets each of your other qualifications except for cost, do not omit it as an option before you learn what financial aid may be available.
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Enroll in the Best Myrtle Beach Esthetician Training
Locating and enrolling in the right esthetician school is important to receive the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology professional. Make sure to ask all the questions that you need to in order to feel confident about your decision. Be sure to collect all of the responses you get from the cosmetology school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then employ that data to compare schools. A reasonable start in your due diligence procedure is to make sure that the institution and program you decide on are accredited and have outstanding reputations within the profession. If you start with that base, and answer the additional questions presented in this article, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the right choice. And when you graduate and pass your licensing exam, you will be confident that you are qualified to begin your new career as a professional esthetician in Myrtle Beach South Carolina.
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