How to Choose the Best Aesthetician Program Near Knoxville Tennessee
Now that you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Knoxville TN, the process starts to find and enroll in the best program. It's essential that the school you select not only provides the proper education for the specialty you have selected, but also readies you for passing the licensing exam. When you start your initial search, you might be a little bit unclear about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are essentially interchangeable and both relate to the same kind of school. If you intend on commuting to classes you will need to choose a school that is within driving distance of your Knoxville residence. Tuition will likewise be an important factor when evaluating prospective schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the nearest or the cheapest it's not automatically the right option. There are a number of other factors that you should evaluate when analyzing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will examine what questions you should ask concerning the aesthetician schools you are thinking about later within this article. Before we do, let's talk a little bit about what kinds of courses are available.
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Esthetics Training Requirements
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 Knoxville Tennessee 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 Esthetics Schools
Online esthetician programs are advantageous for Knoxville TN students who are working full-time and have family responsibilities that make it hard to attend a more traditional school. There are a large number of online beauty school programs available that can be accessed via a personal computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional cosmetology schools are often fast paced because many courses are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a large portion of time is spent in the classroom. With online programs, you are covering the same amount of material, but you are not spending numerous hours outside of your home or commuting to and from classes. However, it's essential that the school you pick can provide internship training in nearby salons and parlors in order that you also get the hands-on training needed for a comprehensive education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's impossible to gain the skills required to work in any area of the cosmetology field. So don't forget if you decide to enroll in an online school to verify that internship training is provided in your area.
Questions to Ask Esthetics Degree Programs
Following is a list of questions that you need to research for any esthetician training program you are contemplating. As we have already discussed, the location of the school relative to your Knoxville residence, together with the price of tuition, will probably be your initial qualifiers. Whether you would like to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will undoubtedly be next on your list. But once you have narrowed your school options based on those initial qualifications, there are additional factors that you should research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Following we have collected some of those supplemental questions that you need to ask each school before making a final determination.
Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's important to make sure that the esthetician school you choose is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized local or national organization, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Schools accredited by the NACCAS must meet their high standards ensuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be essential for obtaining student loans or financial aid, which typically are not obtainable for non- accredited schools. It's also a requirement for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, numerous Knoxville TN businesses will not recruit recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more positively upon individuals with accredited training.
Does the School have a Good Reputation? Any esthetician institute that you are seriously considering should have a good to outstanding reputation within the industry. Being accredited is a good beginning. Next, ask the schools for references from their network of businesses where they have referred their students. Verify that the schools have high job placement rates, showing that their students are highly regarded. Visit rating services for reviews together with the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any relationships with Knoxville TN salon owners or managers, or someone working in the business, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are considering. They might even be able to recommend others that you had not thought of. Finally, consult the Tennessee school licensing authority to see if there have been any grievances submitted or if the schools are in full compliance.
What’s the School’s Focus? Some esthetician schools offer programs that are comprehensive in nature, concentrating on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a specific specialty, such as hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs typically expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's important that you decide on a school that specializes in your area of interest. Since your objective is to be trained as an esthetician, make certain that the school you enroll in is accredited and well regarded for that program. If your desire is to launch a Knoxville TN beauty salon, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator as well. Choosing a highly ranked school with a poor program in the specialty you are seeking will not provide the training you need.
Is Any Live Training Provided? Learning and mastering esthetician techniques and abilities demands plenty of practice on people. Ask how much live, hands-on training is included in the cosmetology courses you will be attending. Some schools have salons on site that enable students to practice their growing talents on volunteers. If a beauty program furnishes limited or no scheduled live training, but rather depends heavily on utilizing mannequins, it may not be the best alternative for cultivating your skills. Therefore try to find alternate schools that offer this kind of training.
Does the School Provide Job Assistance? Once a student graduates from an esthetician program, it's crucial that he or she receives support in landing that very first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that offer help develop relationships with Knoxville TN employers that are searching for skilled graduates available for hiring. Check that the schools you are looking at have job placement programs and ask which salons and establishments they refer students to. Also, ask what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only confirm that they have wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.
Is Financial Assistance Available? Most esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are reviewing have a financial aid department. Consult with a counselor and learn what student loans or grants you may qualify for. If the school belongs to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships available to students also. If a school fulfills all of your other qualifications except for cost, do not eliminate it as an alternative before you find out what financial aid may be provided.
Find Out How to Become an Aesthetician in Knoxville
Enroll in the Right Knoxville Esthetician Program
Picking and enrolling in the ideal esthetician program is essential to get the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Be sure to ask all the questions that you require in order to feel confident about your decision. Make certain to organize all of the responses you receive from the cosmetology school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then utilize that data to contrast schools. A sensible beginning in your due diligence procedure is to make sure that the academy and program you select are accredited and have exceptional reputations within the profession. If you begin 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 proper choice. Once you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be confident that you are qualified to launch your career as a professional esthetician in Knoxville Tennessee.
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