How to Pick the Best Aesthetician School Near Alexandria Virginia

Now that you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Alexandria VA, the process begins to search for and enroll in the right program. It's essential that the program you select not only provides the appropriate training for the specialty you have selected, but also readies you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your preliminary search, you might be rather puzzled about the contrast between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are pretty much interchangeable and both pertain to the same kind of school. If you intend on commuting to classes you will need to find a school that is within driving distance of your Alexandria home. Tuition will also be an important consideration when evaluating possible schools. Just remember that because a school is the nearest or the lowest cost it's not always the right option. There are a number of other qualifications that you should weigh when reviewing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask about the aesthetician schools you are considering later in this article. Before we do, let's talk a bit about what types of training programs are available.

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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 Alexandria Virginia 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 classes are advantageous for Alexandria VA students who are working full-time and have family commitments that make it challenging to enroll in a more traditional school. There are numerous web-based cosmetology school programs offered that can be accessed via a personal computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional beauty schools are typically fast paced given that many courses are as short as 6 or 8 months. This means that a significant portion of time is spent in the classroom. With internet courses, you are covering the same volume of material, but you're not spending numerous hours outside of your home or driving back and forth from classes. However, it's imperative that the school you pick can provide internship training in nearby salons and parlors in order that you also get the hands-on training required for a comprehensive education. Without the internship part of the training, it's difficult to gain the skills necessary to work in any facet of the cosmetology profession. So make sure if you decide to enroll in an online school to confirm that internship training is provided in your area.

What to Ask Esthetician Training Programs

Below is a series of questions that you need to look into for any esthetician training program you are contemplating. As we have already discussed, the location of the school relative to your Alexandria home, as well as the expense of tuition, will most likely be your primary qualifiers. Whether you want to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will undoubtedly be next on your list. But once you have narrowed your school choices based on those preliminary qualifications, there are additional factors that you need to research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Following we have compiled several of those additional questions that you need to ask each school before making a final decision.

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 certified local or national organization, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must measure up to their high standards guaranteeing a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be important for obtaining student loans or financial aid, which often are not obtainable for non- accredited schools. It's also a criteria for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, a number of Alexandria VA businesses will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more positively upon individuals with accredited training.

Does the School have a Great Reputation?  Any esthetician college that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to excellent reputation within the industry. Being accredited is an excellent beginning. Next, ask the schools for endorsements from their network of employers where they have placed their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, signifying that their students are highly sought after. Visit rating services for reviews together with the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any connections with Alexandria VA salon owners or managers, or someone working in the field, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are looking at. They might even be able to propose others that you had not thought of. Finally, contact the Virginia school licensing authority to find out if there have been any grievances submitted or if the schools are in total compliance.

What’s the School’s Specialty?  A number of esthetician schools offer programs that are expansive in nature, concentrating on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a specific specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs commonly expand 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 intention is to be trained as an esthetician, make sure that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your aspiration is to launch a Alexandria VA beauty salon, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator as well. Selecting a highly rated school with a weak program in the specialty you are pursuing will not deliver the training you need.

Is Plenty of Live Training Provided?  Learning and refining esthetician skills and techniques demands lots of practice on volunteers. Find out how much live, hands-on training is provided in the cosmetology courses you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on site that make it possible for students to practice their growing talents on real people. If a beauty academy provides minimal or no scheduled live training, but instead relies heavily on the use of mannequins, it might not be the most effective option for developing your skills. So search for alternate schools that provide this kind of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program?  Once a student graduates from an esthetician program, it's crucial that she or he receives support in landing that initial job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that furnish assistance maintain relationships with Alexandria VA employers that are searching for qualified graduates available for hiring. Verify that the schools you are looking at have job placement programs and inquire which salons and organizations they refer students to. In addition, find out what their job placement rates are. High rates not only verify that they have wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.

Is Financial Aid Offered?  Almost all esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Find out if the schools you are reviewing have a financial aid office. Speak with a counselor and learn what student loans or grants you may get approved for. If the school is a member of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships available to students also. If a school meets each of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not eliminate it as an option before you learn what financial aid may be available.

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Enroll in the Best Alexandria Esthetician Program

Finding and enrolling in the ideal esthetician school is essential to receive the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology practitioner. Be sure to ask all the questions that you require so as to feel certain about your decision. Make certain to organize all of the responses you receive from the beauty school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then employ that information to contrast schools. A good beginning in your due diligence process is to make sure that the college and program you decide on are accredited and have excellent reputations within the profession. If you start with that base, and address the additional questions provided in this article, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the ideal selection. And when you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be confident that you are prepared to start your career as a professional esthetician in Alexandria Virginia.

 

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