How to Choose the Best Aesthetician College Near Alexandria Virginia

Once you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Alexandria VA, the process starts to search for and enroll in the right program. It's essential that the program you choose not only furnishes the proper training for the specialty you have selected, but also readies you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your initial search, you may be a little bit confused about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are essentially interchangeable and both refer to the same type of school. If you intend on commuting to classes you will want to find a school that is within driving distance of your Alexandria residence. Tuition will additionally be an important consideration when assessing prospective schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the nearest or the least expensive it's not always the best option. There are various other qualifications that you should evaluate when analyzing schools, for instance their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask regarding the aesthetician schools you are considering later within this article. Before we do, let's discuss a little bit about what kinds of programs are offered.

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Esthetician 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 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 Classes

Online esthetician programs are convenient for Alexandria VA students who are employed full time and have family obligations that make it difficult to attend a more traditional school. There are numerous web-based cosmetology school programs available that can be accessed through a home computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional cosmetology schools are often fast paced due to the fact that many programs are as short as six or eight months. This means that a considerable amount of time is spent in the classroom. With internet courses, you are covering the same volume of material, but you're not spending many hours outside of your home or travelling to and from classes. On the other hand, it's vital that the training program you pick can provide internship training in area salons and parlors in order that you also get the hands-on training necessary for a complete education. Without the internship part of the training, it's impossible to acquire the skills required to work in any facet of the cosmetology industry. So make sure if you choose to enroll in an online school to verify that internship training is provided in your area.

Questions to Ask Aesthetician Training Classes

Following is a list of questions that you should research for any esthetician training school you are contemplating. As we have previously discussed, the location of the school in relation to your Alexandria home, together with the price of tuition, will probably be your primary qualifiers. Whether you wish to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will probably be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school options based on those preliminary qualifications, there are even more factors that you need to research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Below we have compiled several of those additional questions that you should ask each school before making a final selection.

Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's necessary 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 comply with their high standards guaranteeing a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be necessary for obtaining student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not available for non- accredited schools. It's also a criteria for licensing in many states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, numerous Alexandria VA employers will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more favorably upon individuals with accredited training.

Does the School have a Great Reputation?  Every esthetician institute that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to outstanding reputation within the profession. Being accredited is an excellent beginning. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of businesses where they have placed their students. Verify that the schools have high job placement rates, attesting that their students are highly sought after. Visit rating services for reviews as well as the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any contacts with Alexandria VA salon owners or managers, or someone working in the industry, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are considering. They might even be able to propose others that you had not thought of. And last, check with the Virginia school licensing authority to find out if there have been any complaints filed or if the schools are in full compliance.

What’s the School’s Focus?  Many esthetician schools offer programs that are broad in nature, focusing on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a particular specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs commonly expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's important that you choose a school that focuses on your area of interest. Since your ambition 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. Picking a highly regarded school with a poor program in the specialty you are seeking will not provide the training you need.

Is Plenty of Live Training Provided?  Practicing and refining esthetician skills and techniques involves lots of practice on people. Find out how much live, hands-on training is furnished in the cosmetology lessons you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on campus that allow students to practice their developing skills on real people. If a beauty school offers minimal or no scheduled live training, but instead relies heavily on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the most effective alternative for developing your skills. So look for alternate schools that furnish this type of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance?  When a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's imperative that she or he receives aid in securing that first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that provide aid develop relationships with Alexandria VA businesses that are searching for trained graduates available for hiring. Check that the schools you are looking at have job placement programs and find out which salons and businesses they refer students to. Additionally, ask what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only affirm that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.

Is Financial Aid Offered?  The majority of esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are considering have a financial aid department. Speak with a counselor and find out what student loans or grants you may qualify for. If the school is a member of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships available to students as well. If a school fulfills each of your other qualifications with the exception of cost, do not discard it as an option before you determine what financial assistance may be offered.

Learn How to Become an Esthetician in Alexandria

Enroll in the Right Alexandria Esthetician Course

Selecting and enrolling in the ideal esthetician school is important to receive the necessary training to become a licensed cosmetology professional. Be sure to ask all the questions that you require so as to feel certain about your decision. Be sure to organize all of the responses you get from the beauty school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then utilize that data to compare schools. A reasonable beginning in your due diligence procedure is to make certain that the school and program you pick are accredited and have exceptional reputations within the field. If you start with that foundation, and answer the additional questions supplied in this post, you will be able to narrow down your list of schools so that you can make the ideal selection. Once you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be confident that you are prepared to launch your new career as a professional esthetician in Alexandria Virginia.

 

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