How to Enroll In the Best Esthetician Program Near Charlottesville Virginia

Since you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Charlottesville VA, the task starts to locate and enroll in the right program. It's imperative that the program you choose not only provides the necessary instruction for the specialty you have selected, but also prepares you for passing the licensing exam. When you begin your preliminary search, you might be a little bit unclear about the contrast between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are essentially interchangeable and both relate to the same type of school. If you anticipate commuting to classes you will need to find a school that is within driving distance of your Charlottesville residence. Tuition will likewise be an important consideration when evaluating potential schools. Just remember that because a school is the closest or the cheapest it's not automatically the right choice. There are many other qualifications that you should weigh when reviewing 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 discuss a bit about what kinds of programs 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 (or aestheticians) are skin care specialists who typically work in Charlottesville Virginia spas and salons as well as resorts and medical facilities to provide a variety of treatments for their clients. Some of the typical duties of an esthetician include performing deep skin cleansing and treatments, hair removal, and massages. Estheticians also recommend skincare treatments, products, and regimens to their clients. Many estheticians are self-employed, which allows them to set their schedules and work where they wish. However, these professionals still often need to work evenings and weekends. These skin care specialists also spend much of their time standing and may be exposed to harmful chemicals. Certified estheticians have excellent customer service and communication skills. They're adept at time management, observation and monitoring and are competent in understanding and using the tools necessary for facial procedures and extractions. Certified estheticians are familiar with medical, spreadsheets, and word processing software. They present a professional appearance and have the physical fitness to stand for prolonged periods of time. A career in esthetics generally requires working evening and weekend hours.

Online Esthetics Classes

Online esthetician schools are accommodating for Charlottesville VA students who are employed full time and have family obligations that make it difficult to enroll in a more traditional school. There are many online cosmetology school programs available that can be accessed via a personal computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional beauty programs are often fast paced since many courses 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 dealing with the same amount of material, but you are not devoting many hours away from your home or travelling back and forth from classes. On the other hand, it's imperative that the program you choose can provide internship training in area 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 gain the skills required to work in any area of the cosmetology industry. So don't forget if you choose to enroll in an online school to confirm that internship training is available in your area.

Questions to Ask Aesthetician Training Programs

Below is a list of questions that you will want to investigate for any esthetician training school you are contemplating. As we have already discussed, the location of the school relative to your Charlottesville home, together with the price of tuition, will undoubtedly be your initial qualifiers. Whether you want to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will probably be next on your list. But once you have narrowed your school choices based on those preliminary qualifications, there are even more factors that you need to research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Below we have put together several of those additional questions that you need to ask each school before making a final decision.

Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's essential to make sure that the esthetician college you enroll in 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). Schools accredited by the NACCAS must meet their high standards ensuring a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be important for getting student loans or financial aid, which frequently 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 final benefit, many Charlottesville VA businesses will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more positively upon individuals with accredited training.

Does the School have an Excellent Reputation?  Each esthetician college that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to excellent reputation within the profession. Being accredited is an excellent beginning. Next, ask the schools for endorsements from their network of employers where they have referred their students. Verify that the schools have high job placement rates, signifying that their students are highly demanded. Visit rating services for reviews in addition to the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any contacts with Charlottesville VA salon owners or managers, or any person working in the business, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are considering. They may even be able to propose others that you had not considered. Finally, consult the Virginia school licensing authority to find out if there have been any grievances filed or if the schools are in complete compliance.

What’s the School’s Specialty?  Some 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, 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 choose a school that specializes in 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 well regarded for that program. If your aspiration is to start a Charlottesville VA beauty salon, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator as well. Picking a highly ranked school with a poor program in the specialty you are pursuing will not deliver the training you require.

Is Any Live Training Provided?  Practicing and mastering esthetician skills and techniques involves lots of practice on volunteers. Ask how much live, hands-on training is furnished in the beauty lessons you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on site that allow students to practice their growing talents on real people. If a beauty academy furnishes limited or no scheduled live training, but instead relies predominantly on using mannequins, it might not be the best alternative for cultivating your skills. Therefore search for other schools that furnish this type of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance?  Once a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's crucial that she or he gets aid in securing that first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that offer assistance develop relationships with Charlottesville VA businesses that are looking for skilled graduates available for hiring. Verify that the schools you are looking at have job placement programs and inquire which salons and establishments they refer students to. Additionally, ask what their job placement rates are. High rates not only verify that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.

Is Financial Assistance Offered?  Most esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Find out if the schools you are reviewing have a financial aid department. Consult with a counselor and find out 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 as well. If a school meets each of your other qualifications with the exception of cost, do not discard it as an option until you learn what financial assistance may be available.

Learn How to Become an Esthetician in Charlottesville

Enroll in the Right Charlottesville Esthetician Course

Choosing and enrolling in the ideal esthetician program is important to obtain the necessary training to become a licensed cosmetology professional. Be sure to ask all the questions that you require so as to feel positive about your decision. Don't forget to consolidate all of the responses you get from the beauty school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then employ that information to contrast schools. A good start in your due diligence procedure is to make sure that the institution and program you pick are accredited and have impressive reputations within the field. If you start with that foundation, and address the additional questions supplied in this article, you will be able to narrow down your list of schools so that you can make the ideal choice. And when you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be self-assured that you are prepared to begin your career as a professional esthetician in Charlottesville Virginia.

 

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