How to Choose the Best Aesthetician Program Near Manassas Virginia

Since you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Manassas VA, the process starts to search for and enroll in the ideal program. It's imperative that the school 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 start your preliminary search, you may be rather unclear about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are basically interchangeable and both refer to the same type of school. If you intend on commuting to classes you will need to find a school that is within driving distance of your Manassas residence. Tuition will also be a critical aspect when evaluating potential schools. Just remember that because a school is the closest or the cheapest it's not always the ideal choice. There are a number of other considerations that you should weigh when reviewing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will examine what questions you should ask regarding the aesthetician schools you are considering later in this article. Before we do, let's talk a bit about what kinds of 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 Manassas 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 Esthetician Schools

Online esthetician classes are convenient for Manassas VA students who are employed full-time and have family commitments 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 attended by means of a home computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional cosmetology schools are often fast paced because many programs are as brief as 6 or 8 months. This means that a large portion of time is spent in the classroom. With internet courses, you are dealing with the same amount of material, but you are not spending many hours away from your home or commuting back and forth from classes. However, it's imperative that the program you choose can provide internship training in area salons and parlors in order that you also obtain the hands-on training required for a comprehensive education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's impossible to gain the skills necessary to work in any facet of the cosmetology industry. So make sure if you decide to enroll in an online program to confirm that internship training is available in your area.

What to Ask Esthetics Trade Schools

Below is a series of questions that you will want to research for any esthetician training program you are contemplating. As we have already covered, the location of the school in relation to your Manassas residence, in addition to the cost of tuition, will most likely be your initial qualifiers. Whether you want to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will undoubtedly be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school options based on those preliminary qualifications, there are additional factors that you need to research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Below we have put together several 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 certain that the esthetician college you choose is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged local or national agency, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must meet their high standards guaranteeing a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be important for acquiring student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not offered for non- accredited schools. It's also a criteria for licensing in many states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, many Manassas VA employers will not recruit recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more positively upon individuals with accredited training.

Does the School have a Good Reputation?  Each esthetician college that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to outstanding reputation within the profession. Being accredited is a good starting point. Next, ask the schools for references from their network of businesses where they have placed their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, signifying that their students are highly regarded. Check rating companies for reviews as well as the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any connections with Manassas VA salon owners or managers, or someone working in the field, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are reviewing. They may even be able to recommend others that you had not looked into. And last, check with the Virginia school licensing authority to find out if there have been any grievances filed or if the schools are in full compliance.

What’s the School’s Specialty?  Some esthetician schools offer programs that are comprehensive in nature, concentrating on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a particular specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs frequently broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's imperative that you enroll in a school that specializes in 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 open a Manassas VA 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 Plenty of Live Training Provided?  Studying and refining esthetician techniques and abilities requires plenty of practice on volunteers. Find out how much live, hands-on training is included in the beauty lessons you will be attending. Some schools have salons on campus that enable students to practice their growing talents on volunteers. If a beauty school provides limited or no scheduled live training, but instead depends mainly on using mannequins, it may not be the most effective alternative for developing your skills. Therefore look for other schools that furnish this type of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance?  As soon as a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's crucial that she or he receives aid in finding that very first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that furnish help develop relationships with Manassas VA businesses that are searching for skilled graduates available for hiring. Check 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. Higher rates not only verify that they have extensive networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.

Is Financial Aid Available?  Many esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are looking at have a financial aid office. Speak with a counselor and learn what student loans or grants you might get approved for. If the school is a member of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships accessible to students too. If a school fulfills each of your other qualifications except for cost, do not drop it as an alternative until you find out what financial aid may be offered.

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Enroll in the Right Manassas Esthetician Course

Selecting and enrolling in the ideal esthetician program is essential to get the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology professional. Make sure to ask all the questions that you need to so as to feel confident about your decision. Make sure to collect all of the responses you get from the cosmetology school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then utilize that data to compare schools. A sensible beginning in your due diligence process is to make sure that the academy and program you choose are accredited and have impressive reputations within the field. If you start with that foundation, and address the additional questions presented 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 test, you will be self-assured that you are qualified to launch your new career as a professional esthetician in Manassas Virginia.

 

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