How to Find the Best Esthetician Training Near Merrifield Virginia

Once you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Merrifield VA, the task begins to find and enroll in the right program. It's essential that the school you choose not only provides the necessary training for the specialty you have decided on, but also preps you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your initial search, you might be somewhat unclear about the contrast between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are basically interchangeable and both pertain to the same kind of school. If you anticipate commuting to classes you will need to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Merrifield residence. Tuition will additionally be an important factor when reviewing prospective schools. Just remember that because a school is the closest or the least expensive it's not automatically the ideal option. There are many other factors that you should evaluate when reviewing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask concerning the aesthetician schools you are thinking about later in this article. Before we do, let's talk a little bit about what types of courses are offered.

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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 Merrifield 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 programs are advantageous for Merrifield VA students who are working full-time and have family obligations that make it hard to enroll in a more traditional school. There are numerous online beauty school programs available that can be accessed through a personal computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional beauty programs are frequently fast paced because many courses are as short as six or eight months. This means that a significant amount of time is spent in the classroom. With internet programs, you are dealing with the same volume of material, but you are not spending many hours outside of your home or travelling to and from classes. On the other hand, it's important that the school you select can provide internship training in area salons and parlors in order that you also obtain the hands-on training needed for a complete education. Without the internship part of the training, it's impossible to obtain the skills necessary to work in any area of the cosmetology profession. So be sure if you choose to enroll in an online program to confirm that internship training is available in your area.

What to Ask Esthetics Programs

Following is a list of questions that you should look into for any esthetician training program you are contemplating. As we have already discussed, the location of the school relative to your Merrifield residence, together with the expense of tuition, will most likely 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 even more factors that you must research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Following we have compiled several of those additional questions that you need to ask each school before making a final determination.

Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's important to make certain that the esthetician training program 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 superior curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be important for securing student loans or financial aid, which typically are not offered for non- accredited schools. It's also a requirement for licensing in many states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, a number of Merrifield VA businesses will not recruit recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more favorably 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 excellent reputation within the profession. Being accredited is a good beginning. Next, ask the schools for references from their network of businesses where they have placed their students. Confirm that the schools have high job placement rates, signifying that their students are highly sought after. Check rating services for reviews in addition to the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any relationships with Merrifield VA salon owners or managers, or someone working in the industry, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are reviewing. They might even be able to recommend others that you had not looked into. Finally, contact 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 Specialty?  Some esthetician schools offer programs that are comprehensive in nature, concentrating on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a particular specialty, for instance hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs often expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's imperative that you choose a school that focuses on 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 aspiration is to open a Merrifield VA beauty salon, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator as well. Choosing a highly regarded school with a weak program in the specialty you are pursuing will not deliver the training you need.

Is Any Hands-On Training Provided?  Learning and refining esthetician skills and techniques requires plenty of practice on volunteers. Check how much live, hands-on training is provided in the cosmetology courses you will be attending. Some schools have salons on campus that allow students to practice their growing talents on real people. If a beauty program offers minimal or no scheduled live training, but rather relies mainly on utilizing mannequins, it may not be the most effective option for developing your skills. Therefore try to find other schools that provide this type of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program?  As soon as a student graduates from an esthetician program, it's essential that she or he gets assistance in securing that first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that offer aid develop relationships with Merrifield VA employers that are seeking qualified graduates available for hiring. Check that the programs you are looking at have job placement programs and find out which salons and establishments they refer students to. Additionally, ask what their job placement rates are. Higher 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 provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Find out if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid department. Consult with a counselor and learn what student loans or grants you might get approved for. If the school belongs to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships available to students as well. If a school satisfies all of your other qualifications with the exception of cost, do not drop it as an alternative until you find out what financial help may be offered.

Find Out How to Become an Aesthetician in Merrifield

Enroll in the Right Merrifield Esthetician Course

Choosing and enrolling in the ideal esthetician program is important to obtain the necessary training to become a licensed cosmetology professional. Make sure to ask all the questions that you need to so as to feel positive about your decision. Make sure to organize all of the information you get from the cosmetology school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then employ that information to contrast schools. A reasonable start in your due diligence process is to make sure that the school and program you decide on are accredited and have outstanding reputations within the field. If you begin with that base, and answer the additional questions provided in this post, you will be able to narrow down your list of schools so that you can make the ideal selection. And when you graduate and pass your licensing exam, you will be self-assured that you are prepared to launch your career as a professional esthetician in Merrifield Virginia.

 

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