How to Pick the Right Esthetician Classes Near Oakton Virginia

Now that you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Oakton VA, the process begins to locate and enroll in the best program. It's imperative that the program you select not only provides the necessary training for the specialty you have decided on, but also prepares you for passing the licensing examination. When you start your preliminary search, you might be a little bit unclear about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are pretty much interchangeable and both pertain to the same type of school. If you plan on commuting to classes you will want to choose a school that is within driving distance of your Oakton home. Tuition will also be a critical factor when reviewing possible schools. Just remember that because a school is the nearest or the lowest cost it's not automatically the right option. There are several other factors 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 little bit about what kinds 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 Oakton 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 Programs

Online esthetician classes are accommodating for Oakton VA students who are employed full-time and have family responsibilities that make it hard to attend a more traditional school. There are a large number of online beauty school programs offered that can be attended via a personal computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional cosmetology schools are typically fast paced since 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 courses, you are covering the same amount of material, but you are not devoting many hours outside of your home or driving back and forth from classes. On the other hand, it's imperative that the training program you pick can provide internship training in local salons and parlors to ensure that you also get the hands-on training necessary for a comprehensive education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's impossible to acquire the skills needed to work in any facet of the cosmetology field. So make sure if you decide to enroll in an online program to verify that internship training is available in your area.

Questions to Ask Aesthetician Schools

Following is a series of questions that you should look into for any esthetician training program you are considering. As we have previously discussed, the location of the school in relation to your Oakton home, together with the expense of tuition, will most likely be your first qualifiers. Whether you would like to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will no doubt be next on your list. But once you have narrowed your school options based on those preliminary qualifications, there are additional factors that you must research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Below we have put together some of those supplemental questions that you need to ask every school before making a final selection.

Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's essential to make sure that the esthetician school you select is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education certified 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 superior curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be important for acquiring student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not available for non- accredited schools. It's also a requirement for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, numerous Oakton VA businesses will not employ recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more positively upon those with accredited training.

Does the School have an Excellent Reputation?  Every esthetician college that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to outstanding reputation within the field. Being accredited is a good starting point. 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, showing that their students are highly demanded. Visit rating services for reviews in addition to the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any relationships with Oakton 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 finally, check with the Virginia school licensing authority to see if there have been any complaints filed or if the schools are in total compliance.

What’s the School’s Focus?  Many esthetician schools offer programs that are broad in nature, focusing on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a particular specialty, for instance hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs frequently broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's essential that you decide on 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 respected for that program. If your vision is to start a Oakton 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 poor program in the specialty you are seeking will not deliver the training you require.

Is Plenty of Hands-On Training Provided?  Studying and refining esthetician skills and techniques demands plenty of practice on volunteers. Check how much live, hands-on training is included in the beauty lessons you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on site that make it possible for students to practice their developing talents on real people. If a beauty academy offers little or no scheduled live training, but instead depends mainly on the use of mannequins, it might not be the most effective alternative for cultivating your skills. Therefore look for alternate schools that offer this type of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program?  Once a student graduates from an esthetician academy, it's crucial that he or she receives aid in securing that very first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that furnish aid maintain relationships with Oakton VA businesses that are searching for skilled graduates available for hiring. Check that the schools you are contemplating have job placement programs and inquire which salons and establishments they refer students to. In addition, ask what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only verify that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.

Is Financial Assistance Available?  Most esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are considering have a financial aid department. Talk to a counselor and learn what student loans or grants you may get approved for. If the school belongs to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships offered to students too. If a school satisfies all of your other qualifications except for expense, do not drop it as an alternative until you determine what financial assistance may be available.

More Info on How to Become an Aesthetician in Oakton

Enroll in the Right Oakton Esthetician Training

Choosing and enrolling in the right esthetician program is important to obtain the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Be sure to ask all the questions that you require in order to feel confident about your decision. Make sure to organize all of the responses you get from the beauty school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then employ that data to compare schools. A reasonable beginning in your due diligence process is to make sure that the school and program you select are accredited and have excellent reputations within the field. If you begin with that foundation, and answer the additional questions presented in this post, 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 test, you will be self-assured that you are ready to begin your career as a professional esthetician in Oakton Virginia.

 

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