How to Find the Right Esthetician College Near Portsmouth Virginia

Once you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Portsmouth VA, the process begins to locate and enroll in the best program. It's essential that the program you select not only provides the necessary training for the specialty you have selected, but also prepares you for passing the licensing examination. When you start your preliminary search, you may be rather unclear about the distinction 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 intend on commuting to classes you will need to choose a school that is within driving distance of your Portsmouth home. Tuition will additionally be an important aspect when evaluating possible schools. Just remember that because a school is the nearest or the lowest cost it's not always the right choice. There are several other factors that you should evaluate when analyzing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask regarding the aesthetician schools you are considering later within this article. Before we do, let's talk a little 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 provide a wide range of beauty services to help their Portsmouth 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 schools are convenient for Portsmouth VA students who are employed full time and have family responsibilities that make it difficult to enroll in a more traditional school. There are many online beauty school programs offered that can be accessed via a personal computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional beauty programs are frequently fast paced due to the fact that many programs are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a large amount of time is spent in the classroom. With online courses, you are covering the same volume of material, but you are not devoting many hours outside of your home or commuting to and from classes. On the other hand, it's essential that the school you choose can provide internship training in local salons and parlors so that you also obtain the hands-on training needed for a complete education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's difficult to acquire the skills necessary to work in any facet of the cosmetology industry. So be sure if you decide to enroll in an online program to verify that internship training is provided in your area.

Questions to Ask Esthetics Programs

Following is a list of questions that you will want to investigate for any esthetician training program you are contemplating. As we have previously discussed, the location of the school relative to your Portsmouth residence, as well as the cost of tuition, will most likely be your initial qualifiers. Whether you want to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will no doubt be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school choices based on those initial qualifications, there are even more factors that you must research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Following we have compiled several of those supplemental questions that you need to ask each school before making a final decision.

Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's necessary to make certain that the esthetician college you enroll in 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). Schools accredited by the NACCAS must meet their high standards assuring a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be necessary for securing student loans or financial aid, which typically are not obtainable for non- accredited schools. It's also a requirement for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, many Portsmouth VA businesses will not hire 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 school that you are seriously considering 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 employers where they have placed their students. Verify that the schools have high job placement rates, indicating that their students are highly regarded. Check rating companies for reviews as well as the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any contacts with Portsmouth VA salon owners or managers, or someone working in the field, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are looking at. They might even be able to propose others that you had not considered. And last, contact the Virginia school licensing authority to find out if there have been any complaints submitted or if the schools are in full compliance.

What’s the School’s Focus?  Some esthetician schools offer programs that are comprehensive in nature, focusing on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a specific specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs typically expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's important that you enroll in 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 well regarded for that program. If your vision is to start a Portsmouth 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 regarded school with a weak program in the specialty you are pursuing will not provide the training you require.

Is Plenty of Live Training Provided?  Studying and mastering esthetician techniques and abilities demands plenty of practice on volunteers. Check how much live, hands-on training is provided in the cosmetology classes you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on campus that enable students to practice their growing talents on volunteers. If a beauty academy offers minimal or no scheduled live training, but rather depends heavily on utilizing mannequins, it may not be the best option for developing your skills. Therefore look for alternate schools that offer this type of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance?  When a student graduates from an esthetician program, it's crucial that she or he receives help in finding that first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that offer assistance maintain relationships with Portsmouth VA employers that are seeking trained graduates available for hiring. Verify that the schools you are looking at have job placement programs and find out which salons and businesses they refer students to. In addition, ask what their job placement rates are. High rates not only confirm that they have wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.

Is Financial Aid Offered?  Most esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Find out if the schools you are reviewing have a financial aid office. Talk to 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 accessible to students too. If a school meets each of your other qualifications with the exception of cost, do not omit it as an option before you find out what financial help may be provided.

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Enroll in the Best Portsmouth Esthetician Program

Finding and enrolling in the ideal esthetician program is essential to receive the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology technician. Make sure to ask all the questions that you need to in order to feel positive about your decision. Don't forget to organize all of the information you receive from the cosmetology school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then use that data to compare 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 profession. If you begin with that base, 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 right choice. And when you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be self-assured that you are prepared to begin your new career as a professional esthetician in Portsmouth Virginia.

 

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