How to Choose the Right Esthetician Training Near Reston Virginia

Now that you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Reston VA, the task begins to find and enroll in the ideal program. It's important that the program you choose not only furnishes the proper education for the specialty you have decided on, but also readies you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your preliminary search, you might be rather unclear about the contrast between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are essentially interchangeable and both pertain to the same type of school. If you intend on commuting to classes you will want to choose a school that is within driving distance of your Reston residence. Tuition will additionally be a critical aspect when assessing potential schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the nearest or the lowest cost it's not necessarily the ideal choice. There are a number of other qualifications that you should evaluate when comparing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will examine what questions you should ask regarding the aesthetician schools you are thinking about later within this article. Before we do, let's discuss a little bit about what types of courses are offered.

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Esthetician 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 Reston 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 advantageous for Reston VA students who are working full-time and have family commitments that make it hard to attend a more traditional school. There are many online beauty school programs offered that can be attended through a desktop computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional cosmetology schools are often fast paced since many programs are as short as 6 or 8 months. This means that a large portion of time is spent in the classroom. With internet programs, you are covering the same volume of material, but you're not spending many hours outside of your home or travelling back and forth from classes. On the other hand, it's imperative that the program you pick can provide internship training in local salons and parlors in order that you also get the hands-on training needed for a comprehensive education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's impossible to acquire the skills required to work in any area of the cosmetology industry. So make sure if you choose to enroll in an online school to verify that internship training is available in your area.

Questions to Ask Aesthetician Programs

Following is a list of questions that you should look into for any esthetician training program you are considering. As we have already covered, the location of the school in relation to your Reston home, together with the expense of tuition, will probably 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 reduced your school choices based on those initial qualifications, there are even more factors that you should research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Following we have put together several of those additional questions that you need to ask every school before making a final selection.

Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's necessary to make certain that the esthetician training program you pick is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged 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 quality curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be important for acquiring student loans or financial aid, which typically are not offered for non- accredited schools. It's also a requirement for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, a number of Reston 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 a Great Reputation?  Each esthetician school 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 testimonials from their network of employers where they have placed their students. Confirm that the schools have high job placement rates, indicating that their students are highly regarded. Visit rating services for reviews along with the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any connections with Reston VA salon owners or managers, or someone working in the industry, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are looking at. They may even be able to recommend others that you had not considered. And finally, contact the Virginia school licensing authority to find out if there have been any complaints submitted or if the schools are in total compliance.

What’s the School’s Specialty?  Some esthetician schools offer programs that are expansive 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 often broaden 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 objective is to be trained as an esthetician, make certain that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your aspiration is to launch a Reston VA beauty salon, then you need 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 need.

Is Enough Hands-On Training Provided?  Practicing and perfecting esthetician skills and techniques involves plenty of practice on volunteers. Find out how much live, hands-on training is included in the beauty 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 instead relies heavily on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the most effective option for cultivating your skills. Therefore try to find alternate schools that provide this kind of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program?  Once a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's important that she or he gets assistance in securing that very first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that furnish assistance develop relationships with Reston VA employers that are searching for qualified graduates available for hiring. Check that the schools you are looking at have job placement programs and ask which salons and organizations they refer students to. Additionally, find out what their job placement rates are. High rates not only confirm that they have extensive networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.

Is Financial Aid Available?  Many esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid office. Speak with a counselor and find out what student loans or grants you might qualify for. If the school is a member of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships accessible to students as well. If a school meets each of your other qualifications with the exception of cost, do not omit it as an alternative until you determine what financial aid may be offered.

Find Out How to Become an Aesthetician in Reston

Enroll in the Right Reston Esthetician Course

Picking and enrolling in the ideal esthetician college is important to get the necessary training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to in order to feel positive about your decision. Be sure to collect all of the information you receive from the beauty school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then utilize that data to compare schools. A good beginning in your due diligence procedure is to make certain that the college and program you pick are accredited and have excellent reputations within the field. If you begin with that foundation, and address the additional questions supplied in this article, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the proper choice. 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 Reston Virginia.

 

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