How to Choose the Best Esthetician Training Program Near Sterling Virginia

Since you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Sterling VA, the task begins to search for and enroll in the right program. It's imperative that the school you select not only provides the appropriate education for the specialty you have decided on, but also prepares you for passing the licensing exam. When you start your initial search, you might be a little bit puzzled about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are essentially interchangeable and both refer to the same type of school. If you plan on commuting to classes you will need to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Sterling home. Tuition will also be an important factor when assessing potential schools. Just remember that because a school is the nearest or the cheapest it's not necessarily the best option. There are a number of other factors that you should weigh when comparing schools, for instance their reputation and accreditation. We will examine what questions you should ask about the aesthetician schools you are considering later within this article. Before we do, let's talk a little bit about what types of training programs 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 Sterling 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 Classes

Online esthetician schools are accommodating for Sterling VA students who are employed full-time and have family obligations that make it hard to attend a more traditional school. There are many online cosmetology school programs available that can be accessed through a home computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional beauty programs are typically fast paced since many programs are as short as 6 or 8 months. This means that a considerable amount of time is spent in the classroom. With online programs, you are dealing with the same volume of material, but you are not spending numerous hours away from your home or driving back and forth from classes. However, it's important that the training program you pick can provide internship training in local salons and parlors in order that you also receive the hands-on training necessary for a comprehensive education. Without the internship part of the training, it's difficult to obtain the skills necessary to work in any area of the cosmetology field. So make sure if you decide to enroll in an online school to confirm that internship training is provided in your area.

What to Ask Esthetics Training Courses

Following is a series of questions that you need to investigate for any esthetician training program you are contemplating. As we have previously discussed, the location of the school relative to your Sterling home, in addition to the price of tuition, will most likely be your initial qualifiers. Whether you would like to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will probably be next on your list. But once you have narrowed your school options based on those preliminary qualifications, there are even more factors that you should research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Below we have collected several of those additional questions that you need to ask every school before making a final determination.

Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's necessary to make sure that the esthetician training program you enroll in is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education certified local or national organization, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must comply with their high standards assuring a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be essential for obtaining student loans or financial aid, which often are not available for non- accredited schools. It's also a criteria for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, a number of Sterling VA employers will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more positively upon individuals with accredited training.

Does the School have a Good Reputation?  Each esthetician college 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 endorsements from their network of employers 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 together with the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any connections with Sterling VA salon owners or managers, or any person working in the industry, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are considering. 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 grievances filed or if the schools are in complete compliance.

What’s the School’s Specialty?  A number of esthetician schools offer programs that are comprehensive in nature, concentrating on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a specific specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs typically broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's imperative that you enroll in a school that focuses on your area of interest. Since your objective 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 desire is to start a Sterling 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 ranked school with a weak program in the specialty you are seeking will not deliver the training you need.

Is Any Hands-On Training Provided?  Learning and refining esthetician techniques and abilities requires plenty of practice on people. Check how much live, hands-on training is furnished 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 school provides minimal or no scheduled live training, but rather relies mainly on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the most effective option for acquiring your skills. Therefore search for other schools that offer this kind of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance?  As soon as a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's essential that she or he gets assistance in securing that initial job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that furnish help develop relationships with Sterling VA businesses that are seeking skilled graduates available for hiring. Verify that the schools you are considering have job placement programs and find out which salons and organizations they refer students to. Also, ask what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only affirm that they have extensive networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.

Is Financial Aid Available?  Almost all esthetician schools offer 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 identify 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 as well. If a school meets each of your other qualifications except for expense, do not omit it as an alternative before you find out what financial assistance may be available.

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Enroll in the Best Sterling Esthetician Program

Picking and enrolling in the right esthetician school is imperative to receive the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology professional. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to in order to feel certain about your decision. Be sure to consolidate all of the responses you receive from the beauty school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then use that data to compare schools. A good beginning in your due diligence procedure is to make sure that the academy and program you select are accredited and have excellent reputations within the profession. If you begin with that base, 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 right selection. And when you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be self-assured that you are ready to start your new career as a professional esthetician in Sterling Virginia.

 

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