How to Enroll In the Right Aesthetician School Near Vienna Virginia

Since you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Vienna VA, the task starts to locate and enroll in the best program. It's important that the program you choose not only provides the proper education for the specialty you have chosen, but also preps you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your initial search, you might be rather puzzled about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are pretty much interchangeable and both relate to the same type of school. If you anticipate commuting to classes you will need to find a school that is within driving distance of your Vienna residence. Tuition will additionally be an important aspect when evaluating prospective schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the closest or the least expensive it's not necessarily the best choice. There are various other factors that you should evaluate when reviewing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask regarding the aesthetician schools you are considering later in this article. Before we do, let's discuss a little bit about what kinds of training programs are offered.

It Takes Just a Few Minutes to Start Your Esthetician Career Below!

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 Vienna 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 classes are advantageous for Vienna VA students who are employed full-time and have family obligations that make it challenging to enroll in a more traditional school. There are numerous web-based cosmetology school programs available that can be accessed by means of a desktop computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional beauty programs are typically fast paced given that many programs are as short as 6 or 8 months. This means that a substantial portion of time is spent in the classroom. With internet programs, you are covering the same amount of material, but you're not spending numerous hours away from your home or driving to and from classes. On the other hand, it's essential that the program you choose can provide internship training in nearby salons and parlors to ensure that you also obtain the hands-on training required for a comprehensive education. Without the internship part of the training, it's impossible to acquire the skills needed to work in any facet of the cosmetology industry. So be sure if you decide to enroll in an online school to verify that internship training is provided in your area.

What to Ask Esthetics Trade Schools

Following is a series of questions that you need to investigate for any esthetician training program you are considering. As we have already covered, the location of the school relative to your Vienna residence, as well as the price of tuition, will most likely be your primary qualifiers. Whether you want to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will probably be next on your list. But once you have narrowed your school options based on those initial qualifications, there are additional factors that you should research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Below we have compiled several of those additional questions that you need to ask each school before making a final decision.

Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's essential to make certain that the esthetician school you pick is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized 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 ensuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be essential for obtaining student loans or financial aid, which typically are not available for non- accredited schools. It's also a prerequisite for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, a number of Vienna 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 institute that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to exceptional reputation within the profession. Being accredited is a good starting point. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of businesses where they have referred their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, showing that their students are highly sought after. Visit rating services for reviews in addition to the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any contacts with Vienna VA salon owners or managers, or any person working in the field, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are reviewing. They might even be able to suggest others that you had not thought of. Finally, check with the Virginia school licensing authority to see if there have been any grievances submitted or if the schools are in full 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 example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs commonly expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's important that you pick a school that focuses on your area of interest. Since your ambition is to be trained as an esthetician, make certain that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your vision is to launch a Vienna VA beauty salon, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will instruct you how to be an owner/operator as well. Picking a highly ranked school with a poor program in the specialty you are seeking will not deliver the training you require.

Is Plenty of Live Training Provided?  Learning and mastering esthetician skills and techniques demands lots of practice on people. Check how much live, hands-on training is provided in the beauty lessons you will be attending. Some schools have salons on site that allow students to practice their developing skills on real people. If a beauty program furnishes limited or no scheduled live training, but instead relies heavily on using mannequins, it may not be the most effective option for developing your skills. So search for alternate schools that furnish this type of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance?  When a student graduates from an esthetician academy, it's important that she or he gets support in securing that very first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that offer help develop relationships with Vienna VA employers that are looking for trained graduates available for hiring. Check that the programs you are looking at have job placement programs and ask which salons and organizations they refer students to. Also, find out what their job placement rates are. High rates not only confirm that they have wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.

Is Financial Assistance Available?  Almost all esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Find out if the schools you are looking at have a financial aid office. Talk to 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 satisfies each of your other qualifications with the exception of cost, do not eliminate it as an option before you determine what financial help may be provided.

Find Out How to Become an Esthetician in Vienna

Enroll in the Right Vienna Esthetician Program

Choosing and enrolling in the ideal esthetician program is imperative to obtain the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Make sure to ask all the questions that you require so as to feel certain about your decision. Don't forget to collect all of the information you get from the beauty school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then employ that information to contrast schools. A reasonable 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 field. If you begin with that foundation, and address the additional questions provided 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 test, you will be confident that you are qualified to start your new career as a professional esthetician in Vienna Virginia.

 

Vienna Esthetician Schools | Vienna Esthetician Schools Online