How to Choose the Right Aesthetician Course Near Bellevue Washington

Once you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Bellevue WA, the task begins to search for and enroll in the right program. It's imperative that the program you choose not only provides the necessary instruction for the specialty you have decided on, but also prepares you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your preliminary search, you may be a little bit confused 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 kind of school. If you anticipate commuting to classes you will want to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Bellevue home. Tuition will likewise be an important consideration when reviewing possible schools. Just remember that because a school is the nearest or the lowest cost it's not necessarily the right choice. There are many other qualifications that you should weigh when reviewing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask concerning the aesthetician schools you are thinking about later in this article. Before we do, let's talk a bit about what types of programs are offered.

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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 Bellevue Washington 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 Courses

Online esthetician programs are convenient for Bellevue WA students who are working full-time and have family responsibilities that make it challenging to attend a more traditional school. There are numerous online cosmetology school programs offered that can be attended through a personal computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional beauty programs are often fast paced due to the fact that many courses are as brief as 6 or 8 months. This means that a considerable portion of time is spent in the classroom. With internet courses, you are dealing with the same amount of material, but you're not devoting many hours outside of your home or commuting to and from classes. However, it's important that the program you choose can provide internship training in area salons and parlors to ensure that you also obtain the hands-on training needed for a comprehensive education. Without the internship part of the training, it's difficult to gain the skills necessary to work in any area of the cosmetology profession. So make sure if you choose to enroll in an online school to confirm that internship training is available in your area.

Questions to Ask Aesthetician Degree Programs

Below is a list of questions that you will want to look into for any esthetician training program you are contemplating. As we have previously discussed, the location of the school in relation to your Bellevue residence, in addition to the cost of tuition, will probably be your initial qualifiers. Whether you wish to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will probably be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school choices based on those preliminary qualifications, there are even more factors that you need to research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Below we have put together several of those additional questions that you should ask every school before making a final determination.

Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's important to make sure that the esthetician training program you pick 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). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must measure up to their high standards assuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be necessary for obtaining student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not offered for non- accredited schools. It's also a prerequisite for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, a number of Bellevue WA businesses will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more favorably upon individuals with accredited training.

Does the School have a Great Reputation?  Any esthetician institute that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to exceptional reputation within the profession. Being accredited is an excellent beginning. 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, attesting that their students are highly sought after. Check rating companies for reviews along with the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any relationships with Bellevue WA salon owners or managers, or any person working in the trade, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are considering. They might even be able to suggest others that you had not considered. Finally, check with the Washington school licensing authority to find out if there have been any grievances submitted or if the schools are in total compliance.

What’s the School’s Focus?  Some esthetician schools offer programs that are broad in nature, concentrating on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a specific specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs often broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's important that you choose a school that focuses on your area of interest. Since your goal 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 open a Bellevue WA beauty salon, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will instruct you how to be an owner/operator as well. Selecting a highly rated school with a poor program in the specialty you are seeking will not deliver the training you need.

Is Any Live Training Provided?  Learning and refining esthetician skills and techniques requires lots of practice on volunteers. Find out how much live, hands-on training is furnished in the cosmetology courses you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on campus that allow students to practice their developing talents on volunteers. If a beauty school provides little or no scheduled live training, but instead relies predominantly on utilizing mannequins, it may not be the best option for cultivating your skills. So try to find other schools that provide this kind of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance?  Once a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's essential that she or he gets aid in landing that first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that furnish aid develop relationships with Bellevue WA businesses that are seeking qualified graduates available for hiring. Check that the programs you are considering have job placement programs and inquire which salons and establishments they refer students to. In addition, find out what their job placement rates are. High rates not only confirm that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.

Is Financial Aid Offered?  Most esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Find out if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid department. Consult with 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 also. If a school satisfies all of your other qualifications with the exception of cost, do not eliminate it as an alternative until you learn what financial aid may be provided.

Find Out How to Become an Aesthetician in Bellevue

Enroll in the Right Bellevue Esthetician Training

Finding and enrolling in the ideal esthetician college is imperative to receive the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology professional. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to so as to feel certain about your decision. Make certain to organize all of the information you get from the beauty school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then employ that data to contrast schools. A sensible beginning in your due diligence process is to make certain that the school and program you choose are accredited and have outstanding reputations within the field. If you start with that foundation, and address the additional questions presented in this article, you will be able to narrow down your list of schools so that you can make the right choice. And when you graduate and pass your licensing exam, you will be confident that you are ready to begin your career as a professional esthetician in Bellevue Washington.

 

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