How to Enroll In the Right Esthetician College Near Des Moines Washington

Since you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Des Moines WA, the task begins to search for and enroll in the right program. It's important that the program you pick not only provides the proper instruction for the specialty you have decided on, but also prepares you for passing the licensing exam. When you begin your preliminary search, you may be somewhat unclear about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the names are basically interchangeable and both refer to the same type of school. If you plan on commuting to classes you will want to find a school that is within driving distance of your Des Moines residence. Tuition will additionally be an important factor when assessing potential schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the nearest or the cheapest it's not automatically the right choice. There are a number of other factors that you should evaluate when analyzing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask about the aesthetician schools you are thinking about later within this article. Before we do, let's discuss a bit about what kinds of programs are available.

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Esthetician 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 Des Moines 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 Classes

Online esthetician schools are advantageous for Des Moines WA students who are employed full time and have family obligations that make it difficult to attend a more traditional school. There are a large number of web-based beauty school programs offered that can be accessed by means of a home computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More traditional cosmetology schools are typically fast paced since many courses are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a considerable amount of time is spent in the classroom. With internet programs, you are dealing with the same volume of material, but you're not devoting many hours outside of your home or driving to and from classes. However, it's vital that the school you choose can provide internship training in area salons and parlors to ensure that you also receive the hands-on training needed for a complete education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's impossible to obtain the skills required to work in any area of the cosmetology industry. So don't forget if you choose to enroll in an online school to verify that internship training is provided in your area.

Questions to Ask Aesthetician Training Programs

Below is a list of questions that you will want to look into for any esthetician training program you are considering. As we have already covered, the location of the school relative to your Des Moines residence, in addition to the expense of tuition, will probably 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 reduced your school choices based on those preliminary qualifications, there are additional factors that you should research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Below we have collected several of those additional questions that you should ask every school before making a final selection.

Is the Esthetician Program Accredited? It's important to make sure that the esthetician school you choose 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). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must measure up to their high standards assuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be important for acquiring student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not available for non- accredited schools. It's also a criteria for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, numerous Des Moines WA businesses will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more favorably upon those with accredited training.

Does the School have a Good Reputation?  Each 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 testimonials from their network of employers where they have placed their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, attesting that their students are highly demanded. Check rating services for reviews as well as the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any connections with Des Moines WA salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the trade, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are reviewing. They might even be able to propose others that you had not thought of. And finally, contact the Washington school licensing authority to see if there have been any complaints filed or if the schools are in complete compliance.

What’s the School’s Focus?  Many esthetician schools offer programs that are expansive in nature, focusing on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a specific specialty, such as hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs commonly expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's imperative that you decide on 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 aspiration is to launch a Des Moines WA 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 regarded school with a poor program in the specialty you are pursuing will not deliver the training you need.

Is Any Live Training Provided?  Learning and perfecting esthetician techniques and abilities requires lots of practice on volunteers. Check how much live, hands-on training is provided in the cosmetology lessons you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on site that allow students to practice their growing skills on volunteers. If a beauty academy furnishes limited or no scheduled live training, but instead relies predominantly on utilizing mannequins, it may not be the best alternative for cultivating your skills. Therefore search for other schools that provide this type of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance?  Once a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's imperative that he or she gets assistance in finding that initial job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that provide assistance develop relationships with Des Moines WA employers that are looking for skilled graduates available for hiring. Confirm that the programs you are looking at have job placement programs and ask which salons and organizations they refer students to. Additionally, ask what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only verify that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.

Is Financial Aid Available?  Almost all esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are looking at have a financial aid department. 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 available to students as well. If a school meets each of your other qualifications except for expense, do not discard it as an alternative before you learn what financial help may be available.

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Enroll in the Right Des Moines Esthetician Course

Selecting and enrolling in the right esthetician program is essential to get the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology technician. Make sure to ask all the questions that you need to in order to feel certain about your decision. Make sure to organize all of the responses you get from the cosmetology school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then use that information to compare schools. A good start in your due diligence process is to make certain that the institution and program you select are accredited and have exceptional reputations within the field. If you start with that foundation, and address the additional questions provided in this post, 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 qualified to start your career as a professional esthetician in Des Moines Washington.

 

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