How to Enroll In the Right Aesthetician School Near Lake Stevens Washington

Once you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Lake Stevens WA, the process begins to search for and enroll in the ideal program. It's essential that the program you pick not only provides the proper instruction for the specialty you have selected, but also readies you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your preliminary search, you may be somewhat puzzled about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don't be, because the titles are basically interchangeable and both refer to the same type of school. If you plan on commuting to classes you will need to find a school that is within driving distance of your Lake Stevens residence. Tuition will additionally be an important aspect when evaluating potential schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the closest or the least expensive it's not necessarily the ideal option. There are a number of other qualifications that you should evaluate when analyzing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask about the aesthetician schools you are looking at later within this article. Before we do, let's talk a little bit about what types of courses are offered.

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

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 Lake Stevens 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 Esthetics Courses

Online esthetician classes are accommodating for Lake Stevens WA students who are employed full-time and have family obligations that make it hard to enroll in a more traditional school. There are a large number of online beauty school programs available that can be attended via a home computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional cosmetology schools are often fast paced given that many courses are as brief as 6 or 8 months. This means that a considerable amount of time is spent in the classroom. With internet courses, you are covering the same amount of material, but you're not devoting many hours outside of your home or commuting to and from classes. On the other hand, it's imperative that the program you pick can provide internship training in area salons and parlors in order that you also get the hands-on training needed for a comprehensive education. Without the internship part of the training, it's impossible to obtain the skills necessary to work in any area of the cosmetology industry. So be sure if you choose to enroll in an online school to confirm that internship training is available in your area.

What to Ask Aesthetician Training Classes

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 Lake Stevens residence, as well as the price of tuition, will probably be your first qualifiers. Whether you want to earn 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 should research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Below we have collected some of those additional questions that you should ask each school before making a final determination.

Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's necessary to make certain that the esthetician school you enroll in is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education certified 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 may also be necessary for securing student loans or financial aid, which typically are not obtainable for non- accredited schools. It's also a prerequisite for licensing in many states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, numerous Lake Stevens WA employers will not recruit recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more positively upon those with accredited training.

Does the School have an Excellent Reputation?  Every esthetician school that you are seriously considering should have a good to outstanding reputation within the industry. Being accredited is a good starting point. Next, ask the schools for references from their network of businesses where they have referred their students. Confirm that the schools have high job placement rates, indicating that their students are highly regarded. Visit rating companies for reviews in addition to the school's accrediting organizations. If you have any relationships with Lake Stevens WA salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the business, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are looking at. They may even be able to suggest others that you had not considered. Finally, contact the Washington school licensing authority to see 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 broad 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 typically expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it's important that you select a school that focuses on your area of interest. Since your goal is to be trained as an esthetician, make sure that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your vision is to open a Lake Stevens WA beauty salon, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator as well. Selecting a highly regarded school with a poor program in the specialty you are seeking will not provide the training you require.

Is Plenty of Hands-On Training Provided?  Studying and mastering esthetician skills and techniques involves plenty of practice on people. Find out how much live, hands-on training is provided in the beauty courses you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on site that enable students to practice their developing talents on real people. If a beauty program furnishes limited or no scheduled live training, but instead depends mainly on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the best option for developing your skills. So try to find alternate schools that provide this kind of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program?  When a student graduates from an esthetician school, it's crucial that he or she receives help in securing that initial job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that provide aid maintain relationships with Lake Stevens WA employers that are searching for skilled graduates available for hiring. Verify that the schools you are considering have job placement programs and ask which salons and establishments 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 Aid Available?  Almost all esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Find out if the schools you are looking at have a financial aid office. Speak with a counselor and find out what student loans or grants you may get approved for. If the school is a member of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships accessible to students too. If a school fulfills each of your other qualifications except for expense, do not discard it as an alternative until you find out what financial aid may be available.

Find Out How to Become an Aesthetician in Lake Stevens

Enroll in the Best Lake Stevens Esthetician Course

Locating and enrolling in the right esthetician college is essential to receive the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to so as to feel confident about your decision. Make certain to organize all of the responses you receive from the beauty school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then utilize that information to compare schools. A good start in your due diligence process is to make sure that the institution and program you choose are accredited and have exceptional reputations within the profession. If you start with that foundation, and answer the additional questions presented in this article, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the ideal choice. And when you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be confident that you are ready to begin your career as a professional esthetician in Lake Stevens Washington.

 

Lake Stevens Esthetician Schools Near Me | Lake Stevens Esthetician Programs