How to Choose the Best Esthetician Program Near Parkersburg West Virginia

Once you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Parkersburg WV, the task starts to search for and enroll in the right program. It's imperative that the school you pick not only furnishes the appropriate training for the specialty you have decided on, but also prepares you for passing the licensing exam. When you begin your initial 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 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 Parkersburg home. Tuition will likewise be a critical consideration when evaluating prospective schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the closest or the least expensive it's not always the best option. There are various other factors that you should weigh when analyzing schools, for instance their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask about the aesthetician schools you are looking at later in this article. Before we do, let's talk a bit about what types of courses are offered.

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Esthetician 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 Parkersburg West 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 Training

Online esthetician classes are convenient for Parkersburg WV students who are working full time and have family commitments that make it difficult to enroll in a more traditional school. There are many web-based beauty school programs offered that can be attended via a home computer or laptop at the student's convenience. More conventional beauty programs are typically fast paced given that many programs are as brief as 6 or 8 months. This means that a large 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 many hours outside of your home or driving to and from classes. On the other hand, it's important that the school you select can provide internship training in local salons and parlors to ensure that you also obtain the hands-on training needed for a complete education. Without the internship portion of the training, it's impossible to gain the skills necessary to work in any area of the cosmetology industry. So be sure if you decide to enroll in an online school to confirm that internship training is available in your area.

Questions to Ask Esthetician Degree Programs

Following is a list of questions that you need to look into for any esthetician training program you are considering. As we have previously covered, the location of the school in relation to your Parkersburg residence, in addition to the expense of tuition, will most likely be your initial qualifiers. Whether you wish 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 initial qualifications, there are additional factors that you need to research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Below we have collected several of those supplemental questions that you need to ask each school before making a final decision.

Is the Esthetician School Accredited? It's essential to make sure that the esthetician training program you select is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged local or national organization, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Schools accredited by the NACCAS must comply with their high standards ensuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be essential for securing student loans or financial aid, which typically are not obtainable for non- accredited schools. It's also a prerequisite for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, many Parkersburg WV employers will not recruit 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 considering should have a good to outstanding reputation within the field. Being accredited is an excellent starting point. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of businesses where they have referred their students. Verify that the schools have high job placement rates, attesting that their students are highly demanded. Visit rating companies for reviews along with the school's accrediting agencies. If you have any contacts with Parkersburg WV salon owners or managers, or someone working in the field, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are reviewing. They may even be able to suggest others that you had not thought of. And finally, contact the West Virginia school licensing authority to see if there have been any grievances filed or if the schools are in total compliance.

What’s the School’s Specialty?  Many esthetician schools offer programs that are comprehensive in nature, concentrating on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a particular specialty, such as hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs frequently 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 ambition 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 start a Parkersburg WV beauty salon, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator as well. Picking a highly rated school with a weak program in the specialty you are seeking will not provide the training you need.

Is Plenty of Hands-On Training Provided?  Studying and mastering esthetician techniques and abilities involves plenty of practice on volunteers. Ask how much live, hands-on training is included in the cosmetology classes you will be attending. Some schools have salons on site that enable students to practice their growing skills on real people. If a beauty academy furnishes little or no scheduled live training, but rather relies heavily on utilizing mannequins, it may not be the best alternative for acquiring your skills. So try to find other schools that offer this type of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program?  Once a student graduates from an esthetician academy, it's imperative that he or she receives help in landing that first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that furnish assistance maintain relationships with Parkersburg WV businesses that are searching for skilled graduates available for hiring. Confirm that the schools you are contemplating have job placement programs and inquire which salons and establishments they refer students to. In addition, 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 regarded as well.

Is Financial Aid Offered?  Many esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are considering have a financial aid department. Speak with a counselor and identify what student loans or grants you may get approved for. If the school belongs to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships accessible to students as well. If a school fulfills all of your other qualifications with the exception of cost, do not discard it as an option before you determine what financial assistance may be offered.

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Enroll in the Right Parkersburg Esthetician Training

Picking and enrolling in the right esthetician program is important to get the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Make sure to ask all the questions that you require so as to feel positive 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 information to contrast schools. A sensible beginning in your due diligence procedure is to make sure that the institution and program you select are accredited and have excellent reputations within the field. If you begin with that foundation, 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 ideal selection. And when you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be self-assured that you are ready to launch your new career as a professional esthetician in Parkersburg West Virginia.

 

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