How do I Choose an Esthetician School?

Estheticians are professionals who provide beauty-enhancing services such as makeup, skin treatments and hair removal to customers. While the average person may think that such services can be performed with someone with minimal training, professional estheticians are required to be educated and licensed by the state in which they operate. Enrolling in an esthetician school is the first step towards a career as an esthetician. Use the following tips to help you decide on an esthetician school to attend.

First, consult a state licensing board. Individual esthetician jobs may require different training and licensing procedures. Make sure that the school you choose is equipped to provide you with proper training and prepare you for licensing exams. Not checking with a state licensing board can result in spending money on a program or school whose training does not allow for public practice.

It is a good idea to fnd out what it's really like to be an esthetician. An esthetician school can provide training, but it won't prepare students for the reality of the occupation. Dig for information about the profession, including workload, salary and other miscellaneous labor reports. Seeing hard numbers about the profession can give you a better idea about what kind of school you want to attend.

Another important step is to interview licensed estheticians. Estheticians who have already attended school and been licensed to practice are sure to have a good idea of what schools are better than others. For more detailed information, approach estheticians who work in your preferred field or establishment. You may even want to book appointments with estheticians and ask questions while having their services performed on you. In addition to telling you what it takes to become an esthetician, they will probably inform you of the requirements of their specific positions.

Approach owners of spas, spa managers or spa directors for guidance. Asking the owners or directors of spas which esthetician school you should attend can result in a good job after school. Owners and directors all have their personal preferences, but many have high standards and can point you in the direction of a great esthetician school.

Make phone calls to editors of esthetic and beauty journals. The editors are likely to tell you exactly what you need to hear. Before you call, do a little research into the publications and see if they've already profiled or ranked schools.

You can compare programs online by logging onto school websites and determining what sets certain schools apart from others. Do extra research on those areas that are particularly important to you like curriculum, program length, cost, equipment availability or placement services for graduates. Check out staff and see what graduates of the program are currently doing. Graduates you can personally call may provide objective assessments of programs and can even inform potential students of what to expect after they enroll.