How to Become an Esthetician | Esthetician Schools Donaldsonville LA

How to Find the Right Esthetician College near Donaldsonville Louisiana

Donaldsonville LA esthetician client with cucumber facial Once you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Donaldsonville LA, the task starts to find and enroll in the right program. It’s important that the school you pick not only furnishes the appropriate instruction for the specialty you have decided on, but also preps you for passing the licensing examination. When you start your preliminary search, you may be rather puzzled about the contrast 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. We’ll speak a little bit more concerning that in the next segment. If you intend on commuting to classes you will want to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Donaldsonville home. Tuition will likewise be an important factor when assessing prospective schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the nearest or the least expensive it’s not always the right option. There are a number of other factors that you should weigh when comparing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask about the cosmetology schools you are looking at later within this article. Before we do, let’s discuss a bit about what cosmetology is, and what kinds of training programs are available.

What is Cosmetology

esthetics facial toners Donaldsonville LA Cosmetology is a profession that is everything about making the human anatomy look more beautiful through the application of cosmetics. So naturally it makes sense that numerous cosmetology schools are referred to as beauty schools. Most of us think of makeup when we hear the word cosmetics, but actually a cosmetic may be almost anything that enhances the appearance of a person’s skin, hair or nails. In order to work as a cosmetologist, most states mandate that you undergo some type of specialized training and then be licensed. Once you are licensed, the work environments include not only Donaldsonville LA beauty salons and barber shops, but also such businesses as spas, hotels and resorts. Many cosmetologists, after they have acquired experience and a clientele, establish their own shops or salons. Others will begin servicing customers either in their own homes or will travel to the client’s residence, or both. Cosmetology college graduates are known by many names and work in a wide range of specialties including:

Estheticians
Hairdressers
Hairstylists
Beauticians
Barbers
Manicurists
Nail Technicians
Makeup Artists
Hair Coloring Specialists
Electrolysis Technicians

As formerly mentioned, in the majority of states practicing cosmetologists must be licensed. In some states there is an exception. Only those offering more skilled services, for example hairstylists, are required to be licensed. Others employed in cosmetology and less skilled, such as shampooers, are not required to become licensed in those states.

Esthetician Degrees

Donaldsonville LA esthetician client with face mask There are basically two pathways offered to get esthetician training and a credential upon completion. You can enroll in a certificate (or diploma) program, or you can work toward an Associate’s degree. Certificate programs normally require 12 to 18 months to complete, while an Associate’s degree commonly takes about 2 years. If you enroll in a certificate program you will be trained in each of the major areas of cosmetology. Shorter programs are available if you prefer to focus on just one area, such as esthetics. A degree program will also most likely incorporate management and marketing training in order that graduates are better prepared to operate a salon or other Donaldsonville LA business. Higher degrees are not prevalent, but Bachelor and Master’s degree programs are available in such specialties as salon or spa management. Whichever type of training program you opt for, it’s imperative to make sure that it’s approved by the Louisiana Board of Cosmetology. A number of states only certify schools that are accredited by certain respected organizations, for instance the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). We will cover the advantages of accreditation for the school you choose in the next segment.

Online Esthetician Schools

woman attending esthetician school online in Donaldsonville LA Online esthetician programs are convenient for Donaldsonville LA students who are employed full-time and have family obligations that make it challenging to enroll in a more traditional school. There are numerous online cosmetology school programs offered that can be accessed by means of a desktop computer or laptop at the student’s convenience. More conventional cosmetology programs are frequently fast paced since many courses 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 covering the same amount of material, but you’re not spending many hours away from your home or commuting back and forth 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 receive the hands-on training needed for a comprehensive education. Without the internship portion of the training, it’s difficult to gain the skills necessary to work in any facet of the cosmetology industry. So don’t forget if you decide to enroll in an online school to verify that internship training is available in your area.

Questions to Ask Esthetician Training Programs

Donaldsonville LA models benefit from esthetic treatments Following is a series of questions that you should research for any esthetician training program you are contemplating. As we have previously covered, the location of the school in relation to your Donaldsonville home, in addition to the cost of tuition, will most likely be your initial qualifiers. Whether you wish to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will no doubt be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school options based on those initial qualifications, there are even more factors that you must research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Following we have compiled several of those supplemental questions that you should ask each school before making a final determination.

Is the School Accredited? It’s essential to make certain that the esthetician training program you enroll in 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). Schools accredited by the NACCAS must meet their high standards ensuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be essential for obtaining student loans or financial aid, which typically are not available in 70346 for non- accredited schools. It’s also a criteria for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, many Donaldsonville LA 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 Great Reputation? Every esthetician college that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to excellent reputation within the profession. Being accredited is an excellent 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, attesting that their students are highly sought after. Visit rating services for reviews together with the school’s accrediting agencies. If you have any contacts with Donaldsonville LA salon owners or managers, or someone working in the trade, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are looking at. They may even be able to recommend others that you had not thought of. Finally, contact the Louisiana school licensing authority to find out if there have been any grievances filed or if the schools are in full compliance.

What’s the School’s Focus? Many esthetician schools offer programs that are expansive in nature, concentrating on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a specific specialty, for instance hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs typically broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it’s imperative that you enroll in a school that specializes in your area of interest. If your intention 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 Donaldsonville LA beauty salon, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator. Picking a highly rated school with a poor program in the specialty you are pursuing will not deliver the training you require.

Is Enough Live Training Provided? Learning and refining esthetician skills and techniques involves lots of practice on volunteers. Find out how much live, hands-on training is included in the cosmetology courses you will be attending. Some schools have salons on site that enable students to practice their developing talents on real people. If a beauty program provides little or no scheduled live training, but instead depends heavily on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the most effective option for acquiring your skills. So look for alternate schools that offer this kind of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance? When a student graduates from an esthetician school, it’s imperative that he or she receives aid in finding that initial job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that provide assistance maintain relationships with Donaldsonville LA businesses that are searching for skilled graduates available for hiring. Confirm that the programs you are looking at have job placement programs and find out which salons and organizations they refer students to. Also, find out what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only confirm that they have wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.

Is Financial Aid Offered? Many esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are reviewing have a financial aid department. Consult with a counselor and identify what student loans or grants you might qualify for. If the school belongs to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships available to students as well. If a school satisfies each of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not discard it as an option before you learn what financial help may be provided.

Attending Esthetician School Near Donaldsonville LA?

Perhaps you live in the Donaldsonville Louisiana area, or have found a school that you will commute to or even relocate to attend. Either way, following is some interesting background information about the location of your new esthetician program.

Donaldsonville, Louisiana

Donaldsonville (historically French: Lafourche-des-Chitimachas[3]) is a small city in and the parish seat of Ascension Parish in south Louisiana, United States,[4] located along the River Road of the west bank of the Mississippi River. The population was 7,436 at the 2010 census, a decrease of more than 150 from the 7,605 tabulation in 2000. Donaldsonville is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Donaldsonville's historic district has what has been described as the finest collection of buildings from the antebellum era to 1933, of any of the Louisiana river towns above New Orleans.[5] Union forces attacked the city, occupying it and several of the river parishes beginning in 1862. Fort Butler was built on the west bank of the Mississippi River. The fort was successfully defended on June 28, 1863, against a Confederate attack. This battle was one of the first occasions where free blacks and fugitive slaves fought as soldiers on behalf of the Union. The fort is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

After the war, in 1868 Donaldsonville residents elected as mayor Pierre Caliste Landry, an attorney and Methodist minister; he was the first African American to be elected as mayor in the United States.[6]

Pick the Right Esthetics Training Program near Donaldsonville LA

Choosing and enrolling in the right esthetician school is imperative to receive the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to so as to feel certain about your decision. Don’t forget to collect all of the responses you receive from the beauty school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then employ that data to contrast schools. A reasonable start in your due diligence process is to make sure that the academy and program you select are accredited and have impressive reputations within the field. If you start with that base, 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 choice. And when you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be confident that you are ready to launch your new career as a professional esthetician in Donaldsonville LA.