How to Become an Esthetician | Esthetician Schools Gloucester MA

How to Pick an Esthetician Course near Gloucester Massachusetts

Gloucester MA esthetician client with cucumber facial Once you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Gloucester MA, the process begins to find and enroll in the ideal program. It’s essential that the program you choose not only provides the necessary education for the specialty you have chosen, but also readies you for passing the licensing exam. When you start your initial search, you may be rather confused about the contrast between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don’t be, because the titles are basically interchangeable and both relate to the same type of school. We’ll discuss a bit further concerning that in the upcoming segment. If you anticipate commuting to classes you will want to choose a school that is within driving distance of your Gloucester residence. Tuition will additionally be a critical consideration when reviewing possible schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the closest or the cheapest it’s not always the ideal choice. There are many other factors that you should weigh when analyzing schools, for instance their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask concerning the cosmetology schools you are looking at later in this article. Before we do, let’s discuss a bit about what cosmetology is, and what kinds of programs are offered.

What is Cosmetology

esthetics facial toners Gloucester MA Cosmetology is a profession that is all about making the human anatomy look more beautiful through the use of cosmetics. So naturally it makes sense that a number of cosmetology schools are regarded as beauty schools. Most of us think of makeup when we hear the word cosmetics, but really a cosmetic may be anything that improves the look of a person’s skin, hair or nails. If you want to work as a cosmetologist, the majority of states mandate that you go through some form of specialized training and then become licensed. Once licensed, the work environments include not only Gloucester MA beauty salons and barber shops, but also such businesses as spas, hotels and resorts. Many cosmetologists, after they have gotten experience and a client base, open their own shops or salons. Others will start servicing customers either in their own residences or will go to the client’s home, or both. Cosmetology college graduates have many professional names and work in a wide variety of specializations including:

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

As previously stated, in most states working cosmetologists must be licensed. In certain states there is an exemption. Only those performing more skilled services, for instance hairstylists, are required to be licensed. Other people employed in cosmetology and less skilled, including shampooers, are not required to get licensed in those states.

Esthetician Degrees

Gloucester MA esthetician client with face mask There are basically two avenues available to obtain esthetician training and a credential upon completion. You can enroll in a certificate (or diploma) course, or you can work toward an Associate’s degree. Certificate programs usually take 12 to 18 months to finish, while an Associate’s degree usually takes about 2 years. If you enroll in a certificate program you will be instructed in each of the major areas of cosmetology. Shorter programs are available if you want to focus on just one area, for instance esthetics. A degree program will also most likely incorporate management and marketing training in order that graduates are better prepared to operate a parlor or other Gloucester MA business. More advanced degrees are not typical, but Bachelor and Master’s degree programs are available in such specializations as salon or spa management. Whichever type of program you decide on, it’s essential to make certain that it’s approved by the Massachusetts Board of Cosmetology. Many states only recognize schools that are accredited by certain highly regarded agencies, for instance the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). We will review the benefits of accreditation for the school you choose in the upcoming section.

Online Esthetics Courses

woman attending esthetician school online in Gloucester MA Online esthetician schools are advantageous for Gloucester MA students who are working full-time and have family obligations that make it challenging to attend a more traditional school. There are a large number of web-based cosmetology school programs offered that can be attended by means of a home computer or laptop at the student’s convenience. More traditional beauty programs are frequently fast paced given that many programs are as short as six or eight months. This means that a large amount of time is spent in the classroom. With internet programs, you are covering the same amount of material, but you are not spending numerous hours outside of your home or driving back and forth from classes. However, it’s important that the school you pick can provide internship training in nearby salons and parlors so that you also get the hands-on training required for a comprehensive education. Without the internship portion of the training, it’s impossible to acquire the skills required to work in any area of the cosmetology profession. So make sure if you choose to enroll in an online school to verify that internship training is available in your area.

What to Ask Esthetics Training Courses

Gloucester MA models benefit from esthetic treatments Following is a series of questions that you should look into for any esthetician training program you are considering. As we have previously discussed, the location of the school in relation to your Gloucester residence, together with the expense of tuition, will most likely be your primary 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 options based on those initial qualifications, there are additional factors that you need to research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Below we have put together some of those additional questions that you should ask every school before making a final decision.

Is the School Accredited? It’s important to make sure that the esthetician school you select is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged 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 assuring a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be important for securing student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not offered in 01930 for non- accredited schools. It’s also a prerequisite for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, numerous Gloucester MA businesses will not recruit recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more positively upon individuals with accredited training.

Does the School have an Excellent Reputation? Any esthetician school that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to excellent reputation within the field. Being accredited is an excellent beginning. Next, ask the schools for references 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 sought after. Visit rating companies for reviews together with the school’s accrediting agencies. If you have any relationships with Gloucester MA salon owners or managers, or any person working in the field, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are looking at. They might even be able to propose others that you had not thought of. And finally, check with the Massachusetts school licensing authority to see if there have been any grievances filed or if the schools are in full compliance.

What’s the School’s Focus? A number of esthetician schools offer programs that are broad in nature, concentrating on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering 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 important that you enroll in a school that focuses on your area of interest. If your objective is to be trained as an esthetician, make certain that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your dream is to start a Gloucester MA beauty salon, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will instruct you how to be an owner/operator. Selecting a highly ranked school with a weak program in the specialty you are seeking will not provide the training you require.

Is Enough Live Training Provided? Studying and perfecting esthetician techniques and abilities involves lots of practice on people. Find out how much live, hands-on training is provided in the cosmetology courses you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on site that enable students to practice their growing skills on real people. If a beauty academy offers little or no scheduled live training, but instead relies heavily on the use of mannequins, it might not be the best alternative for developing your skills. So search for other schools that furnish this kind of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance? When a student graduates from an esthetician school, it’s important that she or he receives aid in finding that first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that offer aid maintain relationships with Gloucester MA employers that are searching for trained graduates available for hiring. Confirm that the programs you are looking at have job placement programs and inquire which salons and establishments they refer students to. Also, find out what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only verify that they have extensive networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.

Is Financial Aid Offered? Most esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Find out if the schools you are considering have a financial aid office. Talk to a counselor and learn what student loans or grants you may qualify 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 all of your other qualifications except for cost, do not eliminate it as an alternative before you find out what financial aid may be offered.

Attending Esthetician School Near Gloucester MA?

Perhaps you live in the Gloucester Massachusetts 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.

Gloucester, Massachusetts

Gloucester /ˈɡlɒstər/ is a city on Cape Ann in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is part of Massachusetts' North Shore. The population was 28,789 at the 2010 U.S. Census.[2] An important center of the fishing industry and a popular summer destination, Gloucester consists of an urban core on the north side of the harbor and the outlying neighborhoods of Annisquam, Bay View, Lanesville, Folly Cove, Magnolia, Riverdale, East Gloucester, and West Gloucester.

The boundaries of Gloucester originally included the town of Rockport, in an area dubbed "Sandy Bay". That village separated formally on February 27, 1840. In 1873, Gloucester was reincorporated as a city.

Gloucester was founded at Cape Ann by an expedition called the "Dorchester Company" of men from Dorchester (in the county of Dorset, England) chartered by James I in 1623. It was one of the first English settlements in what would become the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and predates both Salem in 1626 and Boston in 1630. The first company of pioneers made landing at Half Moon Beach and settled nearby, setting up fishing stages in a field in what is now Stage Fort Park. This settlement's existence is proclaimed today by a memorial tablet, affixed to a 50-foot (15 m) boulder in that park.

Enroll in the Right Esthetics Vocational School near Gloucester MA

Selecting and enrolling in the ideal esthetician school is essential to get the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology professional. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to in order to feel confident about your decision. Make sure to collect all of the responses you get from the cosmetology school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then employ that data to compare schools. A reasonable 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 profession. If you start with that base, and address the additional questions provided in this post, you will be able to narrow down your list of schools so that you can make the ideal selection. Once you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be self-assured that you are ready to start your new career as a professional esthetician in Gloucester MA.