How to Become an Esthetician | Esthetician Schools Winthrop MA

How to Pick an Esthetician College near Winthrop Massachusetts

Winthrop MA esthetician client with cucumber facial Since you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Winthrop MA, the task begins to locate and enroll in the ideal program. It’s imperative that the school you select not only furnishes the appropriate training for the specialty you have selected, but also readies you for passing the licensing exam. When you begin your initial search, you may be somewhat puzzled about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don’t be, because the names are basically interchangeable and both refer to the same kind of school. We’ll speak a bit more about that in the next section. If you intend on commuting to classes you will want to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Winthrop home. Tuition will additionally be an important factor when evaluating potential schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the closest or the least expensive it’s not necessarily the best choice. There are many other factors that you should evaluate when reviewing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask about 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 types of courses are available.

Defining Cosmetology

esthetics facial toners Winthrop MA Cosmetology is an occupation that is everything about making the human body look more beautiful with the application of cosmetics. So of course it makes sense that many cosmetology schools are referred to as beauty schools. Many of us think of makeup when we hear the word cosmetics, but actually a cosmetic can be anything that improves the appearance of a person’s skin, hair or nails. In order to work as a cosmetologist, most states require that you go through some form of specialized training and then be licensed. Once licensed, the work environments include not only Winthrop MA beauty salons and barber shops, but also such businesses as spas, hotels and resorts. Many cosmetologists, after they have acquired experience and a customer base, open their own shops or salons. Others will start servicing clients either in their own residences or will travel to the client’s home, or both. Cosmetology college graduates go by many professional names and work in a wide variety of specialties including:

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

As already mentioned, in the majority of states working cosmetologists have to be licensed. In a few states there is an exception. Only those offering more skilled services, for example hairstylists, are required to be licensed. Other people employed in cosmetology and less skilled, including shampooers, are not required to be licensed in those states.

Esthetician Degrees and Certificates

Winthrop MA esthetician client with face mask There are primarily two pathways available to get esthetician training and a credential after completion. You can enroll in a certificate (or diploma) course, or you can work toward an Associate’s degree. Certificate programs normally call for 12 to 18 months to complete, while an Associate’s degree ordinarily takes about 2 years. If you enroll in a certificate program you will be trained in each of the main areas of cosmetology. Shorter programs are available if you wish to focus on just one area, for instance esthetics. A degree program will also most likely feature management and marketing training so that graduates are better prepared to manage a parlor or other Winthrop MA business. Higher degrees are not typical, but Bachelor and Master’s degree programs are offered in such areas as salon or spa management. Whatever type of program you decide on, it’s important to make sure that it’s approved by the Massachusetts Board of Cosmetology. Numerous states only certify schools that are accredited by certain highly regarded agencies, for instance the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). We will review the advantages of accreditation for the school you decide on in the upcoming section.

Online Esthetician Classes

woman attending esthetician school online in Winthrop MA Online esthetician programs are advantageous for Winthrop MA students who are working full time and have family obligations that make it challenging to enroll in a more traditional school. There are many online cosmetology school programs offered that can be attended through a personal computer or laptop at the student’s convenience. More traditional cosmetology schools are frequently fast paced since many programs are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a significant portion of time is spent in the classroom. With online courses, you are dealing with the same volume of material, but you are not devoting numerous hours outside of your home or travelling back and forth from classes. However, it’s vital that the program you choose can provide internship training in local salons and parlors to ensure that you also get the hands-on training required for a complete education. Without the internship portion of the training, it’s difficult to gain the skills needed to work in any area of the cosmetology industry. So make sure if you choose to enroll in an online school to verify that internship training is provided in your area.

What to Ask Esthetician Training Programs

Winthrop MA models benefit from esthetic treatments Following is a list of questions that you will want to investigate for any esthetician training program you are contemplating. As we have already discussed, the location of the school relative to your Winthrop home, as well as the cost of tuition, will most likely be your initial qualifiers. Whether you wish to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will undoubtedly be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school options based on those preliminary qualifications, there are additional factors that you should research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Below we have put together some of those additional questions that you should ask each school before making a final determination.

Is the School Accredited? It’s important to make certain that the esthetician school you choose 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 guaranteeing a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be essential for obtaining student loans or financial aid, which typically are not available in 02152 for non- accredited schools. It’s also a criteria for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, numerous Winthrop MA businesses will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more favorably upon those with accredited training.

Does the School have an Excellent Reputation? Any 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 employers where they have referred their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, attesting that their students are highly demanded. Visit rating companies for reviews as well as the school’s accrediting organizations. If you have any relationships with Winthrop MA salon owners or managers, or someone working in the field, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are looking at. They may even be able to recommend others that you had not looked into. Finally, consult the Massachusetts 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 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 particular specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs frequently broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it’s imperative that you select a school that specializes in your area of interest. If your goal is to be trained as an esthetician, make certain that the school you enroll in is accredited and well regarded for that program. If your aspiration is to start a Winthrop MA beauty salon, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator. Selecting a highly ranked school with a weak program in the specialty you are pursuing will not deliver the training you need.

Is Any Live Training Provided? Practicing and perfecting esthetician techniques and abilities demands lots of practice on people. Ask how much live, hands-on training is included in the beauty lessons you will be attending. Some schools have salons on site that allow students to practice their growing skills on real people. If a beauty program offers little or no scheduled live training, but instead relies predominantly on using mannequins, it may not be the best alternative for acquiring your skills. So search 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 essential that he or she gets help in securing that initial job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that furnish assistance develop relationships with Winthrop MA businesses that are searching for trained graduates available for hiring. Verify that the programs you are looking at have job placement programs and ask which salons and establishments they refer students to. Additionally, 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 regarded as well.

Is Financial Assistance Available? Most esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are reviewing have a financial aid department. Talk to a counselor and learn what student loans or grants you might get approved for. If the school is a member of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships available to students also. If a school meets all of your other qualifications except for expense, do not discard it as an option until you determine what financial assistance may be provided.

Attending Esthetician School Near Winthrop MA?

Perhaps you live in the Winthrop 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.

Winthrop, Massachusetts

Winthrop is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,497 at the 2010 census. Winthrop is an ocean-side suburban community in Greater Boston situated at the north entrance to Boston Harbor, close to Logan International Airport. It is located on a peninsula, 1.6 square miles (4.2 km2) in area, connected to Revere by a narrow isthmus and to East Boston by a bridge over the harbor inlet to the Belle Isle Marsh Reservation. Settled in 1630, Winthrop is one of the oldest communities in the United States. It is also one of the smallest and most densely populated municipalities in Massachusetts. It is one of the four cities in Suffolk County (the others are Boston, Revere, and Chelsea). It is the southernmost part of the North Shore, with a 7-mile (11 km) shoreline that provides views of the Atlantic Ocean to the east and of the Boston skyline to the west.

In 2005, the Town of Winthrop voted to change its governance from a representative town meeting adopted in 1920 to a council-manager form of government. Under Massachusetts law, as of 2006 when the new Town Charter took effect, Winthrop became a city. However, it is one of thirteen cities in Massachusetts that chose to remain known as a 'town.'[2] It is therefore referred to as a 'town' in this article.

Winthrop was settled in 1630 by English Puritan colonists as Pullen Poynt (Pulling Point), so named because the tides made hard pulling for boatmen.[3][4] The present town is named after John Winthrop (1587–1649), second governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and an English Puritan leader. On April 8, 1630, Winthrop departed from the Isle of Wight, England on the ship Arbella, arriving in Salem in June where he was met by John Endecott, the first governor of the colony. John Winthrop served as governor for twelve of the colony's first twenty years of existence. It was he who decided to base the colony at the Shawmut Peninsula, where he and other colonists founded what is now the City of Boston.

Find the Right Esthetician Vocational School near Winthrop MA

Finding and enrolling in the right esthetician school is important to get the necessary training to become a licensed cosmetology practitioner. Make sure to ask all the questions that you need to so as to feel certain about your decision. Don’t forget to organize all of the responses you get from the beauty school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then use that information to compare schools. A reasonable start in your due diligence process is to make certain that the institution and program you decide on are accredited and have exceptional reputations within the profession. If you begin with that base, and answer the additional questions provided in this post, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the right selection. Once you graduate and pass your licensing exam, you will be self-assured that you are ready to start your career as a professional esthetician in Winthrop MA.