How to Become an Esthetician | Esthetician Schools East Lansing MI

How to Choose an Esthetician Program near East Lansing Michigan

East Lansing MI esthetician client with cucumber facial Since you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near East Lansing MI, the task starts to locate and enroll in the best program. It’s essential that the program you select not only furnishes the proper training for the specialty you have decided on, but also prepares you for passing the licensing exam. When you begin your initial search, you might be rather confused about the contrast between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don’t be, because the titles are pretty much interchangeable and both refer to the same kind of school. We’ll talk a bit more about that in the following section. If you intend on commuting to classes you will need to choose a school that is within driving distance of your East Lansing home. Tuition will additionally be an important factor when evaluating prospective schools. Just remember that because a school is the closest or the lowest cost it’s not necessarily the best option. There are many other qualifications that you should evaluate when reviewing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask concerning the cosmetology schools you are looking at later within this article. Before we do, let’s talk a bit about what cosmetology is, and what kinds of courses are available.

What is Cosmetology

esthetics facial toners East Lansing MI Cosmetology is a profession that is everything about making the human anatomy look more attractive through the application of cosmetics. So naturally it makes sense that numerous cosmetology schools are regarded as beauty schools. Many of us think of makeup when we hear the word cosmetics, but basically a cosmetic may be anything that improves the look of a person’s skin, hair or nails. In order to work as a cosmetologist, almost all states require that you go through some kind of specialized training and then become licensed. Once licensed, the work settings include not only East Lansing MI 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, launch their own shops or salons. Others will start seeing customers either in their own homes or will travel to the client’s home, or both. Cosmetology college graduates are known by many professional names and work in a wide range 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 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, which include shampooers, are not required to be licensed in those states.

Esthetics Certificates and Degrees

East Lansing MI esthetician client with face mask There are primarily two options offered to obtain 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 ordinarily takes about 2 years. If you enroll in a certificate program you will be trained in all of the major areas of cosmetology. Briefer programs are available if you prefer to focus on just one area, for example esthetics. A degree program will also probably feature management and marketing training in order that graduates are better prepared to operate a salon or other East Lansing MI business. More advanced degrees are not common, but Bachelor and Master’s degree programs are offered in such areas as salon or spa management. Whatever type of training program you opt for, it’s essential to make sure that it’s certified by the Michigan Board of Cosmetology. A number of states only certify schools that are accredited by certain respected agencies, for example the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). We will examine the benefits of accreditation for the school you select in the next section.

Online Esthetician Training

woman attending esthetician school online in East Lansing MI Online esthetician schools are advantageous for East Lansing MI students who are working full time and have family responsibilities that make it hard to enroll in a more traditional school. There are numerous online beauty school programs offered that can be attended by means of a desktop computer or laptop at the student’s convenience. More traditional cosmetology programs are often fast paced given that many courses are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a substantial portion of time is spent in the classroom. With internet programs, you are covering the same volume of material, but you’re not spending many hours away from your home or driving back and forth from classes. On the other hand, it’s imperative that the program you choose can provide internship training in area salons and parlors to ensure that you also get the hands-on training needed for a comprehensive education. Without the internship portion of the training, it’s difficult to acquire the skills needed to work in any facet of the cosmetology profession. So don’t forget if you decide to enroll in an online program to verify that internship training is available in your area.

What to Ask Esthetics Degree Programs

East Lansing MI models benefit from esthetic treatments Below is a list of questions that you will want to research for any esthetician training program you are contemplating. As we have previously discussed, the location of the school in relation to your East Lansing home, in addition to the cost of tuition, will probably be your primary qualifiers. Whether you wish to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will probably be next on your list. But once you have narrowed your school choices based on those initial qualifications, there are even more factors that you should research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Below we have collected several of those supplemental questions that you should ask every school before making a final decision.

Is the Program Accredited? It’s essential to make certain that the esthetician training program you choose 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 measure up to their high standards guaranteeing a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be essential for obtaining student loans or financial aid, which often are not obtainable in 48823 for non- accredited schools. It’s also a requirement for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, numerous East Lansing MI businesses will not employ recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more favorably upon those with accredited training.

Does the School have an Excellent Reputation? Any esthetician institute that you are seriously considering should have a good to exceptional reputation within the field. Being accredited is an excellent beginning. Next, ask the schools for endorsements from their network of businesses where they have placed their students. Verify that the schools have high job placement rates, signifying that their students are highly sought after. Check rating companies for reviews as well as the school’s accrediting agencies. If you have any contacts with East Lansing MI salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the field, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are reviewing. They may even be able to suggest others that you had not thought of. And last, consult the Michigan school licensing authority to see if there have been any complaints filed or if the schools are in total compliance.

What’s the School’s Focus? Some esthetician schools offer programs that are broad in nature, focusing on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a specific specialty, such as hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs frequently expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it’s important that you decide on a school that focuses on 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 well regarded for that program. If your aspiration is to start a East Lansing MI beauty salon, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator. Selecting a highly rated school with a weak program in the specialty you are pursuing will not deliver the training you need.

Is Enough Hands-On Training Provided? Studying and refining esthetician techniques and abilities demands lots of practice on people. Ask how much live, hands-on training is provided in the beauty courses you will be attending. Some schools have salons on site that enable students to practice their growing talents on volunteers. If a beauty academy provides limited or no scheduled live training, but instead depends mainly on the use of mannequins, it might not be the best alternative for cultivating your skills. So look for other schools that furnish this type of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program? As soon as a student graduates from an esthetician academy, it’s crucial that he or she receives aid in securing that initial job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that provide aid develop relationships with East Lansing MI employers that are searching for skilled graduates available for hiring. Check that the programs you are contemplating have job placement programs and inquire which salons and establishments they refer students to. Also, find out what their job placement rates are. High rates not only affirm that they have extensive networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.

Is Financial Assistance Offered? Most esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Find out if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid office. Consult with a counselor and identify what student loans or grants you may qualify for. If the school belongs to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships available to students too. If a school meets all of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not omit it as an option until you find out what financial assistance may be offered.

Attending Esthetician School Near East Lansing MI?

Perhaps you live in the East Lansing Michigan 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.

East Lansing, Michigan

East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan directly east of Lansing, the state capital. Most of the city is within Ingham County, with the rest in Clinton County. The population was 48,579 at the 2010 census, an increase from 46,420 in 2000. It is best known as the home of Michigan State University.

East Lansing was an important junction of two major Native American groups: the Potawatomi and Fox.[6] By 1850, the Lansing and Howell Plank Road Company was established to connect a toll road to the Detroit and Howell Plank Road, improving travel between Detroit and Lansing, which cut right through what is now East Lansing. The toll road was finished in 1853, and included seven tollhouses between Lansing and Howell.[7]

Michigan State University was founded in 1855 and established in what is now East Lansing in 1857. For the first four decades, the students and faculty lived almost entirely on the college campus. A few commuted from Lansing, and that number increased when a streetcar line was built in the 1890s, but there were few places to live in the then-rural area surrounding the campus.

Enroll in the Right Esthetics Vocational School near East Lansing MI

Selecting and enrolling in the ideal esthetician college is imperative to obtain the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology professional. Make sure to ask all the questions that you require in order to feel confident about your decision. Make certain to collect all of the responses you receive 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 procedure is to make sure that the college and program you pick are accredited and have exceptional reputations within the profession. If you begin with that foundation, 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 right choice. Once you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be self-assured that you are prepared to start your new career as a professional esthetician in East Lansing MI.