How to Become an Esthetician | Esthetician Schools Doylestown PA

How to Pick an Esthetician Program near Doylestown Pennsylvania

Doylestown PA esthetician client with cucumber facial Since you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Doylestown PA, the process begins to search for and enroll in the ideal program. It’s essential that the school you select not only furnishes the proper instruction for the specialty you have decided on, but also prepares you for passing the licensing exam. When you start your preliminary search, you may be a little bit unclear about the distinction 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 speak a bit further regarding that in the next section. If you plan on commuting to classes you will want to find a school that is within driving distance of your Doylestown home. Tuition will also be an important consideration when assessing prospective schools. Just remember that because a school is the nearest or the lowest cost it’s not always the ideal choice. There are various other factors that you should evaluate when analyzing schools, for instance their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask regarding the cosmetology schools you are looking at later within this article. Before we do, let’s talk a little bit about what cosmetology is, and what kinds of courses are offered.

Definition of Cosmetology

esthetics facial toners Doylestown PA Cosmetology is a profession that is all about making the human anatomy look more attractive through the application of cosmetics. So of course it makes sense that numerous cosmetology schools are regarded as beauty schools. Most of us think of makeup when we hear the word cosmetics, but actually 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 undergo some form of specialized training and then be licensed. Once licensed, the work environments include not only Doylestown PA beauty salons and barber shops, but also such businesses as spas, hotels and resorts. Many cosmetologists, once they have acquired experience and a customer base, open their own shops or salons. Others will start seeing clients either in their own residences or will go to the client’s home, or both. Cosmetology college graduates go by many titles and are employed in a wide variety of specialties including:

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

As earlier mentioned, in the majority of states practicing cosmetologists have to be licensed. In certain states there is an exception. Only those offering 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 become licensed in those states.

Esthetics Degrees and Certificates

Doylestown PA esthetician client with face mask There are basically two avenues offered to obtain esthetician training and a credential after completion. You can enroll in a certificate (or diploma) program, or you can work toward an Associate’s degree. Certificate programs generally 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 instructed in all of the major areas of cosmetology. Briefer programs are offered if you wish to specialize in just one area, such as esthetics. A degree program will also likely incorporate management and marketing training in order that graduates are better prepared to run a salon or other Doylestown PA 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 choose, it’s imperative to make sure that it’s recognized by the Pennsylvania Board of Cosmetology. Numerous states only certify schools that are accredited by certain reputable agencies, for instance the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). We will discuss the benefits of accreditation for the school you decide on in the next section.

Online Esthetics Courses

woman attending esthetician school online in Doylestown PA Online esthetician programs are accommodating for Doylestown PA students who are employed full time and have family commitments that make it difficult to attend a more traditional school. There are numerous online beauty school programs available that can be attended by means of a personal computer or laptop at the student’s convenience. More traditional beauty programs are typically fast paced given that many programs are as short as six or eight months. This means that a significant portion of time is spent in the classroom. With internet programs, you are covering the same volume of material, but you are not spending many hours away from your home or commuting back and forth from classes. However, it’s vital that the training program you choose can provide internship training in area salons and parlors in order that you also receive the hands-on training needed for a complete education. Without the internship part 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 confirm that internship training is available in your area.

What to Ask Esthetics Degree Programs

Doylestown PA models benefit from esthetic treatments Following is a series of questions that you need to research for any esthetician training school you are considering. As we have already discussed, the location of the school relative to your Doylestown home, together with the expense of tuition, will undoubtedly be your first qualifiers. Whether you want 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 must research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Following we have collected several of those supplemental questions that you need to ask each school before making a final selection.

Is the Program Accredited? It’s necessary to make sure that the esthetician college you enroll in is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged local or national organization, 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 may also be essential for acquiring student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not available in 18901 for non- accredited schools. It’s also a prerequisite for licensing in many states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, numerous Doylestown PA employers will not employ recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more favorably upon those with accredited training.

Does the School have a Great Reputation? Any esthetician school that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to exceptional reputation within the industry. Being accredited is a good beginning. Next, ask the schools for endorsements from their network of businesses where they have referred their students. Verify that the schools have high job placement rates, indicating that their students are highly demanded. Visit rating services for reviews along with the school’s accrediting agencies. If you have any connections with Doylestown PA salon owners or managers, or someone working in the field, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are reviewing. They might even be able to propose others that you had not thought of. And finally, check with the Pennsylvania school licensing authority to see if there have been any complaints submitted or if the schools are in complete 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, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs often 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 goal is to be trained as an esthetician, make certain that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your desire is to start a Doylestown PA beauty salon, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator. Choosing a highly ranked school with a weak program in the specialty you are seeking will not deliver the training you need.

Is Plenty of Hands-On Training Provided? Studying and mastering esthetician techniques and abilities demands plenty of practice on people. Find out how much live, hands-on training is included in the beauty classes you will be attending. Some schools have salons on site that enable students to practice their growing talents on volunteers. If a beauty school offers limited or no scheduled live training, but instead depends heavily on using mannequins, it may not be the most effective alternative for cultivating your skills. So look for alternate schools that offer this kind of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance? Once a student graduates from an esthetician academy, it’s imperative that he or she receives support in landing that very first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that furnish assistance maintain relationships with Doylestown PA employers that are looking for skilled graduates available for hiring. Check that the schools you are considering have job placement programs and find out which salons and organizations they refer students to. In addition, find out what their job placement rates are. High rates not only verify that they have extensive networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.

Is Financial Aid Available? The majority of esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are looking at have a financial aid department. Speak with a counselor and find out 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 offered to students too. If a school meets all of your other qualifications with the exception of cost, do not omit it as an alternative before you determine what financial help may be available.

Attending Esthetician School Near Doylestown PA?

Perhaps you live in the Doylestown Pennsylvania 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.

Doylestown, Pennsylvania

Doylestown is a borough and the county seat of Bucks County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is located 35 miles (56 km) north of Center City Philadelphia and 80 miles (130 km) southwest of New York City. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 8,380.[3]

Doylestown's origins date to 1745 when William Doyle obtained a license to build a tavern on what is now the northwest corner of Main and State Street. Known for years as "William Doyle's Tavern," its strategic location — at the intersection of the road (now U.S. Route 202) linking Swede's Ford (Norristown) and Coryell's Ferry (New Hope) and the road (now PA Route 611) linking Philadelphia and Easton — allowed the hamlet to blossom into a village. The first church was erected in 1815, followed by a succession of congregations throughout the 19th century.

As the population of Central and Upper Bucks County grew throughout the 18th and into the 19th century, discontent developed with the county seat's location in Newtown, where it had been since 1725. The county seat moved north to the more centrally located Doylestown in 1813. An outgrowth of Doylestown's new courthouse was the development of "lawyers row", a collection of Federal-style offices. One positive consequence of early 19th-century investment in the new county seat was organized fire protection, which began in 1825 with the Doylestown Fire Engine Company.

Enroll in the Right Esthetics School near Doylestown PA

Finding and enrolling in the right esthetician school is essential to receive the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology practitioner. Make sure to ask all the questions that you need to so as to feel positive about your decision. Don’t forget to collect all of the responses you get from the cosmetology school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then use that information to contrast schools. A good beginning in your due diligence process is to make sure that the college and program you choose are accredited and have outstanding reputations within the profession. If you begin with that foundation, and answer the additional questions provided in this article, you will be able to narrow down your list of schools so that you can make the right choice. And when you graduate and pass your licensing examination, you will be confident that you are qualified to start your new career as a professional esthetician in Doylestown PA.