How to Become an Esthetician | Esthetician Schools Salt Lake City UT

How to Find the Right Esthetician Program near Salt Lake City Utah

Salt Lake City UT esthetician client with cucumber facial Now that you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and enroll in an esthetician school near Salt Lake City UT, the task begins to find and enroll in the ideal program. It’s essential that the school you select not only provides the appropriate education for the specialty you have selected, but also preps you for passing the licensing exam. When you start your initial search, you may be rather puzzled about the contrast between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don’t be, because the titles are essentially interchangeable and both pertain to the same kind of school. We’ll speak a bit more about that in the next segment. If you plan on commuting to classes you will want to find a school that is within driving distance of your Salt Lake City home. Tuition will likewise be a critical aspect when evaluating prospective schools. Just remember that because a school is the nearest or the lowest cost it’s not always the right choice. There are a number of other considerations that you should evaluate when comparing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask concerning 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 types of programs are available.

Definition of Cosmetology

esthetics facial toners Salt Lake City UT Cosmetology is an occupation that is all about making the human anatomy look more attractive with the use of cosmetics. So naturally 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 really a cosmetic can be anything that improves the appearance of a person’s skin, hair or nails. If you want to work as a cosmetologist, most states require that you go through some form of specialized training and then be licensed. Once you are licensed, the work environments include not only Salt Lake City UT beauty salons and barber shops, but also such places as spas, hotels and resorts. Many cosmetologists, after they have gained experience and a customer base, establish their own shops or salons. Others will start seeing clients either in their own residences or will travel to the client’s residence, or both. Cosmetology college graduates go by 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 earlier mentioned, in the majority of states working cosmetologists must be licensed. In some states there is an exemption. Only those performing more skilled services, such as hairstylists, are required to be licensed. Other people working in cosmetology and less skilled, which include shampooers, are not required to become licensed in those states.

Esthetician Certificates and Degrees

Salt Lake City UT esthetician client with face mask There are essentially two pathways offered to obtain esthetician training and a credential upon completion. You can enroll in a certificate (or diploma) program, or you can pursue an Associate’s degree. Certificate programs typically 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 instructed in each of the major areas of cosmetology. Shorter programs are offered if you wish to focus on just one area, for example esthetics. A degree program will also probably incorporate management and marketing training to ensure that graduates are better prepared to operate a parlor or other Salt Lake City UT business. Higher degrees are not typical, but Bachelor and Master’s degree programs are available in such specializations as salon or spa management. Whichever type of training program you choose, it’s imperative to make certain that it’s certified by the Utah Board of Cosmetology. Many states only certify schools that are accredited by certain respected agencies, for instance the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). We will discuss the benefits of accreditation for the school you choose in the following section.

Online Esthetician Programs

woman attending esthetician school online in Salt Lake City UT Online esthetician programs are convenient for Salt Lake City UT students who are employed full time and have family responsibilities that make it hard to attend a more traditional school. There are many web-based beauty school programs offered that can be attended by means of a home computer or laptop at the student’s convenience. More conventional beauty schools are frequently fast paced since many programs are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a considerable amount of time is spent in the classroom. With internet courses, you are covering the same volume of material, but you’re not devoting numerous hours outside of your home or driving back and forth from classes. On the other hand, it’s imperative that the training program you pick can provide internship training in nearby salons and parlors in order that you also obtain the hands-on training required for a complete education. Without the internship portion of the training, it’s impossible to acquire the skills needed to work in any area of the cosmetology field. So don’t forget if you choose to enroll in an online school to confirm that internship training is available in your area.

Questions to Ask Esthetician Programs

Salt Lake City UT 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 already discussed, the location of the school in relation to your Salt Lake City home, in addition to the price of tuition, will undoubtedly be your initial qualifiers. Whether you want to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will probably 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 program. Below we have collected several of those additional questions that you need to ask every school before making a final decision.

Is the Program Accredited? It’s essential to make certain that the esthetician school you enroll in is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education recognized local or national organization, 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 necessary for acquiring student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not obtainable in 84101 for non- accredited schools. It’s also a prerequisite for licensing in many states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, a number of Salt Lake City UT businesses will not employ recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more positively upon individuals with accredited training.

Does the School have an Excellent Reputation? Every esthetician college that you are seriously considering should have a good to exceptional reputation within the profession. Being accredited is an excellent starting point. Next, ask the schools for endorsements from their network of employers 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 services for reviews together with the school’s accrediting organizations. If you have any connections with Salt Lake City UT salon owners or managers, or someone working in the business, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are reviewing. They may even be able to propose others that you had not considered. And finally, check with the Utah school licensing authority to find out if there have been any complaints filed or if the schools are in full compliance.

What’s the School’s Specialty? Some esthetician schools offer programs that are expansive 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 broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it’s essential that you pick 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 well regarded for that program. If your aspiration is to open a Salt Lake City UT beauty salon, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator. Choosing a highly rated school with a weak program in the specialty you are pursuing will not provide the training you require.

Is Any Live Training Provided? Practicing and refining esthetician techniques and abilities requires plenty of practice on people. Check how much live, hands-on training is furnished in the cosmetology classes you will be attending. Some schools have salons on site that allow students to practice their developing skills on real people. If a beauty school furnishes limited or no scheduled live training, but rather depends mainly on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the best alternative for developing your skills. Therefore try to find alternate schools that provide this kind of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program? Once a student graduates from an esthetician program, it’s crucial that she or he receives help in landing that first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that provide aid maintain relationships with Salt Lake City UT employers that are searching for trained graduates available for hiring. Confirm that the schools you are looking at have job placement programs and ask which salons and establishments they refer students to. In addition, find out what their job placement rates are. High rates not only confirm that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.

Is Financial Aid Offered? Almost all esthetician schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Find out if the schools you are looking at have a financial aid office. Talk to a counselor and identify what student loans or grants you might get approved for. If the school belongs to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships offered to students also. If a school satisfies each of your other qualifications with the exception of cost, do not drop it as an alternative until you find out what financial assistance may be provided.

Attending Esthetician School Near Salt Lake City UT?

Perhaps you live in the Salt Lake City Utah 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.

Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and the most populous municipality of the U.S. state of Utah. With an estimated population of 190,884 in 2014,[7] the city is the core of the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a population of 1,153,340 (2014 estimate). Salt Lake City is further situated within a larger metropolis known as the Salt Lake City–Ogden–Provo Combined Statistical Area. This region is a corridor of contiguous urban and suburban development stretched along an approximately 120-mile (190 km) segment of the Wasatch Front, comprising a population of 2,423,912 as of 2014[update].[8] It is one of only two major urban areas in the Great Basin (the other is Reno, Nevada).

The world headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) is located in Salt Lake City and the city's street grid system is based on the temple constructed by the Church at its center. The city was originally founded in 1847 by Brigham Young, and other followers of the Church, who were seeking to escape religious persecution in the mid-western United States. These Mormon pioneers, as they would come to be known, at first encountered an arid, inhospitable valley that they then extensively irrigated and cultivated, thereby establishing the foundation to sustain the area's large population of today.

Due to its proximity to the Great Salt Lake, the city was originally named "Great Salt Lake City"; however, the word "great" was dropped from the official name in 1868 by the 17th Utah Territorial Legislature.[9]

Choose the Right Esthetics Program near Salt Lake City UT

Finding and enrolling in the right esthetician program is imperative to obtain the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Be sure to ask all the questions that you require so as to feel positive about your decision. Be sure to compile all of the responses you receive from the cosmetology school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then use that data to compare schools. A reasonable beginning in your due diligence process is to make sure that the college and program you pick are accredited and have impressive reputations within the field. If you begin with that base, and address the additional questions provided in this article, you will be able to filter your list of schools so that you can make the right choice. And when you graduate and pass your licensing exam, you will be self-assured that you are prepared to start your new career as a professional esthetician in Salt Lake City UT.