How to Become an Esthetician | Esthetician Schools Cape Charles VA

How to Find the Right Esthetician Program near Cape Charles Virginia

Cape Charles VA esthetician client with cucumber facial Since you have decided to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Cape Charles VA, the process starts to locate and enroll in the best program. It’s important that the program you choose not only furnishes the proper training for the specialty you have decided on, but also readies you for passing the licensing examination. When you begin your preliminary search, you might be a little bit confused about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don’t be, because the titles are basically interchangeable and both refer to the same kind of school. We’ll talk 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 Cape Charles home. Tuition will also be an important aspect when evaluating prospective 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 analyzing schools, for instance their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask regarding the cosmetology schools you are thinking about later in this article. Before we do, let’s discuss a bit about what cosmetology is, and what kinds of programs are available.

Defining Cosmetology

esthetics facial toners Cape Charles VA Cosmetology is a profession that is everything about making the human anatomy look more attractive with the use of cosmetics. So naturally it makes sense that numerous cosmetology schools are referred to as beauty schools. Most of us think of makeup when we hear the term cosmetics, but really a cosmetic can be anything that improves the look of a person’s skin, hair or nails. In order to work as a cosmetologist, most states require that you take some type of specialized training and then become licensed. Once you are licensed, the work environments include not only Cape Charles VA beauty salons and barber shops, but also such places as spas, hotels and resorts. Many cosmetologists, once they have acquired experience and a clientele, launch their own shops or salons. Others will begin seeing customers either in their own homes 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 already stated, in most states practicing cosmetologists have to be licensed. In a few states there is an exception. Only those offering more skilled services, such as hairstylists, are required to be licensed. Others working in cosmetology and less skilled, such as shampooers, are not required to be licensed in those states.

Esthetician Degrees and Certificates

Cape Charles VA esthetician client with face mask There are basically two pathways offered 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 typically take 12 to 18 months to complete, while an Associate’s degree commonly 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 example esthetics. A degree program will also most likely include management and marketing training in order that graduates are better prepared to operate a parlor or other Cape Charles VA business. Higher degrees are not typical, but Bachelor and Master’s degree programs are offered in such specializations as salon or spa management. Whichever type of training program you choose, it’s important to make sure that it’s approved by the Virginia Board of Cosmetology. A number of states only recognize schools that are accredited by certain respected agencies, for instance the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). We will examine the advantages of accreditation for the school you choose in the upcoming section.

Online Esthetics Courses

woman attending esthetician school online in Cape Charles VA Online esthetician classes are convenient for Cape Charles VA students who are employed full time and have family responsibilities that make it challenging to enroll in a more traditional school. There are many online beauty school programs available that can be attended by means of a desktop computer or laptop at the student’s convenience. More conventional beauty schools are often fast paced since many programs are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a large portion of time is spent in the classroom. With internet programs, you are covering the same volume of material, but you’re not spending numerous hours away from your home or commuting back and forth from classes. However, it’s important that the program you pick can provide internship training in area salons and parlors to ensure that you also get the hands-on training necessary for a complete education. Without the internship portion of the training, it’s impossible to obtain the skills required to work in any area of the cosmetology field. So be sure if you decide to enroll in an online school to verify that internship training is provided in your area.

Questions to Ask Esthetics Schools

Cape Charles VA models benefit from esthetic treatments Following is a list of questions that you need to research for any esthetician training program you are considering. As we have previously covered, the location of the school relative to your Cape Charles home, together with the price of tuition, will probably be your initial qualifiers. Whether you want to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will probably be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school choices based on those preliminary qualifications, there are additional factors that you need to research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology program. Following we have compiled some of those supplemental questions that you need to ask every school before making a final selection.

Is the School Accredited? It’s essential to make sure that the esthetician college you enroll in 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). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must comply with their high standards guaranteeing a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be important for obtaining student loans or financial aid, which typically are not offered in 23310 for non- accredited schools. It’s also a prerequisite for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, many Cape Charles VA businesses will not recruit recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more favorably upon individuals with accredited training.

Does the School have a Good Reputation? Every esthetician school that you are seriously considering should have a good to excellent reputation within the field. Being accredited is a good beginning. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of employers where they have placed their students. Verify that the schools have high job placement rates, showing that their students are highly sought after. Visit rating services for reviews along with the school’s accrediting organizations. If you have any contacts with Cape Charles VA salon owners or managers, or any person working in the trade, 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 considered. Finally, consult the Virginia school licensing authority to find out if there have been any complaints submitted or if the schools are in full compliance.

What’s the School’s Focus? Some esthetician schools offer programs that are comprehensive in nature, focusing on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a particular specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs typically expand into a management and marketing curriculum. So it’s imperative that you choose 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 respected for that program. If your aspiration is to launch a Cape Charles VA beauty salon, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will instruct you how to be an owner/operator. Picking a highly rated school with a weak program in the specialty you are seeking will not deliver the training you require.

Is Plenty of Hands-On Training Provided? Practicing and mastering esthetician skills and techniques requires plenty of practice on volunteers. Find out how much live, hands-on training is provided in the cosmetology lessons you will be attending. Some schools have salons on campus that allow students to practice their developing skills on volunteers. If a beauty academy provides minimal or no scheduled live training, but instead depends mainly on utilizing mannequins, it may not be the most effective option for acquiring your skills. So search for alternate schools that offer this type of training.

Does the School Provide Job Assistance? As soon as a student graduates from an esthetician academy, it’s important that she or he gets help in finding that very first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that provide aid develop relationships with Cape Charles VA employers that are searching for trained graduates available for hiring. Verify that the schools you are looking at have job placement programs and ask which salons and businesses they refer students to. Additionally, ask what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only affirm that they have extensive networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.

Is Financial Assistance Offered? Most esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Find out if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid department. Talk to a counselor and find out what student loans or grants you may get approved for. If the school is a member of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships available to students as well. If a school satisfies each of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not discard it as an alternative before you find out what financial assistance may be available.

Attending Esthetician School Near Cape Charles VA?

Perhaps you live in the Cape Charles Virginia 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.

Cape Charles, Virginia

Cape Charles, located close to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, on Virginia's Eastern Shore, was founded in 1884 as a planned community by railroad and ferry interests. In 1883, William Lawrence Scott became president of the New York. Philadelphia and Norfolk Railroad Company (NYP&N), and purchased three plantations comprising approximately 2,509 acres from the heirs of former Virginia Governor Littleton Waller Tazewell. Of this land, 40 acres were ceded to the NYP&N, and 136 acres went to create the Town of Cape Charles (technically known as the "Municipal Corporation of Cape Charles"). Some of this land, named Cape Charles for the geographical cape found on the Point and headland to the south, Scott sold to the Railroad Company to serve as the southern terminus of the line on the Delmarva Peninsula from the Northeast states. In that same year, construction of the railroad began. In Cape Charles, the Railroad Company built a harbor port to handle steamships and freighters from Cape Charles to Norfolk.

The original Town was surveyed, platted, and laid out with approximately 136 acres divided into 644 equal lots. Seven wider avenues which run from east to west were named for Virginia statesmen and political leaders; the streets which run north and south were named for fruits. The original layout of the Town is still very visible today.[3]

Historian William G. Thomas writes, "At a cost of nearly $300,000, the New York, Pennsylvania, and Norfolk Railroad (N.Y.P. & N. R.R.) was dredging a new harbor out of a large fresh-water lagoon between King's and Old Plantation creeks in lower Northampton County, and Scott planned to develop a new town around it called Cape Charles City. The appellation "City" for any place on the Eastern Shore was romantic, a vision of the future that the railroad might make possible....In 1890, the United States Army Corps of Engineers dredged the harbor basin, its entrance, and a channel through Cherrystone Inlet and built stone jetties protecting the harbor outlet. By 1912 the Engineer Corps estimated that Cape Charles harbor handled 2,500,000 tons of freight a year."

Select the Right Esthetics College near Cape Charles VA

Selecting and enrolling in the right esthetician program is imperative to receive the necessary training to become a licensed cosmetology technician. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to so as to feel certain about your decision. Don’t forget to compile all of the information you get from the cosmetology school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then use that data to compare schools. A sensible start in your due diligence process is to make certain that the college and program you select are accredited and have excellent reputations within the field. If you start with that foundation, and address the additional questions presented in this article, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the ideal choice. Once you graduate and pass your licensing exam, you will be confident that you are ready to start your career as a professional esthetician in Cape Charles VA.