How to Become an Esthetician | Esthetician Schools Garrett Park MD

How to Choose an Esthetics College near Garrett Park Maryland

Garrett Park MD esthetician client with cucumber facial Once you have made a decision to enter the field of cosmetology and attend an esthetician school near Garrett Park MD, the process begins to find and enroll in the best program. It’s imperative that the school you choose not only furnishes the necessary 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 rather puzzled about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don’t be, because the names are essentially interchangeable and both relate to the same kind of school. We’ll talk a bit further about that in the upcoming section. If you anticipate commuting to classes you will want to locate a school that is within driving distance of your Garrett Park home. Tuition will additionally be a critical factor when assessing potential schools. Just remember that because a school is the nearest or the cheapest it’s not necessarily the best choice. There are many other factors that you should evaluate when reviewing schools, for instance their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask regarding the cosmetology schools you are considering later in this article. Before we do, let’s discuss a bit about what cosmetology is, and what types of courses are available.

Definition of Cosmetology

esthetics facial toners Garrett Park MD Cosmetology is a profession that is everything about making the human anatomy look more beautiful with the application of cosmetics. So of course it makes sense that many cosmetology schools are described as beauty schools. Many of us think of makeup when we hear the word cosmetics, but basically a cosmetic may be anything that enhances the look of a person’s skin, hair or nails. If you want to work as a cosmetologist, almost all states mandate that you undergo some form of specialized training and then become licensed. Once licensed, the work environments include not only Garrett Park MD beauty salons and barber shops, but also such venues as spas, hotels and resorts. Many cosmetologists, once they have gotten experience and a client base, establish their own shops or salons. Others will begin seeing customers either in their own homes or will travel to the client’s residence, or both. Cosmetology college graduates go by many professional names 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 exemption. Only those conducting more skilled services, such as hairstylists, are required to be licensed. Other people employed in cosmetology and less skilled, such as shampooers, are not required to become licensed in those states.

Esthetician Degrees and Certificates

Garrett Park MD esthetician client with face mask There are primarily two avenues available to obtain 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 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 instructed in each of the main areas of cosmetology. Briefer programs are available if you want to focus on just one area, for instance esthetics. A degree program will also probably include management and marketing training to ensure that graduates are better prepared to run a salon or other Garrett Park MD business. More advanced degrees are not prevalent, but Bachelor and Master’s degree programs are available in such specialties as salon or spa management. Whatever type of training program you go with, it’s important to make sure that it’s approved by the Maryland 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 choose in the upcoming section.

Online Esthetician Courses

woman attending esthetician school online in Garrett Park MD Online esthetician schools are advantageous for Garrett Park MD students who are working full time and have family obligations that make it challenging to enroll in a more traditional school. There are numerous web-based beauty school programs offered that can be attended via a home computer or laptop at the student’s convenience. More conventional cosmetology schools are typically fast paced due to the fact that many courses are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a large amount of time is spent in the classroom. With online courses, you are covering the same volume of material, but you are not spending numerous hours away from your home or travelling to and from classes. On the other hand, it’s essential that the training program you select 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 obtain the skills necessary to work in any area of the cosmetology field. So be sure if you choose to enroll in an online program to confirm that internship training is available in your area.

What to Ask Esthetics Training Courses

Garrett Park MD models benefit from esthetic treatments Following is a series of questions that you will want to research for any esthetician training school you are considering. As we have previously discussed, the location of the school relative to your Garrett Park residence, as well as the expense of tuition, will undoubtedly be your first qualifiers. Whether you would like to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will no doubt be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school choices based on those initial qualifications, there are even more factors that you should research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Following we have collected some of those additional questions that you need to ask each school before making a final decision.

Is the School Accredited? It’s necessary to make sure that the esthetician training program you choose is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education certified local or national organization, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must meet their high standards guaranteeing a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be necessary for obtaining student loans or financial aid, which often are not offered in 20896 for non- accredited schools. It’s also a prerequisite for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, a number of Garrett Park MD employers will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more favorably upon individuals with accredited training.

Does the School have a Good Reputation? Each esthetician school that you are seriously considering should have a good to excellent reputation within the industry. Being accredited is an excellent starting point. Next, ask the schools for endorsements from their network of businesses where they have placed their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, attesting that their students are highly sought after. Visit rating services for reviews as well as the school’s accrediting organizations. If you have any connections with Garrett Park MD salon owners or managers, or anyone working in the industry, 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 Maryland school licensing authority to find out if there have been any complaints filed 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, such as hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs frequently broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it’s essential that you choose a school that specializes in your area of interest. If your ambition is to be trained as an esthetician, make sure that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your vision is to start a Garrett Park MD beauty salon, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator. Picking a highly ranked school with a poor program in the specialty you are seeking will not provide the training you require.

Is Any Hands-On Training Provided? Practicing and perfecting esthetician skills and techniques demands plenty of practice on volunteers. Ask how much live, hands-on training is provided in the cosmetology courses you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on campus that enable students to practice their growing talents on volunteers. If a beauty school offers limited or no scheduled live training, but instead relies mainly on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the best alternative for cultivating your skills. So search for alternate schools that provide this kind of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program? As soon as a student graduates from an esthetician program, it’s essential that she or he gets support in landing that first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that furnish help develop relationships with Garrett Park MD businesses that are searching for trained graduates available for hiring. Verify that the programs you are contemplating have job placement programs and find out which salons and establishments they refer students to. Additionally, 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 Available? The majority of esthetician schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Ask if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid office. Consult with a counselor and learn 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 each of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not eliminate it as an alternative before you determine what financial aid may be provided.

Attending Esthetician School Near Garrett Park MD?

Perhaps you live in the Garrett Park Maryland 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.

Garrett Park, Maryland

Garrett Park is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland. It was named for a former president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Robert W. Garrett. The population was 992 at the 2010 census. Garrett Park is home to Garrett Park Elementary School, just outside the town proper.

Garrett Park was incorporated as a town in 1898, with sponsorship by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, which in 1893 built a train station there.[5] The town lies along the former B&O railway corridor (now used by CSX, Amtrak, MARC) and was named for Robert W. Garrett, a former President of the B&O. It was a planned community from the beginning - when the land it was built on was purchased by a businessman named Henry W. Copp in 1886, he intended to build a suburban development reminiscent of an English village. Copp even went so far as to name the streets after locations in the novels of the English author Walter Scott, such as Kenilworth and Strathmore. He also limited commercial development, and even today there is only one store in the town. Builders were given reduced rates to transport workers and materials to the town site, and new residents were given free trips to move in. Rail suburbs did not catch on in the area, however, and the community stagnated somewhat as automobiles replaced trains and streetcars as the primary means of commuting. In the 1920s, another company built approximately 50 more houses, these with garages.[6] Much of the town is included in the Garrett Park Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.[7] Garrett Park Elementary School, designed in 1928 by prominent local architect Howard Wright Cutler, has been designated as an historic site by the Maryland Historical Trust.[8]

In May 1982 the townspeople of Garrett Park voted 245 to 46 to ban the production, transportation, storage, processing, disposal, or use of nuclear weapons within the town. This made Garrett Park the first nuclear-weapons free zone in the United States.[9]

Find the Right Esthetician School near Garrett Park MD

Choosing and enrolling in the right esthetician program is essential to get the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology practitioner. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to in order to feel certain about your decision. Make sure to collect 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 good start in your due diligence process is to make sure that the institution and program you select are accredited and have impressive reputations within the field. If you start with that base, and answer the additional questions presented in this post, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the proper selection. And when you graduate and pass your licensing exam, you will be confident that you are ready to launch your new career as a professional esthetician in Garrett Park MD.