5 Steps To Becoming A Certified Esthetician
Taking care of other skin, and teaching them how to do so isn’t something you can wake up one day and just go do. You have to become trained and certified to be an Esthetician. You will learn what products allow you to fix what problems and give people a relaxing experience while helping them.
Going to school to become a certified Esthetician is not a hard task, but it can be overwhleming figuring out where to start. The 5 steps to becoming a Certified Esthetician are:
- Research and choose a program
- Complete your certifications
- Work an apprenticeship
- Obtain a license
- Work and build your clientele
While schooling is expensive, you can usually find budget-friendly options to complete your training and even though most programs are pretty labor-intense, you can take classes part-time and work while also going through the program. How long it takes is entirely up to you and your desires.
How Long Does It Take To Become An Esthetician
The required amount of hours to become an Esthetician is different depending on what state you choose to get your certification in. Programs can range anywhere from 260-1000 hours depending on what you are looking for specifically.
You can usually become certified in 5-6 months if you are a full-time student, but part-time students can take up to 3 years to fully complete their schooling. Most of the required hours do not include the work experience hours that most programs require. Once you finish your schooling, you may still need several weeks or months’ worth of experience hours to receive your certification.
If you are looking to become a facial esthetician take a look at our article here!
What Schools Offer Online Certification For Becoming An Esthetician?
Thankfully due to the advancement of technology and the ever-rising cost of living, many schools have moved to allow students to enroll and complete entire courses online without needing to attend in person. There are a lot of schools that offer online certification, but some of the top-rated ones are:
- W Acadamy Of Salon and Spa
- West Georgia Technical School
- West Tennessee Business College
- Penn Foster HighSchool
- West Side Tech
- Empire Beauty Schools
- Victory’s Academy Of Cosmetology
All of these schools vary drastically in price and requirements so a bit of research would need to be done before choosing one.
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5 Steps To Becoming A Certified Esthetician
Unfortunately becoming a certified Esthetician isn’t as easy as going to take a test and getting a license, you have to actually enroll into a program and learn quite a bit for information before you can even practice on real people under supervision. Thankfully, there are very clear steps you can take before you are fully certified.
1. Research, choose and Enroll in a Cosmetology Program
You don’t want to pick the first cosmetology program you find on the internet. You want to ensure you are picking a school that teaches what you want to learn, with a timeframe, or hours you can manage with your current schedule. You also have to ensure you can afford the program you choose.
Once you choose a school, enroll in the Esthetician certification program and wait for your welcome emails and new student information to arrive in your email.
2. Complete Your Certification class
Depending on where you go to school, and the state you choose to work in, getting your certification may be different than what you expect. The one thing you have to do to legally practice as a certified Esthetician is to complete your learning hours and certification program.
Required programs can range anywhere from 260-1000 hours depending on where you go to school and what your state requires, so do your research before to ensure you are doing what is required of you.
Check out this article to explore the best online facial courses!
3. Work In An Apprenticeship
Many states and programs will allow you to work under an apprentice without having a license, and some won’t even require a full certification, only a required amount of hours. While working an apprenticeship will add to your workload, the earlier you can get involved, the quicker you can complete everything and begin to work on your own.
4. Obtain An Esthetician License
Once you are certified, have completed all of your working hours, and are almost done, or done with your apprenticeship you can finally get licensed! Now, an apprenticeship isn’t always required for licensing, however, it looks great for future clients that you worked under someone for so long.
To obtain your license you have to complete the testing for a professional skin care specialist. The schools around your area most likely have open testing days when you can sign up to come test so they can proctor and you fall under the guidelines required for testing.
You will also have to submit your training certification and working hours before testing. Once you pass the test, you will get your license and you can start working
5. Work And Build Your Clientele
You can now work as a fully licensed esthetician at any place you want, as long as you are hired of course. Start submitting applications and while you wait is a great time to take advantage of building your clientele. Start sharing your new abilities with your family and friends and invite them to tell others about you.
Starting a social media page for your Esthetician business can let clients come and see what skills you have and what you can help them with. This way, once you get hired, you will have a long line of clients ready to see you.
Career Outlook For Certified Estheticians
Working as an Esthetician is a fantastic opportunity especially since they are estimating a 12% growth for needed estheticians in the next 10 years. There are always, and will always be plenty of job opportunities in this field, especially so as it continues to grow.
The average salary as an Esthetician is around $40,000 a year, which depends heavily on where you work and where you live. Some spas will pay extra to their employees for client confidentiality if you live in an area with famous people coming in, while others pay the average rate and let their Estheticians take tips from clients as well.
Final Thoughts On Becoming A Certified Esthetician
Becoming a Certified Esthetician is a fantastic career opportunity that will afford you a lifetime of fulfillment. You have an opportunity to help others take care of their skin and fix problems they aren’t feeling great about.
While the process to become an Esthetician may not be the easiest depending on your current responsibilities, it is worth it once you get out of school and have the ability to work one on one with others.
