How to Get Experience As an Esthetician
Estheticians are beauty and salon specialists who help patients care for their skin. They may perform tasks such as microdermabrasion, chemical peels or waxing. In most cases, most employers look for estheticians who have at least a year or two of job experience, which makes it difficult for new estheticians to break into the field. This should not be seen as a deterrent, however, as there are several ways to gather experience as an esthetician that are resume acceptable.
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Instructions
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Volunteer or get an entry level position in a reputable salon, spa or other facility that employs licensed estheticians (think receptionist or stocker). They may not be able to let you work directly with the clients, but you'll be able to see how estheticians work and will be an environment for familiarizing yourself with esthetician techniques and products. Other jobs, such as working for a skin care product company, also may enable you to learn about skin-care techniques and common problems, and also allow you to network.
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Apply for and complete an apprenticeship with a licensed esthetician. In some cases you will be able to put this experience toward program hours at an esthetician school and your own licensure, but regulations vary from state to state. Contact your state's Cosmetology Licensing Board for details for your area.
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Apply at an accredited cosmotology school and specialize in esthetics. Many programs have courses in which you work hands-on with clients, who come to the schools because rates are significantly cheaper than at other salons, spas or facilities. Beautyschoolsdirectory.com allows you to search for esthetician schools by state.
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Attend cosmetology conferences on esthetics. These conferences sometimes need assistants who help with demonstrations. You also can volunteer with cosmetology companies who need experienced individuals to demonstrate products or techniques to volunteers--these companies often set up shop in malls or at festivals, for example, or need people to appear in infomercials.
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Tips & Warnings
You may be able to get certification in just a few techniques without having a full esthetician license, depending on courses available to you. These certifications count as experience, even if you don't do them as part of an apprenticeship or on-the-job. Consider doing this if your time or financial resources do not allow you to be completing full courses, or if you still are not sure if you would like to be fully licensed.
References
- Photo Credit skin care image by anna karwowska from Fotolia.com
