I am opposed to an Apprenticeship program in Virginia.

It is essential that an esthetician receives the education needed at a school environment. Within that environment the students are able to get the hands on experience needed to be knowledgeable and comfortable with the proper and all training needed to protect society. I am concerned that apprenticeship students would be working on clients when they are not quite prepared. This is the important.

The second opposition I have is that with the Esthetic pay of an Esthetician being one of the lowest in the country, having an apprenticeship in Virginia will effect the standards of income for them. I was originally licensed in California in 1996 where our base pay in a Spa was approximately 60% of the service being done, If only an hourly pay was done as a payrate it was a minimum of $25.00 an hour. In Arizona when I moved there in 2005 It was about the same if not more due to economy. I moved here to Virginia in late 2010 and started working in 2012. Since working I have been shocked at the low pay being offered to new and experienced Estheticians. The all time low is actually minimum wage with 10% of the treatment amount of service. The all time High I have heard is for a Master Esthetician in a Doctors office is $25.00 per hour given this person had over 20 years experience.Therefor the consequences of having an Apprenticeship program is that salon and spa owners will be not only taking jobs away from just graduated Estheticians to cut down on costs but also lowering the rate of pay to Estheticians in Virginia. With the payrate of an Esthetician already being low it would be a nightmare for this to go lower.