Tattoo Apprenticeships: Career Guide & How To Get One

In this article, we will learn how to get a shop and a tattoo artist for our apprenticeships in the UK.

Tattoo Apprenticeships

In a tattoo apprenticeship, students learn everything they need to know about tattooing people, from sanitation rules to how to be a good artist. The requirements for many state licensing programs for tattoo artists are the same as these. Tattoo apprenticeships can last from one to three years, depending on the shop. They’re usually full-time jobs, and they usually last a long time.

How to get a tattoo Apprenticeship

How to find and get a job as a tattoo artist is explained in this simple guide.

#1. Develop your visual art skills.

Before you look for tattoo apprenticeships, work on your own skills as an artist. Before you can get a mentor to teach you how to tattoo someone else’s body, you need to be able to make interesting and beautiful sketches and artwork on paper. If you know how to use the basics of composition, value, texture, and line, you’ll be able to make interesting designs and show tattoo artists that you could be a good employee. It can also make it easier for you to put together a portfolio of tattoo designs that is both interesting and unique.

#2. Try practising common tattoo art styles.

Learn how to use your skills as an artist to work in the tattoo industry by looking at pictures of tattoos and looking up common tattoo styles. There are a lot of popular tattoo art styles out there, so it’s a good idea to show off your skills by having pieces in your portfolio that look like them. You should also look into the script and lettering styles that tattoo artists use when they ink words and phrases on their clients’ skin.

#3. Create a variety of original art pieces

Devote yourself to making a lot of finished artwork to put in your apprenticeship portfolio. It’s important for these artworks to show both your technique and your creativity. Your portfolio should show a wide range of art styles, with some works in black and white and others in full color. Choose the most impressive and complete designs for your portfolio.

#4. Make a professional portfolio for your job.

When you have chosen the works you want to show off in your portfolio, put them together so you can show them off to potential employers. It’s a good idea to have both an online and a physical copy of your portfolio so that you can connect with tattoo artists both online and in-person, and you can show them both. Scan your pieces and put them on a professional website with a gallery. Then, buy a portfolio book with a hard case and sheet protectors so you can show off your art. You can take this book to tattoo shops with you so that you can show off your skills to people who might be willing to help you.

#5. Plan your finance

When you’re ready to start a tattoo apprenticeship, think about your money. Most tattoo apprenticeships don’t pay, even though some do. Many tattoo apprentices charge money for the lessons you get from the artist, and some even charge extra for that. You need to have a way to make money because you’ll be working full-time as an apprentice and not getting paid. To make sure you can finish your apprenticeship, you need to save money or get a part-time job that fits in with your schedule.

#6. Find licensed tattoo artists.

By looking up tattoo artists who are licensed in your area, you can look for apprenticeship opportunities. Some tattoo artists will put up a sign when they have a job open for an apprentice. Other tattoo artists will accept apprentices when someone comes to them with a portfolio they like. Find tattoo artists who have worked in the style you want to learn how to do. Observe things like how long they have worked and what people say about them in the business.

#7. Show off your work in person.

Make sure you go to the tattoo shop in person and ask the tattoo artist if he or she can look at your portfolio. You can ask the people at the front desk if they have any advice for approaching that artist about an apprenticeship. Every artist is different, so you might not get the same advice. When you meet an artist, compliment them on their work and say that you want to learn from them. Ask them about the process of becoming an apprentice and explain why you want to be their apprentice.

#8. Ask for feedback

You can ask the tattoo artist for real feedback about your work, and then listen to what they have to say, It doesn’t matter if they don’t want to hire you as an apprentice at the time, but their advice can help improve your work so that you’ll be more appealing to another artist in the future. It’s important to show them how grateful you are because they’re doing you a favor by teaching you their skills, so thank them.

#9.  Make connections

You can improve your chances of getting an apprenticeship by getting to know people in the tattooing business. There are a lot of good ways to learn more about tattoo culture and the process of starting a new job. One good way is to get a tattoo yourself and make friends with your artist. You can also go to tattoo conventions to meet tattoo artists and their apprentices and learn more about their work. In order to find someone who will invest in your skills, you need to be persistent and keep advertising your portfolio, meeting new artists, and getting better at your work until you find the right person.

Tattoo Artist Apprenticeships UK

To become a tattoo artist, you need to be creative and brave. Tattoo artists have been inking their clients’ bodies with beautiful and interesting designs for a long time. That hasn’t changed, though. As tattoos have become more popular, people have changed their views on them and tattoo expos have been popping up across the UK. 

What’s involved and who is it suited to?

A tattooist is a person who is trained to make and apply tattoos on people’s bodies with special ink and needles.

Tattooing is a skillful job that needs to be done right. Tattoo artists usually have a lot of responsibilities:

• Make sure that clients have the right ID and that they don’t have any allergies or medical problems.
• Consulting with clients to figure out what kind of design they want is what you do.
• Creating art based on what the client wants and needs.
• It’s tracing the finalized design onto the skin of the client (this can be done freehand or by using a transfer)
• Putting on the tattoo
• Detailed aftercare instructions will be given.
• Sterilizing all of the equipment and keeping the area clean
• When you need new inks and other things for your machine, you need to order them.

How much can you earn as a tattoo artist apprenticeship in the UK?

The amount of money you can make as a tattoo artist in the UK depends on a lot of different things, making it hard to figure out how much money you could make. Usually, tattoo artists work five or six days a week, even on Saturdays, to make it easier for customers to come in when they can. Tattooists usually work in short sessions during the day because they need a lot of concentration and attention to detail to do their work.

Your income will depend on things like how much experience and skill you have, whether you work for a studio or run your own studio, and how much commission you agree to.

Tattoo artist apprenticeships education requirements in the UK

There are no set rules for becoming a tattoo artist, but there are ways you can make it easier to become a successful tattoo artist if you follow these steps. A lot of tattoo artists start out by doing work for other tattoo artists. Starting out, you should ask tattoo artists in your area if they’d be willing to train you as a trainee first.

As tattooing has become a lot more popular in the last few years, more apprenticeships have opened up. However, there has been a lot more competition for these apprenticeships as well.

Licenses and Regulations for tattoo artists’ apprenticeships in the UK

According to health and safety rules, you must get a tattoo, piercing, and electrolysis license from your local council. If you start your own tattoo, piercing, and electrolysis studio, you must get a license for both yourself and your studio.

It’s against the law to work as a tattooist without being registered with your local council, so this is very important.

Besides a license that lets you tattoo, pierce, or do electrolysis, keep in mind that the local environmental health department will check your business often, so it’s important to keep things in good shape.

When you become a tattooist, you’ll also need to get vaccinated against hepatitis and other vaccines. You’ll need to get a booster shot every 10 years or so.

How much does it cost to become a tattoo artist apprenticeships in the UK?

In the beginning, you’re likely to be an apprentice. A small amount of money is given to some tattoo apprentices, while others have to pay their mentors to learn how to tattoo.

It’s worth looking into this and making sure you know what you’ll have to pay before you start your apprenticeship to become a tattoo artist.

To become a tattoo artist, you’ll need to think about the costs of these things:

1. Supplies: If you want to get a tattoo, you’ll need things like a power source, a tattoo machine, different needles, and inks. You’ll also need things like razor blades, stencils, rubber gloves, and a portfolio to do this.

2. Furniture: Tattooists need special furniture, and it’s always best to buy from companies that make furniture for tattoo parlours.

3. Other costs: Some other costs Expect to pay for your tattooing license, as well as things like insurance and other things that are important for you to have. You’ll also need to set aside money to promote and market yourself as a tattoo artist, as well as money for things like office supplies.

4. Rent: In order to open a tattoo studio, you will have to pay rent. This will depend on where you want to open your tattoo studio and how big the space will be. Because city centres are usually more expensive to rent, this is usually true. 

Tattoo Apprenticeships UK

Find a tattooist who is willing to teach you how to be an assistant and then find a job as an assistant. To start, if you don’t get the job right away, you might be able to work in the customer service department of a tattoo shop first.

You’ll need to:

• A strong desire to get tattooed Good artistic skills
• This is a collection of your art and design ideas.

Steps you’ll need to take:

1. Become an artist: First, you need to do this. First, you have to be an artist.
2. Build a portfolio: As an apprentice, you’ll need a portfolio of your work. You won’t need an artist’s portfolio. When you show off your drawing skills, show off specific tattoo designs instead of your general ability to do so.
3. Find a certified tattoo artist-mentor who will teach you how to get a tattoo as a trainee: People often find this to be the most difficult part of the process, Even so, if you keep an eye out for job listings on the Internet, you’ll have a good chance of finding a job that fits your needs.
4. Learn the trade: At school, you will do a lot of small jobs, but you will also learn how to run a business, be clean, and design tattoos while you’re there.
5. Get certified: By going through the process: When you finish your tattoo apprenticeship or course, you’ll have the skills you need to get a job as a tattoo artist full-time.
6. Find a shop to work in: As soon as you’re done with your apprenticeship and get your certification, you’ll be ready to look for new jobs. However, if you do an apprenticeship, the tattoo shop that hired you might give you a job there, too. Then you’ll have to find a place to work. You can do this by looking for jobs online and also by contacting tattoo shops directly to ask about jobs.

Tattoo Shop Apprenticeships

Making sure that you are ready to start an apprenticeship as a tattoo artist is very important. The next day, most apprentices decide they want to be tattoo artists and head to a tattoo shop for help, that is why you need shops as a tattoo artist.

People who might be willing to help you start a tattooing business might see a shop as a sign that you’re ready for the job. Here is the list of things to do before you get a shop as a tattoo apprenticeship.

#1. Have the right designs in your portfolio

It will all come down to the art in your portfolio. It’s easy. Because of this, it’s important to know what tattoo artists are looking for when you’re making your own ink. If you have a lot of unfinished drawings in a style that no one likes, your chances of getting hired are slim. Here’s what most tattoo artists will want to see when they look at your work:

• DRAWING SKILLS
• INCLUDE DESIGNS PEOPLE ACTUALLY WANT
• Presentations
• QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
• VARIETY OF STYLES
• A REAL PORTFOLIO THAT LANDED AN APPRENTICESHIP

#2. Make sure you know what to expect before you ask for a tattoo apprenticeship.

A lot of people who start out as tattoo apprentices don’t think about how long and how much work it will take to become a fully-qualified professional tattoo artist. You show tattoo shop owners that you have done your research and are considerate of their time if you tell them upfront what you expect from an apprenticeship.

• A lot of people work for free all the time 
• But some people may charge a fee.

#3. Find the best studios and teachers in your state.

Knowing how to choose a good mentor is very important. A tattoo apprenticeship doesn’t give you any formal qualifications or a degree of any kind, so you don’t get any. All you have are the skills you learn at work. If you can’t tattoo well, no one else will hire you, and you won’t get any work.

• Make sure they are a good artist. 
• Is their shop doing well, or does it not work?
• It’s hard to find tattoo apprenticeships in your city.

#4. Go to the Tattoo Shops

It looks like your shortlist of tattoo shops is done now. Another thing to do is to reach out. Here are our top tips for the best way to go into tattoo shops.

1. Find out about the shop before you go in.

To learn more about their tattoo artists and the kind of work they do, look at their social media pages and follow them. Check out their Google reviews as well to get a sense of how well-known the shop is.

2. The first time you go into a shop, don’t ask for a job.

They haven’t met you yet. Get a tattoo with the tattoo artist you want to learn from.

3. You should come in with your portfolio after you have been inked once or twice by that tattoo artist.

Before they start getting tattooed, you should try to get them in the morning when they’re still awake and ready to work.

4. If they don’t give you a job right away, ask for advice on how to improve.

5. Listen to what they have to say and make any changes they want.

As you keep drawing and get more experience, use the feedback you get from your tattoos to improve them. If you listen to what they say, they will be more willing to help.

6. When you have done what the people at the shop said, go back to the shop.

A good tattoo artist will help you keep getting better as long as you listen to them. They might even take on an apprentice like you.

Remember, don’t give up! A lot of people get kicked back the first time. Keep coming back and working on your art each time you do. If you come back more than once, you’ll be different. Most people don’t show up again after they’ve been told they don’t belong.

#5. The Apprenticeship itself and finally becoming a tattoo artist

You’ve finally found your dream job as a tattoo artist. You may feel like you have done a great job. A tattoo artist has to work hard to become one. Apprenticeships can last a long time. Between 1-4 years, they can be. The speed at which you move forward will depend on how quickly your art improves, how quickly you learn how to tattoo, and how much time your mentor can spend with you.

Apprenticeships Tattoo 

Getting a tattoo is not the same as going to art school. If you want to learn how to draw or be an artist, you will need to work on your drawing skills before you start an apprenticeship.

You can learn everything you can from someone who has been getting tattoos for a long time. In most cases, it’s a hands-on experience where they learn how to keep their safe, how to clean, and how to build a machine. In most cases, an apprenticeship lasts for about two years.

How Do I Pick The Right Tattoo Apprenticeship?

There are a lot of bad stories about apprenticeships out there, so be careful if you decide to do one. All apprenticeships are not the same.

#1. Make sure you work with an artist who has taught a lot of people.

It’s not a good idea to start out as a tattoo artist’s apprentice at the start. There is no need to have an apprenticeship. All you are doing is getting training, and just because a great artist can teach doesn’t mean they know how to teach or even want to teach, even if they are great. Some artists just want a free helper, and we don’t want you to get into an apprenticeship because of this.

#2. Ask a few of the people who have worked with the artist before.

A two-year apprenticeship may sound like a lot of work. Before you agree to spend two years in an apprenticeship, see what other people say. You should only work with artists who have had a lot of success in the past.

#3. Ask how likely it is that you’ll get a job at the shop where you do your work.

If the place where you did your apprenticeship won’t hire you, why do you think anyone else will? You should see other artists in the shop who used to be apprentices at that shop.

#4. Find out if you will be able to work with human skin, too.

As long as your teacher isn’t watching you work on real people, you’ll only learn in the classroom. In a hands-on business, like tattooing, you need to have done it yourself to be good at it. These days, simple classroom lessons can be found on YouTube at any time. It is important to talk about when you will be able to work on human skin with the help of your teacher.

#5. Find out how long the program is and when you’ll finish it so you know when you’re done.

How long is the class? There are a lot of important things that happen. As long as you don’t touch the skin. Is it free? The goal of some apprenticeships is to quickly train an apprentice to become an artist, while others are more about making an apprentice earn the right to be a tattoo artist. A shop and a teacher should care about you and want you to be part of their business.

How Long Does A Tattoo Apprenticeship Last?

Between one and three years, you can learn how to tattoo. Depending on how quickly your mentor wants to teach you, some can last even longer. Some apprenticeships even pay, and some people work while they learn. Remember to ask a lot of questions if you want to become an apprentice.

Why Does Everyone Tell Me I Need To Go Through A Tattoo Apprenticeship?

As a general rule, a lot of tattoo artists learned how to become tattoo artists this way. So when you ask a tattoo artist how to become a tattoo artist, they will likely tell you that. As the tattoo industry grows, more and more state-licensed tattoo schools have opened up and given students more ways to get licensed, so they can work as tattoo artists. They still make it easier to become a tattoo artist, but they aren’t the only way. If you have time, talk to a few different schools and find out which one is best for you.

Does Being A Good Artist Mean I Will Be A Good Tattoo Artist?

Most of the time, being a bad artist means you are a bad tattoo artist as well. Unless you work in the medical tattoo field, this isn’t a good idea. Many tattoos are made mostly by the customer and changed to fit the customer’s needs, but most will need some help from the artist. How much do you like tattoos? This is the most important question.

A tattoo artist likes art but also likes to help people make their ideas come to life. Many customers are doing something special in memory of a friend or family member, like painting a picture. It is very special to deliver a good tattoo to a customer and see how the customer reacts.

Tattoo Apprenticeships FAQs

Do tattoo Apprentices get paid?

The majority of apprenticeships in tattooing are unpaid. Just as students are not compensated for their college attendance, you will not be compensated for your apprenticeship. You’ll almost certainly need to work a part-time job until you obtain your license.

Is it hard to get a tattoo apprenticeship?

Finding a well trained apprenticeship can be as challenging as finding a tattoo apprenticeship, but the requirements are slightly different. You will not be expected to possess the same level of artistic ability, and thus will not require a portfolio. You must, however, continue to garner the attention of your prospective mentor.