Tattoo Apprenticeship FAQ’s

What Is A Tattoo Apprenticeship?

A tattoo apprenticeship is the absolute, essential, first step on your journey to being an amazing tattoo artist. Yes, you want to earn a wonderful income creating art on people around the world, yet first, you must access the training that will enable you to learn the ins and outs of the trade and develop your customer relationship skills. During your apprenticeship, our mentors will teach you how to use equipment, perfect the application of tattoos across the different styles of tattoos that your clients will request, and how to market yourself as an individual tattoo artist. 

Do I Need A Tattoo Apprenticeship To Become A Tattoo Artist? 

Yes! Becoming a professional tattoo artist is like becoming a surgeon — you can't just jump into an operating room after reading a few books and watching some Youtube videos. Instead, you must work your way up through the learning process, using and developing your skills as you go along. You will also need to learn about how to protect yourself and your clients from infectious diseases. When thinking about your long-term career prospects as a tattoo artist, most tattoo shops hiring will only consider licensed artists with at least a few years of experience. Your tattoo apprenticeship is where you gain those first few years of experience. 

What Can I Learn From A Tattoo Apprenticeship?

A Tattoo Apprenticeship at Ink Different Tattoo School is a great way to work alongside seasoned tattoo artists, who can offer you their time and experience while you learn the ropes. Our tattoo artists understand that part of their job is to as helpful to you, as our other tattoo artists were to them. This is absolutely a unique reality at Ink Different Tattoo School.

In addition, a tattoo apprenticeship can teach you many skills, including how to work with clients, the importance of sanitation and cleanliness, and how to create a safe environment for your client.

Beyond the actual tattooing parts of your apprenticeship, you'll also learn skills that will help you beyond your apprenticeship:

• The Business Side: Learn how shops operate and how to market yourself as an individual artist.
• People Skills & Customer Relations: Asking questions, active listening, rapport building, and communicating to help build trust with your clients. 
• Equipment usage and sanitation: This is self-explanatory, but apprenticeships will also give you the hands-on practice needed to understand your tools, fix your machines when they break, and the proper way to protect yourself and your clients from diseases.
• EXTREMELY IMPORTANT! Bloodborne certifications are required in every city in the United States, which we will of course train you on thoroughly, yet in addition to knowing how to pass the test, you must actually learn how to implement the practices that keep you safe. DO NOT RELY on some video on Youtube. Unfortunately, some tattoo artists today still have terrible health and safety habits, and nothing stops them from uploading a video.

How Do I Find A Tattoo Apprenticeship Near Me? 

Answer: Ink Different Tattoo School! The first thing you need to remember is that finding a tattoo apprenticeship is not easy. Having a love for artistry and talent is only half what you need to become a tattoo artist. Learning to tattoo is essentially a job in itself, so we've opened as many locations as we can to help make your search easier. We have, and will continue to open, locations in major metropolitan areas that you either live near or where would love to live!

Current Locations

Brooklyn, NY - Los Angeles, CA - Tampa, FL - New Haven, CT - Philadelphia, PA - Chicago, IL - Miami, FL

Sometimes it can take years to find an artist willing to give up their time to show you the ropes. If you go knocking on doors, the other things you need to think about, which we know you won’t be happy to hear, yet it’s the truth are, “do I look like the people in this shop?” and “are these my kind of people?”

Highly successful tattoo artists are both extremely busy and concerned about creating more competition for themselves. Almost 100% of the time you will get a lot of, “maybes” and “come back later” and “do you want to get a tattoo from me?” 

If you are lucky enough to get a “yes,” it is overwhelmingly likely that you will be handed the mop and the broom, and the squeegee, for months…. months!

This actually makes a lot of sense, even if you don’t like it. If the tattoo artist is not part of the Ink Different Tattoo School community, they are not easily going to hand you the keys to the kingdom and train you to be their competition. 

The reality is, that finding an apprenticeship that is inviting, is as unlikely as getting into the top medical schools.

So what other options do you have? Well, what if there was a school for tattooing? Something just like medical school where other professionals know that part of their job is to help you become their colleague? My goodness, there is!

Ink Different Tattoo School

Ink Different Tattoo School is the best and easiest way to find an apprenticeship. Our tattoo apprenticeship program will fast-track your training.  

The sooner you learn how to tattoo from a working tattoo artist, the sooner you can impress the world with your passion and talent. 

Ink Different Tattoo School provides not only a guaranteed job offer but also a network of tattoo studios you can choose from across the country. We also train people who are interested in career advancement, to not only tattoo, yet how to run tattoo studios.

How Do I Prepare For A Tattoo Apprenticeship?

The first thing you should do is Establish Your 'Why'. Why do you want to become a tattoo artist? If your passion and desire to create art and be your own boss are the driving force, then great, these are good reasons.

Once you have your WHY, then contact us and set up an interview with an Advisor to see if you’re a good fit for the program. 

One of the most prominent challenges artists faces when building their careers is finding a tattoo shop that gives them a chance to thrive. Our Tattoo School and Tattoo Apprenticeship Programs understand that experience is essential in learning how to tattoo. We also know how hard it can be to find the proper training, so we can help you to find the right apprenticeship and build your skills as an artist and a future teammate.

We're a team of professional tattoo artists who have been in this business for decades. Even though we've been doing it for years, many of us still remember what it was like starting out. 

What About The Culture Of The Studio?

Our culture is a big reason why our apprentices stick around and join our team. We only take on artists who are serious about their careers and have the potential to be wonderful teammates and deliver amazing customer service to our tattoo clients. 

If accepted into the program, we will work with you to ensure you make the most out of your tattoo apprenticeship and welcome you to start your tattoo career in one of our studios. Set up an interview with one of our advisors today. 

We currently have tattoo schools in Los Angeles, New York, New Haven, Philadelphia, and Tampa – but we’re still expanding so stay tuned for updates!

Submit your art today for enrollment consideration and start your journey toward becoming a professional Tattoo Artist! Call/Text 1-917-227-2842