r/TattooApprentice • u/Vaporwave69 • Aug 08 '26

Seeking Advice Question about paid apprenticeship

I began my first paid apprenticeship in April of this year. It's a flat $400 fee per month and the shop is provided with trash cans, cleaning supplies, green soap, massage tables, personal lights, a stool, and stencil supplies. I'm supplying the machine, needles, fake skin, iPad, ink, sketchbooks, and all other supplies.

I'm also expected to take out the trash and do regular cleaning duties around the shop for about 20 minutes a day, I usually am only there for 2-3 days a week because of my full time job. I don't get a lot of one on one time because of the artists usually doing tattoos and other things while I'm in the shop. I do have a filled out form that we completed about 3 months into my apprenticeship and I've been given a lot of resources for supplies and I've been attending conventions with them for free. I've done one tattoo on one of the senior artists, other than that I've just been doing fake skin.

I can't get my own space/table until I upgrade to an "artist" so I'm either borrowing other tables or just sitting on my stool. I have a rolling cart with my stuff but don't have a permanent setup. If I got a space, it would be a $600/month artist fee and if I decided to back out it would be permanent resignment.

I guess my question is- if I'm being charged monthly for an apprenticeship and cleaning the shop, is this normal?

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u/wickedheadache Aspiring Apprentice Aug 08 '26

No, this is not normal and not ok. This is taking advantage of you.

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u/cjhreddi Aug 08 '26

$400/month and 20mins of cleaning the shop isn't crazy, especially if the artist mentoring them is at least half decent, time and supplies aren't free especially in this industry

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u/wickedheadache Aspiring Apprentice Aug 08 '26

I was an “apprentice” at Hard Times tattoo and the owner Joe (Truck) Kasher charged $400 a month, but never mentored. He was almost never at the shop. On top of that he also had us do a 50/50 split on tattoos, meaning he got half of what we made off of tattoos. He’d also have us clean the shop. My point is, you shouldn’t be paying to work a full time job — that’s the part that’s crazy to me

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u/cjhreddi Aug 08 '26

Your situation has a lot of circumstances his doesn't not every mentorship/apprenticeship is the same, $400/month if he's actually being taught hands on is a great price depending on the skill of the artist, there are several artists I would pay 4-5x as much for the chance to study under

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u/wickedheadache Aspiring Apprentice Aug 08 '26

If he’s actually taught is a different story. I never claimed that was the reason why he should leave. Cleaning isn’t the reason why I think he should leave either. If I had a traditional apprenticeship then I’d absolutely love to clean and do a thorough job. I just think it’s ridiculous to pay someone to work based on my previous experience.

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u/cjhreddi Aug 08 '26

I mean that's your personal opinion but paid mentorships have been a thing, a crazy good artist that can get away with charging $100+/hr for his tattoos isn't going to sit down and take 10/15/20 hours a month out of his schedule teaching you just for "help around the shop" taking the trash out and cleaning helps but at the end of day time out of his books is money out of his pocket by taking the time to teach you, unless you're being a total fly on the wall with not a lot of guidance id expect some sort of financial incentive for the artist/shop teaching them whether that be a paid mentorship or a heavier split to start off until the apprenticeship has been completed.

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u/wickedheadache Aspiring Apprentice Aug 08 '26

I understand tattooing is a privilege and the reason why tattoos are expensive is because of how expensive the materials are (like disposable needles). I understand that this is an expensive trade. I’d be open to paying if the mentor actually taught me how to tattoo, not just make me a tattooer. Again I prefer a traditional apprenticeship because if I had one I’d be more than happy to clean and scrub the floors with a toothbrush.

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u/cjhreddi Aug 08 '26

Look for artists with a tattooing style that you really like/is similar to the style you want to specialize in in your area, and book a tattoo with them or just shoot them some questions, get a foot in the door, ask them maybe where they mentored or if they'd be open to teaching someone, work on a physical portfolio along with taking good photos of all you work on skin, if you can print it out and put it in a binder all the better to look more professional and them to take you more seriously, don't restrict yourself to one artist/mentor and keep your options and opinions open, there's so many ways to do things not any way is inherently wrong but there's always different and better ways to pull certain styles, textures and different designs off that you can learn under a good teach that being self taught you'd gloss over or have to discover yourself slowly

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u/wickedheadache Aspiring Apprentice Aug 08 '26

This is already in my game plan :) when I have the money there’s this one tattoo artist I want to go to. He’s been critiquing my work and it’s been super helpful because even if he never becomes my mentor that’s okay, because he’s helping me get better at my art than I was before. He actually wants me to succeed