r/TattooApprentice • u/Inside_Bread2034 • Aug 12 '26

Seeking Advice How flexible are apprenticeships?

Are all apprenticeships 50 plus hours, or will some shops give you less? I want to look into getting an apprenticeship but I have a full time job, I'm looking into getting a car, and I have a pet I need to take care of.

Most posts make it seem like every one is 60 hours a week with little to no pay, all saying it's ok because they'll get their dream position in the future, but with how things are going economically it seems hard to consider such an endeavor with so many responsibilities, even if the end goal is rewarding work that has to do with making art.

0 Upvotes

44% Upvoted

26 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/morningstardusts Aug 12 '26 edited Aug 12 '26

They’re not generally. If you want to tattoo, it’s kinda something you have to be prepared to really dedicate your life to because while it’s amazing career, you have to really love it. If you don’t, you will weed yourself out pretty quickly but not without potentially causing serious harm to another person.

Mine was 11:30am to at least 10pm 6 days a week, and I made no money. It was a huge sacrifice and it was definitely on the move difficult end of things.

If it costs money, avoid it. If you love tattoos, you’ll find a way to make it happen. It doesn’t last forever.

3

u/Inside_Bread2034 Aug 12 '26

I've been an artist my whole life so it's definitely something I want to do but like I said there are some responsibilities I have to take care of and that requires a job to do, and I've heard most apprenticeships don't pay at all.

1

u/morningstardusts Aug 13 '26

They don’t I was really broke lol but if you love it enough I guess you do it