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As a person who has been in this industry for less than 5 years; I get asked A LOT about how to start an apprentenship and how I became a piercer. To be honest that is a bit of a loaded question for me; as I didn't get into this industry in a traditional way. In most instances you need to search for an apprentenship and that's a grueling process which could involve moving to a different city or state all together. I on the other hand was offered mine before I even considered it as a career. That doesn't typically happen in the industry so I can acknowledge that my situation I am bit of a unicorn. But even though that is the case for me I have many friends who have gone through that process and I do feel I might be able to give you something to go by.
Firstly you should know that: There are more people who want to do this for a living than there are high quality people willing and able to train them. It is a very competitive industry to get into.
There are many different "levels" of piercer. If I'm being blunt there is the low quality cheap piercers (think mall kiosk piercing gun users to really cheap tattoo shop piercers) and then there are higher quality and more highly educated piercers (think high quality piercers in tattoo shops, most piercing only studios, and members of the Association of Professional Piercers (APP)). Disclaimer: Not all piercers who are members of the APP are the greatest piercers in the world, AND not all non-members of the APP are bad. Its just a general guideline to help lead you to a higher quality shop, and hopefully a better apprentenship. In my opinion there is no point in pursuing a career in piercing if you are not actively aiming for those higher studios. Point blank that is where the education, safety, and money is at.
Do not get me wrong: TONS of amazing piercers came from learning in a "bad" studio and cared enough to allow themself to be retaught in a "good" one; TONS of amazing piercers came from being self taught and developed into themselves with the help of the internet, and classes, etc. But the clearest and safest way of establishing a career in piercing' that will be financially stable for you, is to aim to start at the top. It might not be the easiest way to go about it BUT its definitely the best way to.
In order to start in a shop that's worth starting in; you will need to impress them. So first establish that relationship. Get pierced, go with friends that are getting pierced, like and comment on their social media. It will only help if they can recognize your face when you reach out later. One thing NOT to do this is to "cold call," don't DM them and ask if they are looking for an apprentice. Don't send and email or call the shop. If they are looking their will be a post about it. If you want to ask them: ask in person, make an appointment, and bring your credentials. I have only been in this industry for a short time at this point and I receive about one of those messages a month. I'm honored and flattered but I have yet to learn enough to responsibly take on an apprentice; all I can offer is some suggestions to help you get there if you are so motivated.
As you are establishing the relationship with the people you are interested in learning from; you can take this time to invest in yourself and show them that you are super serious. Honestly some of these things may also help you to decide if this is the right career for you. Here is probable my biggest and most serious suggestion take the Fakir Intensives in San Francisco. This is a 5 day in depth course that will take you through some history, safety concerns, theories, techniques, and will have you preforming a few piercings by the end of the week. Once this course is completed you will receive a certificate that you can show a potential mentor and you will have some type of foundation under you as well. Plus there is a great network of people from this alumni who would also be happy to help you out. You can sign up for notifications as to when the basics course is being offered. It’s generally a few times a year. This is an investment, the course costs over 1k and you will need to factor in transportation, a place to stay, and meals while you are away. If you want to look serious be serious.
Here is a little reminder from me: If you end up taking this class REMEMBER to take photos of the piercings you did. These are great to not only show your potential mentor but also for you to look back on and compare to one day. Get several clear photos of the piercing from multiple angles including the back. Heck take a little video to insure you got it all, it doesn't hurt.
https://www.fakir.org/classes/
I know there are other "piercing schools" out there. Piercing isn't taught in a school. Going to one of those even if its more cost effective and closer to you is likely a waste of your time and money. Fakir is the only one that has any footing or backing in the industry. It is NOT a school its a collective of days for intense study, which is why the sessions are called intensives. The classes are taught by actually known industry professionals. Many of which have made true contributions to the industry as it is today and/or have held positions within the APP itself. If you are debating a school it should be this one or nothing.
There are certifications you can take however. In order to legally practice piercing in most places you need to be certified in first aid, CPR, and blood borne pathogens. A great thing to add to your resume would be theses certifications. You can easily get these online or even in local classes for relatively cheap. However the APP does offer an industry specific blood borne pathogens course that is very detailed if you wanted to have that as a foundation as well.
https://app.mclms.net/en/package/list
On the APP website you can keep an eye out of core essential classes they offer from time to time. Some of the piercers who teach classes for those courses or at the in person conference every year, also teach classes individually. If you see a piercer who is easy to look up and has clearly taught classes in either of those formats before; coming to a city near you to teach a class on an industry subject, try to go. Be aware that some instructors may not allow non-piercers to take a class on specific topics; but you will never know unless you try.
There are lots of available “free” education things online but not all are the greatest. Honestly most of the things I see on TikTok scare the shit out of me. If you are interested in specific people to follow that give more of an insight on piercing and know what they are doing feel free to reach out to me, I would be happy to send you some recommendations. However specifically more in the format of "online classes" Lynn Loheide has a YouTube channel where she discusses industry related topics. This might be a good place to start.
If you are a podcast listener I would recommend the piercing wizard podcast and real talk: a piercing podcast (this one has ended but is still good info). If you are willing to put a little money down the piercing wizard podcast has a great Patreon and so does Jef Saunders. Both of which can get you a lot of information regarding piercing techniques and theory. I also believe that Lynn has a Patreon, but I don't personally have experience with that one.
Another thing you can add to your resume to set you apart is a day or two of shadowing. You can ask a piercer you would like to apprentice under or a piercer who works in a quality studio. That way you can see how the job actually runs, ask questions, and once again show how serious you are. Depending on the piercer or the policies of the studio this may not be possible, so don't necessarily get your hopes up. But if you are able to arrange it, you could see what a day in the life of a piercer is and see maybe if that's a life you would want to live. You may be surprised how much customer service, client communication, and cleaning it really is.
Hopefully with a few of those resume builders under your belt you will be able to land an apprenticeship! I do feel it would be inappropriate of me to not warn you about what you should expect of that apprentenship however. Be aware of what you are getting into, have an honest talk with your future mentor about expectations and guidelines. There is an unfortunate history of abuse within this power structure that you should be aware of and you should keep your eye out for. It is unfair but it is true. So be smart and keep yourself safe. Please refer to the APP's information in regards to what to expect from an apprenticeship so that you have a general guideline.
https://safepiercing.org/become-a-piercer/
Every apprentenship is structured differently. That could be from how the state requires them to be or how each individual mentor chooses to teach their apprentice. I know plenty of apprentenships that were done within a few months, I also know many that have taken years. For instance I am currently a junior piercer, I still need to be supervised for some piercings, and I'm going on just over three years. Faster isn't always better, slower doesn't always mean thorough. Different people teach differently, and different people learn differently. It takes a village to create a good piercer, you will learn a lot from your mentor and you will learn a lot from other piercers. Nurture relationships with the other piercers in your community, get on safe and responsible piercer run dashboards, network, and be open to criticism. It will take time, there is no standard timeframe, but you will get there. I wish you the best of luck on this journey.
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