How do you become a tattoo artist in the UK?
Through an apprenticeship, almost always. There is no national qualification and no course that licenses you · what you need is a portfolio that proves you can draw, a studio willing to take you on, and registration with your local council before you tattoo anybody.
The portfolio comes first
Before anyone will talk to you about an apprenticeship, they want to see that you can draw. Not tattoos · drawing. Studies, line control, shading, the same subject attempted twenty times.
The most common reason a studio says no is a portfolio full of finished-looking pieces copied from other tattooers. It shows you can imitate. It does not show anyone how you think.
What an apprenticeship actually is
Years, usually two or three, and most of the early part is not tattooing. Cleaning, setting up, breaking down, watching, drawing every evening. It is a trade taught the way trades have always been taught.
Expect to be unpaid or barely paid for a long stretch. Plan your finances around that before you start.
A studio charging you thousands for an apprenticeship is selling a course, not offering a trade. Be careful.
You will need to be tattooed yourself to understand what you are asking of people.
The legal part
In England and Wales you must be registered with the local council for the premises you work in, and the premises must be registered too. Your council inspects and issues the certificate, and working without one is an offence.
You will also need bloodborne pathogen and first aid training, and public liability insurance. Any studio worth apprenticing at will already have all of this and will expect you to get yours.
Approaching a studio
In person, with the portfolio, at a quiet time, and having looked at their work first. Do not send the same message to forty studios · everyone can tell, and the trade is smaller than it looks.
Expect to be turned down more than once. It is not personal and it is not final.
Related frequently asked questions
Do I need to know exactly what I want?
No. You need enough for us to start a conversation · a subject, a rough placement, or even just a picture you keep coming back to. Turning that into a design is the work you are paying an artist for.
Read the full answer › How old do you have to be to get a tattoo?
Eighteen. It is a criminal offence to tattoo anyone under 18 in the UK and a parent cannot consent on their behalf. Bring photo ID · we ask everyone, every time.
Read the full answer › How should I prepare for a tattoo?
Turn up rested, fed and hydrated, and do not drink alcohol beforehand. Good preparation genuinely reduces how much it hurts, cuts down bleeding and helps the skin take the ink cleanly.
Still want to ask somebody? That is what the first conversation is for.
- Written and checked by
THRONE , a tattoo studio in Northampton.
Last checked 28 August 2026 .