Permanent Makeup Apprenticeship

The state of Minnesota Department of Health requires 200 hours of hands on practical time (also known as “skin time” or “tattoo time”) to achieve a body art license in order to do microblading, ombre brows, and other forms of cosmetic tattooing.At The Archery, we provide in depth, one-on-one cosmetic tattooing apprenticeships in accordance with state guidelines to those seeking to obtain their tattoo license to perform cosmetic tattooing.

The state of Minnesota Department of Health Body Art Statute defines tattooing as: ”Subd. 30.Tattooing.”Tattooing” means any method of placing indelible ink or other pigments into or under the skin or mucosa with needles or any other instruments used to puncture the skin, resulting in permanent coloration of the skin or mucosa. Tattooing also includes micropigmentation and cosmetic tattooing.”An apprentice for cosmetic tattooing is a student who has completed a fundamental training course and received a certification in a specific technique, and is working toward completing the 200 state required hours of hands-on model time to achieve state licensure. An apprentice holds a temporary technician license for tattooing until their 200 hours is complete, at which point they may apply for a technician license with the state. Each apprentice is paired with (and registered with the state) a supervisor who has a minimum of two years of experience, who can guide them in their 200 hours of practical work.

Not necessarily! While having an artistic eye can be very helpful, cosmetic tattooing is a technical process as much as it is an artistic one. Other helpful qualities in a prospective artist/apprentice include: motivated, goal oriented, takes direction well, critical thinker, confident, resilient, and knows that there is always something new to learn, no matter how much experience they might get under their belt.

Most apprenticeship programs prefer to have apprentices complete or be in the process of completing a fundamental certification class before beginning their apprenticeship. There is so much to learn during the course of an apprenticeship that having a solid foundation on theory and fundamentals before jumping into hands-on skin work is critical. Our apprentices complete a fundamental course of their choice, then spend time working on synthetic skin and mannequins, then shadowing their supervisor’s work, and must learn proper bloodborne pathogen and hygiene protocols before officially beginning their apprenticeships.

Apprenticeships are usually completed in either 3 or 4 months, but those needing more time to complete their 200 hours of skin time are welcomed to take all the time they need. While apprenticing with one of our supervisors, you can expect to have one-on-one guidance, constant access to direct help and support (from mapping and deciding the proper technique for a client, to pigment selection and application). Your supervisor will offer a wealth of knowledge on safety and sanitation, tools, pigments, hair stroke patterns, skin types as they relate to cosmetic tattooing, contraindications, the healing process for cosmetic tattoos, aftercare regimens, and much more.

There will never be a time where you do not have direct access to help, guidance, and support from your supervisor through the duration of your apprenticeship. Your supervisor is onsite for every procedure you complete.We also offer ongoing support once your apprenticeship is complete. Cosmetic tattooing is an extremely complicated process, and while we do our absolute best to get you the most knowledge possible over the course of 3 or 4 months, often times it takes a year or more to get a good handle on what there is to know, especially with results as they age. This is why our supervisors make themselves accessible even after the 200 hours and your apprenticeship are officially complete. Need help troubleshooting a healed result after your apprenticeship is completed? Text your supervisor and they will always be there to help. Apprentices may also return to shadow or get help on maintenance/annual touch ups at any time after their apprenticeships are completed.

Availability for apprenticeships at The Archery is extremely limited, as our supervisors are very hands on with apprentices, and apprenticeships take several months to complete. We post all openings for upcoming apprenticeships on Instagram (be sure to follow us and turn on post notifications for updates). Once openings are posted, the supervisor who has the opening for an apprentice will conduct meetings to meet candidates who are interested, and select the person who we feel we can best serve.We do not have a wait list for apprenticeship openings at this time.

You must complete a 5 hour BBP (bloodborne pathogens) course, complete a fundamental training course on the technique(s) you are wanting to learn, and secure a temporary technician license. In order to apply for a temporary technician license, the artist/technician that will be supervising your apprenticeship will need to submit verification to the State of Minnesota that they are agreeing to be your supervisor.

While we are very invested in each and every apprentice we take on, and would love to keep every single one on the team, unfortunately, we just wouldn’t have the space! Permanent space does come available from time to time, but generally our permanent resident artist roster tends to have little turnover. Therefore we cannot guarantee a permanent spot on the team once apprenticeships are complete at this time.

This is a tough question, because there are TONS of great certification programs out there, with new ones popping up literally every day! We recommend browsing through as many as possible, and picking the program that teaches the aesthetic look that you like, and also offers ongoing support. One thing to know – expensive does not always mean best, and the number of days the course lasts doesn’t either. There are several online training programs that teach great theory and fundamentals and provide a solid foundation for an apprenticeship. In many states, apprenticeships are NOT required for licensure. In those states, you can take a two day class, take a 5 hour bloodborne pathogen course, and generally be ready to start working on your own.

While an online course without hands on experience might be a terrible idea for a prospective student in those states, students who must complete rigorous hands on apprenticeships like that which the state of Minnesota requires, can really benefit from online trainings. Online training lets you learn theory and fundamentals at your own pace, so that you don’t feel overwhelmed and thrown into a whole new subject with so much information crammed into a 2 or 3 day course.Alternately, some prospective apprentices do their best learning with a hands-on fundamental training experience. No matter which option an student picks, a fundamental training should well prepare a prospective apprentice for an apprenticeship at The Archery, and a skills assessment may be required prior to beginning.

We do not offer certification courses for fundamental training at this time, as we currently are focusing all of our time into our apprenticeship program.

The fee and commission structures for an apprenticeship vary between supervisors. Please contact us below for more information on apprenticeship pricing structures.