Body piercings are on the rise. Nearly 27% of high school students have at least one body part pierced in a place other than the ear and about 8% have tattoos. In the overall American population, 83% have their ears pieced and 14% have a piercing elsewhere. With so many people getting body piercings, you may think that getting into the business would be a good move but you need to know how to become a piercing apprentice.

This is how to become a piercing apprentice:

1. Find a body piercing apprenticeship program. This can be a challenge. You should find a studio that has been approved by the Association of Professional Piercers and go talk to them. They get a lot of requests from would-be piercers so expect to be turned down a lot. Most piercers are asked all the time about this. If a shop you approach turns you down, ask if they know of any other shops that might offer apprenticeships. If you have any friends who are piercers you should ask them about how to get a body piercing apprenticeship.
2. Know why you want to be a piercer. Many people have very different ideas about what a piercing job is and what it entails. These ideas after often completely different from the realities of the job. If you cannot really answer this question, you may want to reconsider your decision.
3. Do your research. Spend some time in piercing places and get to know different piecers. Find out as much as you can about the industry and day to day lives they lead. When students begin pre-med programs, they shadow doctors to get a sense of what their work life is like. If you can get a real understanding of what the piercing business is like before you start a training program, you will be in a better position much like the pre-medical students are.
4. Stand out from the crowd. Your personality matters when you are looking for an instructional body piercing apprenticeship. When people ask about how to become a piercing apprentice, they do not always think about how they come across to other people matters. Shy, sullen, unpresentable people do not work out well in piercing places. Piercing shops are stores. These jobs are sales jobs. If you are not at least a little outgoing or like dealing with the general public, this is not the profession for you. You are also the face of the business so you have to be serious about the work being done.
5. You may have to pay for your apprenticeship. The shop that provides your body piercing apprenticeship needs to get something from training you. If you plan to  start your own business immediately after you complete your training, they may charge you a fee to train you. Another option is to work for the shop that trains you when you finish. This will give you a chace to lean the business end of the piercing industry.

Body piercing has a long history. The oldest recorded piercing dates back about 2500 years. If you really want to enter this industry, do your homework and research and you can make it happen.