Answer: A tattoo apprenticeship isn't like college where you have to complete a certain amount of courses or receive a certain amount of credits in order to get a degree. Actually, there are no degrees and no certifications when it comes to tattoo education. She can stop at any time or continue her education at her leisure - but the more she knows and the better she is at tattooing, the better her chances of finding a job at a good shop.
So, no, it won't hurt her to stop 2 weeks early - I doubt there's anything major she would have learned in those 2 weeks that's really going to hurt her. But, at the same time, I doubt she knows enough to go it alone after only a year and she should seek out further training with other artists at other shops unless she has a knack for it and is already completing quality tattoos without supervision.
I don't know if she paid for her previous apprenticeship or how much, but any paid apprenticeship should also come with a contract to prevent something like this from happening in the future. It would be a bad situation if she paid thousands of dollars for, say, 3 years worth of training and "drama" cut her off half way through. That's why I always encourage anyone entering this kind of agreement to have a contract stating all responsibilities on both sides.
I hope this helps both you and your friend. Apprenticeships can be tricky because there are no set rules so everyone does them whatever way they want.
Comments
There ARE certifications that have to be obtained to become a tattooist (Oregon, Suffolk NY and likely others). In Suffolk for example I specifically asked how the 1,000 hour required apprenticeship period was to be proven and if the apprenticeship could be continued at a new establishment, or if all previous credit would be lost.
The answer for Suffolk NY is the apprentice would have to keep records of time spent as an apprentice and then it would be fully transferable. Some studios seem to be in the habit of dumping apprentices in the final hours of apprenticeship; make of that what you will.
The asked question can’t be properly answered without knowing where the apprentice is located.
Like it was already said, it is hard to say without knowing the location. Here in Michigan only the shop is required to have a tattoo license, though there are many people working on changing that so the individual must have a license, including me.
I believe, however, that in order for someone to learn how to tattoo affectively, apprenticing in several different shops is the best way to go. You learn different procedures and different styles because each artist is different. I would advise your friend to go to more shops and work with different artists.
Why did the boss’s wife want her out of the shop? Seems rather odd, eh? If her apprenticeship had been going along smoothly what reason might there be for this move?
hummmm……