Written by Co Owner, Kate Barnfield:

Okay, let me start by being completely honest: my piercing journey began with a piercing course. And while I’m genuinely grateful for where I am now, if you asked me whether I’d do it the same way again… I wouldn’t.

Not because piercing isn’t incredible, it completely changed my life! But because of the way most piercing courses are structured. They often leave people seriously underprepared for what this industry is actually about.

And let’s be real, this industry is not for the faint-hearted.

Licensed Doesn’t Mean Skilled

This is one of the biggest misconceptions people outside the industry have… and honestly, even some newer piercers inside the industry too.

When a studio is “licensed,” all it really means is that it meets local council health and safety requirements.

That’s it.

They are not being assessed on things like:

• Angle precision

• Jewellery selection

• Anatomy suitability

• Long-term healing outcomes

• Technique refinement

Licensing is the bare minimum — and unfortunately, that’s often exactly what piercing courses provide too.

Piercing standards have evolved massively over the years (thankfully). But just because someone can legally pierce does not mean they can pierce well!

And the uncomfortable truth is that many courses are being run by people who aren’t masters of the craft themselves.

People are paying thousands for shallow education, then being sent out into the industry unarmed for what’s to come.

You’re Not Learning a Skill. You’re Taking Responsibility for Someone’s Body.

Piercing isn’t just lining something up and pushing a needle through skin.

 It’s anatomy.
It’s wound care.
It’s infection control.
It’s psychology.
It’s crisis management.
It’s jewellery metallurgy.
It’s aftercare compliance.
It’s understanding trauma, scarring, swelling, migration and rejection.

You are permanently altering someone’s body.

People aren’t just paying for a piercing for the sparkly jewellery. They are paying for your expertise, and your ability to keep them safe.

If you don’t have that experience yet… a two/five day course will not give it to you.

Yes, you can remove jewellery, or even downsize a piece but you simply cannot undo bad practises.

The Reality After the Certificate

So, what courses don’t prepare you for:

●      Clients coming back with severe swelling and embedded jewellery

●      Angles that looked fine on the day but heal crooked

●      Unique anatomy that doesn’t match the textbook

●      Panic when something bleeds more than expected

●      Jewellery failures

●      Allergic reactions

●      Poor healing because aftercare wasn’t followed

●      The emotional weight of a mistake

After completing my piercing course, it genuinely felt like being thrown into the sea with no life raft and being told to swim.

Some survive.

A lot don’t.

I spent so much time teaching myself online, researching late into the night because, truthfully, I felt incredibly underprepared. I was making mistakes that I had to learn the very hard way from. Mistakes that many people entering this industry never recover from.

Every piercer who has been in this industry long enough can look back at their early work and laugh a little. You think it was incredible at the time, but the more skilled you get, the more you wince at the early work. 

I put in a tremendous amount of work to improve every single day. I attended APP conferences, invested in education, and absorbed everything I possibly could about this craft. At times, even local APP piercers looked down on me because of how I had started.

But I refused to let that stop me.

I had a little boy at home, and I had already sacrificed my time, my life savings, and everything I had to pursue this career. Failure simply was not an option.

However, this didn’t happen overnight. It took me years to unlearn the outdated practices I had originally been taught and rebuild my knowledge properly. It also cost me thousands of pounds in further education.

Eventually, I reached a point in my career where I felt truly proud of the standard of work we were producing.

And that’s when I made a decision.

I didn’t just want to be a better piercer.

I wanted to build a company that did things differently.

Why Apprenticeships Matter

Is it harder to get an apprenticeship in a reputable studio?

Yes.

Should it be?

ABSOLUTELY, yes.

At Empress, we offer paid apprenticeships. And there is no set timeline to “pass.”

Because no two people learn the same.

You need:

●      Months of observation

●      Anatomy repetition

●      Healing follow-ups

●      Watching complications

●      Seeing what happens when angles are off

●      Understanding jewellery sizing beyond “what looks right”

●      Handling difficult conversations

●      Infection protocol drilled into muscle memory

You need to see the mistakes and understand why they happened.

You need mentorship.

You need someone to say:
  “That angle will migrate.”
  “That jewellery is too short.”
  “That anatomy is not suitable.”
  “Do not pierce that.”

Because sometimes the most skilled thing you can do is refuse.

Piercing Is Not a Quick Career Flip

I understand why courses are attractive.

They promise:

●      Fast qualification

●      Fast income

●      Creative freedom

●      A cool job

But piercing is not just a creative outlet.

It is a medical-adjacent body modification.

 Improper jewellery can land someone in hospital.
Improper aftercare advice can cause infection.
Improper angle can cause permanent scarring.

These are not dramatic hypotheticals.

They are realities.

And they are avoidable when you truly know your craft, and you stay away from ‘the quick fix’.

If You’re Serious About Breaking Into the Industry

Ask yourself:

Do I want a certificate or mastery?

Do I want to pierce or do I want to be excellent?

If it’s the latter guys, slow down.

 Find mentorship.
Shadow.
Be willing to earn less while you learn more.
Accept that this is a long road.

Because your client is trusting you with their body for life.

That responsibility should feel heavy.

And if it doesn’t, this isn’t the industry for you.

To Wrap It Up

Despite everything I’ve said, I also can’t ignore an important truth.

While I was underprepared when I started, I wouldn’t be where I am today without taking that course. It was the first step that opened the door for me.

Some people don’t like to hear that. But the reality is that not every great piercer had the perfect start. Some of the most skilled professionals in this industry began in less-than-ideal circumstances and built their expertise through relentless learning, humility, and an obsession with improving their craft.

Not many manage to do that, but some do.

For certain people, a course can serve as a way to get your foot in the door. It can show a reputable studio that you’re serious about entering the industry and that you’re willing to invest time and effort into learning.

However, I don’t believe people should have to learn everything the hard way simply because this industry is difficult to break into. Nor should aspiring piercers feel they need to spend thousands of pounds on fragmented education just to piece together the knowledge they truly need.

There should be better, more accessible pathways into this profession. Ones that prioritise mentorship, proper training, and raising standards across the industry.

That’s exactly what we’re striving to create.

Because the future of piercing depends on how we choose to train the next generation.