Where Can You Work and Show Your Tattoos?
By ar.colton
In a world where tattoos are becoming more and more commonplace there remains a stigma in many workplaces towards people who sport them. For those who have tattoos on their backs, arms, stomachs and legs this stigma is inconsequential. With the appropriate attire their bosses and colleagues need never know about their ink.
But what about those of us who made body art decisions that are visible to all to see? What about those of us who are perhaps a little bit stubborn and insist on wearing our ink proudly? What jobs are available to us?
Since my first tattoo, a large ship’s helm on the side of my neck when I was eighteen, I have been on the lookout for job opportunities where eyebrows and objections won’t be raised about my appearance. I have the great pleasure of sharing with you the substantial fruits of that search. Below is a list of over 100 career opportunities for the heavily inked and proud.
I must admit I am assuming a few things about your tattoos. I am assuming that your tattoos are not obscene. Any tattoos that involve nudity, sexual acts, curse words or offensive language or anything particularly gruesome or violent, sometimes even skulls, would have to be covered up in most work environments, even those listed below.
This list is also dependent on the city and country you live in. I live in Vancouver, BC, Canada which is a very tattoo-friendly environment. I have been able to hold down jobs that are not mentioned on the list below as in general they do not allow body art.
In Canada it’s illegal to discriminate against someone who has a tattoo but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen, and it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t happen often. In the United States and many other countries people do not have that protection. Even in Canada there are companies that get away with cover-it-up policies.
This is a list from low income, no education to high income plenty of education jobs. The list is in alphabetical order for your convenience and has over 100 different options for employment on it. If you notice that I have made a mistake, or have missed other careers that allow you to show your tattoos please comment below to add or correct! Thanks very much for reading! I hope you enjoy.
Most of these are subject to the disclaimer “in most cases”:
A
Animal Breeder
Animal Groomer
Animal Trainer
Architect
Artist
Athlete
Astronaut
B
Baker
Barista
Bartender
Beekeeper
Bouncer
Brick Layer
Bus Driver
Business Owner
Butcher
C
Call center operator
Carpenter
Cartographer
Childcare worker
Circus Performer
Clown
Cook
Comedian
Construction worker
Computer Programmer
Cosmetologist
Crane Operator
Customer Service (usually specialty stores)
D
Dancer
Decorator
Demolitions
Dentist
Director
Dishwasher
Dispatch
Diver
Doctor
Driver (Truck, Taxi, Delivery, Bus, Race car)
E
Electrician
Engineer
F
Factory Worker
Farmer
Fashion Designer
Film/Theatre Crew
Film Editor
Fisherman
Fire Fighter
Florist
Forest Ranger
G
Garbage Collector
Gardener
Graphic Designer
Gunsmith
H
Hair stylist
I
Information Specialist
J
Juggler
K
L
Laboratory Technician
Landscaper
Librarian
Lifegaurd
Lumberjack
M
Machinist
Maid or Janitorial
Make up Artist
Masseuse
Mechanic
Metal smith
Midwife
Military
Miner
Mover
Musician
N
Nail Technician
Nurse
Nutritionist
O
Online Company Employee
P
Painter
Paramedic
Personal Trainer
Physical Therapist
Pipe Fitter
Plumber
Photographer
Piercer
Poet
Pornography Actor
Private Investigator
Professor
Pyrotechnician
Q
R
Radiologist
S
Sailor
Scientist
Seamstress
Security or Body Guard
Sheet Metal Worker
Shipwright
Singer
Stage Hand
Stylist
Substance Abuse Counsellor
T
Tailor
Tattoo artist
Translator
U
V
Veterinarian
Videogame designer
Virtual Assistant
Virtual Tutor
Voice Actor
W
Waiter
Warehouse worker
Website Designer
Welder
Writer
X
Y
Z
Zookeeper
Comments
ms.colton what do you think about being a barista having visible tattoos?
Thanks Tiffany, that's a great one!
This article is very informative. Please add life guard to the list...
Thanks fashion.
Great hub.Well done
Great question Katie. I'm going to guess Astronaut and Crane Operator are among the highest paid jobs on the list. But it's hard to say.
Jobs like Business Owner and Tattoo Artist can fall anywhere in a broad spectrum. As well as vague proffessions like "dancer".
I've heard of exotic dancers at top clubs making upwards of 100,000$ a year. Of course, my opinions are based mostly on anecdotal evidence. To be safe I'm sticking with my above choices. High risk = high pay.
What are the 3 highest paying jobs on this list? Great article by the way, thanks for posting. (:
this is great!
currently i live in mexico (i am canadian), and talk about discrimination against tattoos!
i plan on moving back to canada next year to attend UBC for physical therapy - with all my tattoos!
There certainly are cities and hospitals or clinics where tattoos are considered unnacceptable. I do know that there are a number of medical establishments that don't have a problem with tattoos though. For most of these careers there are going to be places where tattoos are not allowed, hence the disclaimer.
Thank you very much for your 2 cents. :)
For doctor and nursing that may be untrue, when I was doing clinical they told people that had tattoos they had to cover them up, and there was people that wore long sleeves everyday. I'm not sure if it was just the place or where I live, but that's just my 2 cents. Very informative though(:
Physical trainers and physical therapists definitely. A number of them, in fact. But I live in very liberal Vancouver.
Vet's again are an "in some cases" kind of situation. It would depend on where you lived, and who was running the practise you were working at.
have you ever seen a veterinarian, or physical trainer/therapist with tattoos on there neck and hands because i have one on my neck and these are the proffesions i am intrested in?
Cassie,
It seems to me that a forensic anthropologist would be allowed the tattoos, however I would understand if they asked you to remove your piercings. However, this is just conjecture. I would advice you to contact the police departments in your area for a more precise response.
Good luck!
how about a forensic antropoligest (studing bones)its been my life long dream to be one for a really long time and i have snake bites, purple hair, and 4 tattos
John O, I'm sure that many offices employing physical therapists will be fine with visible tattoos however you may want to call around to the places in your area. Like I said at the top of the article everything on this list is subject to the contingency "most of the time". If you live in a very conservative area you may want to do a little research to make sure.
Nikki, I'm not sure about criminology. I would think if you're going to be spending a lot of time in court rooms you probably want to look as clean cut as possible, but honestly thats just conjecture.
Boogie, I've known some teachers with visible tattoos but I think at least 80% of the time it's going to pose a problem. Parents don't have to be open-minded about who's teaching their kids. Once you get up to university level though it should be okay.
Thanks a lot Crysto and everyone else. Glad you enjoyed the hub!
love this article!! I am thinking about getting a full sleeve and becoming a teacher... im not sure if the two mix...
Nice hub with very strong question that i really love to hear the answer.thanks for sharing this.
What about criminiology? I have 7 tattoos that are semi-easy to cover right now... I want a quote under my collar bone, which is covered by normal t-shirts but shows in most clothing, and I also want sleeves...so if I had to cover them I would need to wear high-cut shirts/suits and long sleeves... Just wondering if you think the criminolgy field would be strict with covering tattoos and/or piercings(just a monroe)...?
Are you sure about the physical therapist job? I want to get a sleeve and i dont want to be prohibited by that.
Buster,
I only have two so far. So many ideas but I like to let them simmer for a few years before committing to them. How about you?
ar.colton, how many tattoos do you have?
I realised that after I reread it, I am an idiot lol ; )
It's the long alphabetized list after the introduction TattoGuy.
Can you point out to ne where you detailed where to work and show your tattoos or did I miss it ?
Well I got circus preformer and clown. But you're right I should add Juggler. It can be a paid gig, but you have to be really good. When I was a clown I used my crappy juggling skills as part of my act. A lot easier than hours of practise :)
You forgot Juggler for J. LOL. Is that a paying job?
I can't imagine why not Helena. Most writers have the good fortune of being able to look however thay want. Plus, in the music industry individual expression is generally counted upon as a good thing. Generally. If you're interviewing a lot of classists, however, it might be a problem.
Would a person with visible tattoos be able to be a music journalist who writes for magazines?
I suppose that would depend on the environment they are educating in. I would think however, that they would encounter some of the same problems that social workers do since they would be working with what would most likely be considered "sensitive" education. People would likely want them to look as repectable as possible.
Do you have any info on the topic?
What do you think about a health or sex educator having visible tattoos?
ar.colton 4 weeks ago
Thanks for stopping by anton,
That really depends on where you live. For a well-known example, Starbucks does not allow their barista to have visible tattoos but in Vancouver I worked at multiple cafes with visible tattoos on my neck and forearm and often see barista's with visible work. I would check around, next time you buy a coffee ask the barista if they know what their company's policy is.