Brendan Durham

Hello,

I had my training to a become a body piercer in Tiger Lily, Oxford, UK in 2020. I learnt how to perform all piercings (except genital, though I would be willing to learn this) and am able to pierce customers in ten-minute slots round the clock for the whole working day with additional jewellery changes between piercings. Piercing this volume of customers gave me a depth of experience, having performed an immemorable number of piercings to date, including more unusual ones like rook, daith, tragus, nipple and industrial. I have also created an intensive one-week training program for two trainees that came into the business. Both during the first week and in the following weeks of their training I was a constant presence observing and helping them to learn and improve, teaching them about jewellery size, angling of needles, health and safety and studio etiquette. I have also created a written practical test for trainees to assess their understanding of the minutia of being a body piercer.

In the spring of 2022 I moved to Cardiff, Wales and became the manager of Russo’s Ink. It was a small, 10 month old studio on the outskirts of the centre of Cardiff. I came in as the manager/ body piercer and after firing two difficult members of staff re-built the team and over the next six months turned it into a profitable and functioning business. I created numerous systems for Russo’s Ink including a monthly takings sheet, a safe and log of all cash going in/ out of the business, personally opened and cleaned the studio every morning, created advertising for around the city/ front of the business and managed the studio’s social media accounts. I bought all of the necessary equipment/ jewellery to turn it into a piercing studio and after my six month tenancy was done I left the studio in good order, and on good terms with the owner, I also hired and trained a replacement. Whilst at Russo’s I increased the monthly takings several fold per month and created a piercing studio from scratch.  

I have worked at two studios; Russo's Ink, Cardiff and Tiger Lily, Oxford. At the later was where I undertook my training to become a body piercer. I have over two years of experience, have pierced innumerable customers during that time and trained two apprentices to pierce. I also have plenty of customer service experience and managing tattoo/ piercing studios. 

I graduated (07/2013) from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN) with a 2:1 level degree having studied Screen Writing and History. In march of 2015 I studied to become an English Language teacher at the British Study Centre in Oxford. From this one month intensive course I graduated with a CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) level 5. During the course I had extensive first hand experience of teaching English to both intermediate and lower intermediate/ Elementary students.