im sorry but apprenticeship has nothing to do with being an elitist. in any trade to be part of the union or guild you need to first be an apprentice and learn from someone who is skilled and has experience, so you can become as good as the teacher if not better.
by not going through it this way, you will not learn real techniques or have respect for the trade. you will end up being rather shitty compared to what could have been with some real guidance. my tattoo artist for instance, was an apprentice, worked at one shop and when he felt he was the best at the shop, he decided to leave to go to another shop so he could continue learning new and more advanced techniques to make himself better at what he does.
im tired of people with terrible tattoos coming up to me to start a conversation about their boy who does it out of their house and is mad cheap on the real y0! and when i look at their arm, i can look and see why they got it for $20.
Lies. Proper technique comes from learning about BBP, cross-contamination and sterilization, practicing your drawing, then getting familiar with your machines. Lay LOTS of ink on practice mediums before EVER touching skin. Believe me, apprenticeships are not necessary.