So you wanna be...

I know it can be scary thinking about your first job in the arts, especially if you're not sure where to begin looking or what roles you actually want. It can often seem like a world that's sometimes very closed and very hard to break into, but I want to let you know that you CAN do it and that it IS possible. In today's post I'm going to give you a few tips on where to start!

(just as a disclaimer this post is focused for careers in the arts outside of acting but these tips may still help but they're not as accurate for all you thespians out there)

Places to look for jobs in the arts:

- The first and probably main option for a sweeping search of theatre and arts jobs is the very well titled https://www.artsjobs.org.uk. Here you can find a huge rage of listings for jobs in and relating to the arts. It's a lot like indeed but without brining back operating jobs when you type in theatre. You can't apply through arts jobs but it will give you all of the information about the roles on offer infusing salary, location, job title, hours and how to apply.

- Second best option is theatre/theatre companies websites themselves. Some larger theatres like the National or ATG have their own careers websites but others will just be listed on our websites usually somewhere in the about us or work with us sections. This can be a really great place to start if you know where you want to work in terms of venue, company or business.

- Third, Facebook. I know, I know Facebook is both the best and worst place but some groups are great at finding jobs or making connections! The main group that I am apart of is UK Theatre Producers and even though producer is in the title very often people are looking for stage managers, marketers and a variety of other roles so it's worth taking a look if you can stomach all the other producing posts on there!

- Open hire. Open hire is a mailing service that will send jobs direct to your inbox if they meet your search criteria. They've become relatively well known in the industry as places such as the RSC and Globe have signed up to use the service for all of their roles. https://www.openhire.uk

- Other arts jobs websites! There are a few other websites out there, slighting less expansive as arts jobs and sometimes behind a pay wall (the stage) but worth looking if you're struggling for opps! https://www.artsjobsonline.com / https://www.thestage.co.uk/jobs/

So what do I apply for?

Theatre much like film can be slightly notorious for creating job titles that let you know very little about what the role actually does and who it might be good for! Here I'm going to break down a few roles into some related roles or job titles to look out for when applying (some are obvious so please forgive me if this seems obvious, sadly it wasn't for me!)

So you want to be a Producer - apply for:

• Producer

• Creative Producer

• Producing coordinator

• Assistant Producer

• Administrator

• Producing administrator

• Production Coordinator

• General Manager

• Executive assistant

• Assistant general manager

• programming producer

• Assistant programmer

While these roles won't all cover all of the responsible and aspects of a producer role, they do encompass main points of it such as contracting, budgeting, people management etc and they're also great ways to gain experience that can catapult you into a producer position in the future!

So you want to be a Director - apply for:

• Director

• Assistant director

• Directing assistant

• Rehearsal Room director

• Rehearsal administrator

• Rehearsal assistant

• Resident director

• Directing intern

Again while these are not exhaustive or exclusive each of these will get you into a rehearsal room in a few different ways so you can meet other directors, see how they work and develop from that!

So you want to be a Literary Manager - apply for:

• Literary Manager

• Literary associate

• Literary Assistant

• Literary administrator

• Script assistant

• Script development assistant

• Dramaturg

• Script reader

• Voluntary script reader

• Literary coordinator

• New Works assistant

• New Work coordinator

Always be sure to read the job description in full and most of all check if you think you're going to ENJOY the role! Hope this helps! and remember to update your CV (mines below to have a look at the formatting for some inspiration if you need it...

L x