Getting a Job in the Television Industry

Sarah Holmes

Working in the TV Industry

Wide range of roles available Industry is looking for

individuals who are multi-skilled

It is a competitive industry ‘Walking the walk and

talking the talk’ Networking You need to stand out – have

a USP!

Dream Jobs

What is your dream job in the media industry?

Do you know how you would get a job like this?

Industry Roles Within the industry most roles fall into two

categoriesTechnical

Production RolesCreative /

Management Roles

Examples:Camera OperatorSound SupervisorLighting Engineer

Offline EditorVision Mixer

Examples:DirectorProducer

Floor ManagerScreenwriter

Editor

Production Support Roles

Examples:Wardrobe Assistant

Production Coordinator

Safety OfficerPress Liaison Officer

Assistant Editor

Career Pathways Career progression is through three main routes Below are the most common pathways to the different areas of the

industry Level 3 Media Qualification

Technical Production Roles

Creative / Management Roles

Production Support Roles

Starting in the industry at entry level and working your way up ‘the

ranks’

A higher education degree course e.g.

BA (Hons) Television Production

A further vocational course e.g. an HND

or an apprenticeship & entry level roles

Career Pathways Career progression is through three main routes Below are the most common pathways to the different areas of the

industry Level 3 Media Qualification

Creative / Management Roles

A higher education degree course e.g.

BA (Hons) Television Production

Case StudyIan Mander – Assistant Editor• Began work in the building industry

after leaving school• Retrained at college as a mature

learner – doing a BTEC L3 in Media and then a BA (Hons) at Bournemouth University

• First step on a career path to EditorVideo Link

Career PathwaysLevel 3 Media Qualification

Starting in the industry at entry level and working your way up ‘the

ranks’

Case StudyCathy Whitla

Post Production / Assistant Editor• Started a degree, but didn’t enjoy

it• After working for a while, took a

drop in pay to join a BBC Training Scheme

• Working her way up ‘through the ranks’ having started with minimum skills

Video Link

Production Support Roles

Career PathwaysLevel 3 Media Qualification

A further vocational course e.g. an HND

or an apprenticeship

Case StudyDishad Hussain – Writer / Camera Operator• Studied science at University,

but went to Film School to complete an HND afterwards

• Supports own projects by working as a Camera Operator for other projects

Video Link

Technical Production Roles

Career Pathways These are not the only pathways into the

industry and people take a variety of routes. Essentially, you need to focus on

Equipping yourself with the skills you need Ensuring you have the qualifications you may need

Experience is key – investigate any opportunities you can get to have experience in the industry. Send your CV to production companies and offer

your time for free Investigate internship or work experience

placements

Skills Shortages Often the way to make yourself

employable is to identify areas where there is a shortage of skills

You can find out from organisations such as Skillset, who are the Sector Skills Council for Media what this might be.

Skillset are currently producing their report on the sector (they do this every 3 years) but you could refer to the 2009 report now

You can find out more about the Skillset sector reports at: www.creativeskillset.org/research/activity/census/

Top Tips Write a concise CV and keep this

regularly updated Investigate apprenticeship or intern

opportunities Whenever you have contact with those

in the industry, network with them Grasp opportunities for experience in

the industry wherever they occur Investigate current skills shortages in

the industry and make yourself as useful to employers as possible

Useful Links Skillset have some excellent information

about the job roles within the TV industry here: Skillset Job Profiles

The BBC has several new apprenticeship programmes on offer BBC Apprenticeships

UCAS has a full list of the Higher Education opportunities available in the UK including a course search UCAS Course Search

icould is a great resource for career planning, with case studies and guidance for a wide range of career pathways icould.com

Activity The activity sheet provided is designed

to help you identify what kind of role may be most suited to you

It is just for fun, but could provide some food for thought when considering your career path

Answer each question carefully and then use the key at the bottom of the sheet to work out what this may say about the job roles that could suit you.