Starting off in the industry

[Wessy]

Afternoon guys,

 

This is something I've looked into for several years and just never got round to doing anything.

I've always had a fascination with all aspects of sound and lighting, Im 27 now and Currently working in the print industry as well as Dj'ing and providing small sound and lighting set-ups for conference and other small events.

 

It has now been brought to my attention that I am at risk of redundancy and so its time to pull my finger out!!

 

I guess what I'm trying to ask is how is the best way to start off in this industry? As much as I would love to go to college / Uni and learn I now have a mortage and bills to pay and so this does not seem feasable.

 

Are there apprentice schemes? Learn as you earn schemes or am I likey to get a job as some sort of assistant/helper and be able to work my way upwards?

 

I do have some small knowledge of setting up small PA systems and small DMX programming experience.

 

Any help or advice you can give will be much appreciated.

 

Cheers

 

Lee

[Jivemaster]

Look for a proper job using your proven employment skills. Or get a job doing DJing or light or sound. Trying to move into a new industry with no contacts and expecting to make a commercial sucess of being a self employed sound/light technician is a whole new shark pond to swim in.

 

Several people I know are full time professional DJs and one has put his children through fee paying school on the proceeds, can be done.

[Wessy]

Sorry I think I've been slightly missunderstood, I'm not looking to start a business in this industry I'd like to train and work in this industry.

[Russ83]

Getting involved in a very active amateur dramatic society is a good way to experience all the different parts of theatre and if your lucky you could meet someone who works full time in the industry. If you can prove yourself then this could be a good contact and lead you to bigger things. There are a lot of if's and but's doing it that way though!

 

Another position to look out for would be working in a school as a theatre/music/drama technician. Working in a school does not suit everyone but if you can show you have enough experience and technical knowledge to do the job this can be a good place to start. I have taught myself a lot over the last five years where I work, it's given me a lot of opportunities, I enjoy it and it is putting money in the bank from day one.

 

Another option is to approach your local hire/install companies. As long as you are good practically some companies will take you on in the workshops where you can familiarise yourself with their kit and hopefully over time work your way up. This way you are working with people who know the industry and you can learn from them. The basic wage in the workshop may not be brilliant but it's a means to an end.

 

I'm sure there are other ways but I hope that gives you a few options to think about.

[Ynot]

Another good start, if you'll excuse me being a tad blunt, would be to complete your profile, including your location etc. that way we know where you are.

And you never know, there MAY be someone local to you that might have an opportunity (am dram or paid...) that might suit you...

[paulears]

At 27, you're going to have a hard time going back to education, so the reality is that you just need to try to find a job where you can learn as you work (and get paid). What is your local proper theatre venue like? If they are busy, maybe they'll put you on the casuals list. The trick will be to use the knowledge you have and build on it. So small PAs for conferences is a good start. Do plenty of reading - so you can translate this level up a bit and use it to support any applications you make.

 

However - all this fails if your face isn't known, so don't write letters, they get far too many. Go around and make contact face to face.

[Smiffy]

If you don't mind a bit of hard graft and some crap pay, then you could also look at Local Crew work. The guys that have a basic understanding of how to cable systems up, and so on tend to get picked up pretty quickly and ultimately become requested crew members, from there its a case of trying to actually get onto a tour and so on.

 

Worth a look... Two companies that spring to mind are Gallowglass and Stage Miracles (if either of them havent fallen of the grid in my time out of the UK).

 

Cheers

 

Smiffy

[Stan Hope-Streeter]

<br />Sorry I think I've been slightly missunderstood, I'm not looking to start a business in this industry I'd like to train and work in this industry.<br />

 

You aren't going to like this...

 

Most companies providing technical services to the events industry do not employ full time technicians. They call people from a pool of (allegedly) self-employed "freelance" specialists. To work for them, you would indeed need to "start a business in this industry" because that's what being self-employed means.

 

This pool of personnel is currently oversubscribed, mainly due to the many college courses offering degrees and training in this area and turning out large numbers of young people who think this gives them the immediate ability to earn a living at it.

 

At the same time, the theatres in this country (who do still employ some permanent technicians) are facing drastic cuts in funding, as the newly prevailing political philosophy presumes that it is immoral for general taxpayers to sponsor the arts.

 

So this is not a time to be looking to enter the profession, especially if you have a mortgage to pay. Most of the recently "qualified" kids mentioned above are living with parents or in student style bedsits, and their low living costs mean they can work for low rates which would not support a person with normal financial commitments.

 

If you have a particular interest in this work, confine it to a hobby. You need to get a proper job.

[kerry davies]

Hate to have to agree with Stan, but if you have a mortgage and responsibilities this is no industry to enter right now, even though times are tough in general.

 

This morning the news is that overall 17% of graduates are unemployed, there are 69 applicants for every job, 33% of employers demand experience and 77% require a 2/1 degree at least. It is much worse than that for media and cultural subjects. Three or four years ago the ratio of 514,000 students to the 6,000 advertised jobs in the cultural sector was bad enough but now 750,000 are chasing less than 5,000. So the competition is fierce and will get really stupid when Arts Council England joins Wales in cutting funding. It was described on BBC News this morning as "a perfect storm of unemployment" because to add to this years tranche of grads we still have that 17% of last years output looking for work.

 

In the cultural sector as a whole some 58% are self-employed, 38% are part-time, 45% work in London and 73% earn less than £20K and that includes the figures from the advertising industry. That is what you are considering being a part of and it is better to have your eyes opened now than later. Local crew, as Smiffy suggests, could be a way in but most companies don't employ "humpers" nowadays, they want forklift drivers, WaH, rope access, riggers, scaffs etc. and the pay is intermittent and not exactly mortgageable even if you can handle living in a van.

 

Charge the going rate for your hobbies, and see how it goes. Build up the buoyancy of what you have before letting go of your current life-raft.

[Ynot]

Two companies that spring to mind are Gallowglass and Stage Miracles (if either of them havent fallen of the grid in my time out of the UK).

Gakkowglass are certainly still around - did a couple of gigs up north last year with some of their riggers.

[dynamo_ozz]

<br />Sorry I think I've been slightly missunderstood, I'm not looking to start a business in this industry I'd like to train and work in this industry.<br />

 

You aren't going to like this...

 

Most companies providing technical services to the events industry do not employ full time technicians. They call people from a pool of (allegedly) self-employed "freelance" specialists. To work for them, you would indeed need to "start a business in this industry" because that's what being self-employed means.

 

This pool of personnel is currently oversubscribed, mainly due to the many college courses offering degrees and training in this area and turning out large numbers of young people who think this gives them the immediate ability to earn a living at it.

 

At the same time, the theatres in this country (who do still employ some permanent technicians) are facing drastic cuts in funding, as the newly prevailing political philosophy presumes that it is immoral for general taxpayers to sponsor the arts.

 

So this is not a time to be looking to enter the profession, especially if you have a mortgage to pay. Most of the recently "qualified" kids mentioned above are living with parents or in student style bedsits, and their low living costs mean they can work for low rates which would not support a person with normal financial commitments.

 

If you have a particular interest in this work, confine it to a hobby. You need to get a proper job.

 

 

Hate to have to agree with Stan, but if you have a mortgage and responsibilities this is no industry to enter right now, even though times are tough in general.

 

This morning the news is that overall 17% of graduates are unemployed, there are 69 applicants for every job, 33% of employers demand experience and 77% require a 2/1 degree at least. It is much worse than that for media and cultural subjects. Three or four years ago the ratio of 514,000 students to the 6,000 advertised jobs in the cultural sector was bad enough but now 750,000 are chasing less than 5,000. So the competition is fierce and will get really stupid when Arts Council England joins Wales in cutting funding. It was described on BBC News this morning as "a perfect storm of unemployment" because to add to this years tranche of grads we still have that 17% of last years output looking for work.

 

In the cultural sector as a whole some 58% are self-employed, 38% are part-time, 45% work in London and 73% earn less than £20K and that includes the figures from the advertising industry. That is what you are considering being a part of and it is better to have your eyes opened now than later. Local crew, as Smiffy suggests, could be a way in but most companies don't employ "humpers" nowadays, they want forklift drivers, WaH, rope access, riggers, scaffs etc. and the pay is intermittent and not exactly mortgageable even if you can handle living in a van.

 

Charge the going rate for your hobbies, and see how it goes. Build up the buoyancy of what you have before letting go of your current life-raft.

 

I agree with above comments. Almost all the freelancers I have been talking to recently are not happy with what's going on right now, more people in the game therefore less work. In this current economic situation breaking into the industry is harder than ever.