Drama CAREER INSIGHT
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Career Insight: Drama
Introduction A degree in drama can lead to a variety of professions, particularly in the creative industries. As well as preparing you for a career as an actor, you could also consider roles in other professions, such as stage management; arts administration; writing; and teaching. You could also look at roles in other areas such as human resources, marketing, and public relations. The course will help you develop a range of skills such as oral and written communication; presentation delivery; teamwork; and creativity. Planning for your career and gaining experience throughout your course will benefit you when you graduate. Take advantage of work experience opportunities and networking events to develop your skills and help you decide what area you want to move into. Try and make links with people through your course and get involved with the wealth of creative activities in Liverpool and beyond to broaden your skillset and open up opportunities. You could also consider setting up a LinkedIn profile and following relevant organisations through Twitter to keep up to date with opportunities and developments in the creative industries. Many employers use social media to post work experience opportunities so take advantage of using the sites to help you make links and find out more about what opportunities are out there.
Options with your degree: creative industries ACTOR Actors work in a variety of settings from street performances to big-budget films. Whatever setting you are working in it is important to have the skills, talent and the tenacity to pursue an acting career and be prepared for rejection and lots of hard work in this highly competitive industry. There is no set route to becoming an actor but networking and gaining experience through performance is really important. Alongside your degree you should consider participating in local theatre groups, university drama groups and carrying out ‘extra’ work, which will give you an excellent insight into the industry and will help you make contacts. The following are important within the profession:
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Excellent communication and listening skills
The ability to analyse and interpret roles
The ability to work independently and in a team
Resilience, determination and the ability to take criticism
Good networking skills
Good time management skills and the ability to cope with long hours and memorising lines
Flexibility and being proactive
Self-discipline
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Career Insight: Drama
Additional creative skills in singing, dancing or playing a musical instrument can also be useful and should be highlighted in your CV.
STAGE MANAGER Theatre stage managers manage everyone involved with performance in a theatre and facilitate the running of the theatre company. In order to manage all aspects of a production a good understanding of both the technical and artistic aspects of performance is expected. As with acting, practical experience is crucial. Gain as much experience as you can both within and outside your course to help develop your skills and make contacts. Demonstrating the following is important for the role:
Excellent people management skills
Tact and diplomacy
Observational ability and a good eye for detail
Excellent communication skills
The ability to work under pressure and deal with problems effectively
Excellent organisation and time management skills
IT and technical skills
Additional skills in reading music may be useful if you wish to work in ballet or opera, and other skills, such as sewing and design to work with costumes are also valued. Again, make sure these skills are highlighted in your CV.
ARTS ADMINISTRATOR The knowledge and understanding you gain through your programme can prepare you to work in a range of support roles within the creative industries. Arts administrators can work in different settings, such as galleries, theatre companies, community arts organisations, and dance companies. Gaining administrative skills in any setting will be important but your passion for working in the arts and your knowledge and understanding, and previous experience working in a creative setting will be particularly valuable. The following are also required:
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Strong communication and interpersonal skills
Excellent organisational skills
The ability to multi-task and plan and prioritise your workload
Team working skills and working independently
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Career Insight: Drama
Strong IT skills
DRAMATHERAPIST Dramatherapy is a type of psychological counselling that includes the acting out of ideas and playing roles in order to promote deeper understanding of the self or to achieve psychological healing. It doesn’t necessarily have to be clients simply acting in words or gestures, but could include role-playing with props, masks, puppets, or dolls. Such therapy may take place in a group, or it could be individualised to a single client. Employers of dramatherapists include the NHS, social services departments, residential homes, prisons, young offender units, schools, disability units, voluntary organisations and charities.
Skills required include: Maturity and non-judgemental in attitude Resilience and the ability to cope with challenging situations Creativity and imagination Excellent interpersonal and communication skills Respect for confidentiality TELEVISION PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
A television production assistant (or PA) is responsible for the administration, organisation and secretarial work involved in producing a television programme. Duties include; clearing copyrights, booking studios, production equipment, performance and production staff, liaising with a wide range of people and organising meetings and interviews. Typical employers include;
independent production companies, terrestrial, satellite, digital and cable television companies, BBC and Channel 4. Skills required
Excellent communication skills Adaptability Enthusiasm Determination Perseverance Ability to work well under pressure Organisational skills Administrative skills Budgeting skills IT
Voice over Artist The voice over artist uses words instead of a paint brush to get the message across. Instead of painting a scene with a brush, the voice over artist utilizes the spoken word to create a mental image of a product, service, location, or person. Also referred to as a voice over actor, voice over talent, voice artist, voice talent, and voice actor, the voice over artist relies on trained and experienced script interpretation to best convey what's being said. Voice over actors read scripts for movies, internet voice files, CD-ROMs, and radio and television commercials. They may also narrate audio books, phone system hold messages, and corporate or industrial videos. What you need to do first?
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Career Insight: Drama
1 - Get involved with your local hospital radio station. It will give you technical experience, experience in front of the microphone: everything you will need to give you a thorough grounding in using your voice. 2 - Do you have a local theatre group or amateur dramatic society? Find them and volunteer, voiceover work IS ACTING!!! Even the simplest voice over requires performance skills. 3 - Got a mobile phone? Change the voice mail message on it every day, try to impress people with it. Make a note of what works for your voice-over and what doesn't. 4 - Find someone to whom you can regularly read a story. If you're good at characters, well a good story will give you plenty of opportunity to prove it. 5 - Do you want to go on a course and get some professional voiceover training? They'll teach you how to get the best out of your voice
Options with your degree: other industries TEACHER To become a teacher you will need to complete a further period of training after your undergraduate degree, either by completing a PGCE at a university, or by completing training through another teacher training programme (Schools Direct, School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT), or Teach First). It is vital that you have recent work experience at the level you want to teach at before applying. It is best to have at least 10-15 days recent experience working in a school but it is preferable to have much more experience. Some course providers stipulate the minimum amount of work experience they require so always check with individual providers. Different course providers and schools have different entry requirements so always check that you meet them before applying. Generally you will need at least a 2:2 or above and GCSE English and Maths at grades C or above for secondary teaching and Science grade C or above if you want to teach at primary level. Some institutions will request applicants to have at least a 2:1 degree or above.
Entry requirements for Teach First are slightly higher:
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2:1 degree or above 300 UCAS points (or equivalent, excluding General Studies)
A degree or A levels that satisfy the teaching subject requirements. More information on these can be found on the Teach First website: http://graduates.teachfirst.org.uk/recruitment/requirements/index.html.
Grade C (or equivalent) in GCSE maths and English
Flexibility to work anywhere within Teach First's seven regions
Commitment for the duration of the two-year Leadership Development Programme
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Career Insight: Drama
You may prefer to move away from the creative industries and look at roles in other sectors. Some that you could consider include:
Roles in marketing and PR:
http://www.prospects.ac.uk/types_of_jobs_advertising_marketing_pr.htm
http://www.getin2marketing.com/
http://www.cipr.co.uk/
Roles in human resources management:
http://www.prospects.ac.uk/types_of_jobs_human_resources.htm
http://www.cipd.co.uk/
The suggestions listed here are by no means exhaustive so we would encourage you to consider other relevant options, e.g. based on previous work or voluntary experience, skills and interests. To explore job options by sector, check http://www.prospects.ac.uk/types_of_jobs.htm. You can also use career planning tools like http://www.prospects.ac.uk/myprospects_planner_login.htm and http://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-report to generate initial career ideas. Ensure you check entry requirements for each area, e.g. will you need a degree in a specific subject? Is a 2:1 degree classification essential? Will you need to complete a postgraduate degree? Is any specific work experience required? We also recommend that you download a copy of our “Planning your Career” guide from the Careers website at https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/careers/123871.htm. This includes a list of useful questions to help you explore your career options and introduces you to the DOTS model to help you with your career planning.
Main employers All occupational profiles listed on http://www.prospects.ac.uk/types_of_jobs.htm include a section on typical employers and vacancy sources, so use these as a starting point to research potential employers within the career areas that interest you.
Useful links/websites Drama: Actor's One Stop Shop: www.actorsone-stopshop.com
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Career Insight: Drama
Arts Hub: www.artshub.co.uk listing arts and creative jobs including internships and work experience. Association of Lighting Designers: www.ald.org.uk Broadcast Now (radio and television): www.broadcastnow.co.uk Careers Service Media Links: www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sitesmedia.htm Publishing, Journalism, Media and Music links Creative Choices: www.creative-choices.co.uk information, advice and resources to help you build skills and find opportunities in the creative industries Drama UK: http://www.dramauk.co.uk/ offer advice and help to drama students of all ages. Grapevine Jobs: www.grapevinejobs.com for jobs in broadcast, film and music. Mandy.com: http://www.mandy.com/ film and media database and jobs search Online Directory of postgraduate courses in the UK: www.prospects.ac.uk/student/pgdir Outlines of careers and theatres in the UK: www.drama.ac.uk/careers.html Regional Arts Boards of the Arts Council: www.arts.org.uk Skillset: www.skillset.org profiles on a range of different media career areas plus tips for getting in The Association of British Theatre Technicians: www.abtt.org.uk The Conference of Drama schools in the UK: www.drama.ac.uk The Society of British Theatre Designers: www.theatredesign.org.uk The Spotlight: www.spotlightcd.com Publishers of casting directories and contacts with profiles of over 25,000 professionals in the performance industry The Stage newspaper: www.thestage.co.uk UK Theatre Web site: www.uktw.co.uk
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Career Insight: Drama
Universal Extras: http://www.universalextras.co.uk/
General: LJMU Vacancy System – MyJobs&Placements http://ljmu.prospects.ac.uk/ Prospects – Careers information and graduate jobs – www.prospects.ac.uk TargetJobs - Careers information and graduate jobs – www.targetjobs.co.uk Milkround – graduate jobs, placements & internships http://www.milkround.com/ Get into Teaching http://www.education.gov.uk/get-into-teaching
Follow relevant companies/websites through Twitter:
@LJMUCareers
@TheStage
@mediavolt
@getintoteaching
@TeachFirst
Sources of work experience Gaining experience, whether it is through acting or in other areas of the creative industries, is really important. Networking is crucial and many contracts with theatre and production companies are often filled through contacts and links with people who have worked together before. Download our miniguide on “Making yourself employable whilst at University” from https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/careers/123871.htm for an overview of the different types of work experience available and some general suggestions about finding work experience opportunities. LJMU has been managing a summer internship programme for Level 5 students in recent years, so keep an eye on your LJMU inbox for details of any opportunities. Contacting theatre companies, schools, etc. directly at networking events, via email or through LinkedIn may lead to work experience. It is important that you demonstrate that you are interested in the company and have spent some time finding what they do. Even when applying to secure work experience for the first time in this industry, show the employer what you have to offer. Briefly outline the relevancy of your course. Look at the skills outlined above and try to discuss these in your CV,
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Career Insight: Drama
drawing on examples from your course and other work experience or extra-curricular activities to demonstrate these skills. Useful websites to research a range of voluntary opportunities include http://www.do-it.org.uk/ and https://www.liverpoolguild.org/main-menu/volunteer. You could also contact LJMU Volunteering Manager Chris Prescott on 0151 904 6356 or c.j.prescott@ljmu.ac.uk to enquire about current opportunities. It is also worth researching relevant organisations/charities and contacting them directly to find out about voluntary roles on offer.
Recruitment schedules Acting positions come up as and when required. It is important that you network and engage with employers and utilise the websites and Twitter feeds above to find out about opportunities. Many other roles within the creative industries will be through small or medium sized enterprises/businesses (SMEs). These types of will recruit ‘as required’. They may use their own application form but most applications will be by CV and covering letter. These positions will be advertised on company websites, relevant recruitment websites and national and local newspapers. The ‘creative’ or ‘speculative’ approach to job hunting is also important when looking for graduate roles. Making contacts and approaching organisations speculatively to look for work is a common route into employment. For more information about the speculative approach to job hunting, download a copy of our guide to ‘The Hidden Jobs Market’ from https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/careers/123871.htm. Roles within public sector organisations, such as schools or museums, or creative organisations such as galleries, also recruit as required. However, it is more common to apply using an application form. A comprehensive person specification is usually included in the advertisement. Each point in this has to be addressed within the personal statement section within the application form. If you decide to take a different path outside the creative industries you can look at graduate training schemes, many of which are open to graduates from any discipline. If you are interested in these roles you will need to be aware of the graduate recruitment cycle. Many recruiters begin the graduate recruitment process during the autumn term for final year students. Most closing dates are in November and December but some are earlier so it is important to start researching companies that you want to apply to early on. The application process usually involves completing an online application form, which may require you to answer ‘competency based questions’. Psychometric tests, a telephone interview and an assessment centre will usually follow. You may also need to submit your CV. Always carefully read through the information in the ‘careers’ or ‘graduates’ section of the employer’s website. For more information about graduate schemes, download the ‘Graduate Schemes’ guide from https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/careers/123871.htm. You can get advice about the recruitment process by booking a one-to-one appointment with a careers or employability adviser at your nearest Careers Zone or you can attend workshops or webinars arranged by the Careers Team.
Key events and networking
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Liverpool Careers Fair: usually held in the autumn and spring of each year, see fairs website http://www.liverpoolfairs.org.uk/ for additional events
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Career Insight: Drama
Manchester Careers Fairs: open to students and graduates from any university; check http://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/students/events/ for details
Careers and Employability events at LJMU: Keep an eye on our events pages at https://careers.ljmu.ac.uk for details of upcoming employability workshops, networking sessions and employer talks.
LiverpoolSU Clubs and Societies: http://ljmu.unioncloud.org/groups#club-society
LinkedIn: You could also consider setting up a LinkedIn account (http://www.linkedin.com/) to network online with professionals and organisations in your chosen industry
Other information Centre for Entrepreneurship - support for LJMU students and graduates interested in starting up their own business https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/startup/.
Careers Zones Campus-based Careers Zones provide easy access to careers support in convenient locations at Byrom Street, Aldham Robarts Library and at IM Marsh, staffed by the Careers Team. Support available includes CV and application form reviews, Careers Adviser appointments, drop-in quick queries, practice interviews and access to careers resources and information. The Zones also host regular employer visits during term time where you can meet and network with employers and discuss job and placement opportunities. For the latest updates and details of locations and opening times, try our Twitter and Facebook pages.
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© 2017. Liverpool John Moores University. The content of this document is copyright material of Liverpool John Moores University. No part of this document may be reproduced or distributed without prior written permission of the copyright owner.
Career Insight: Drama
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