1. Getting a Job in the
Television Industry
Sarah Holmes

2. 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!

3. Dream Jobs
What is your dream
job in the media
industry?
Do you know how you would get a job like this?

4. Industry Roles
 Within the industry most roles fall into two
categories
Technical
Production Roles
Creative /
Management Roles
Examples:
Camera Operator
Sound Supervisor
Lighting Engineer
Offline Editor
Vision Mixer
Examples:
Director
Producer
Floor Manager
Screenwriter
Editor
Production Support
Roles
Examples:
Wardrobe Assistant
Production Coordinator
Safety Officer
Press Liaison Officer
Assistant Editor

5. 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

6. 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 Study
Ian 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 Editor
Video Link

7. Career Pathways
Level 3 Media Qualification
Starting in the industry
at entry level and
working your way up
‘the ranks’
Case Study
Cathy 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

8. Career Pathways
Level 3 Media Qualification
A further vocational
course e.g. an HND
or an apprenticeship
Case Study
Dishad 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

9. 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

10. 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/

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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.