So you want to work in theatre?
In this section you can explore around 80 different jobs in theatre.
We have sorted the jobs into four categories: technical, creative, management and other. Whilst we know the fit is not perfect (some jobs definitely sit in more than one pigeonhole) we hope you can find the job you are looking for. If you can’t, email us and we’ll do our best to get you the inside track on it.
Employment
Most companies you will work for will employ you directly. That means they’ll sort out your tax and national insurance (NICs) when they pay you, and you get certain rights like holidays. This is sometimes called PAYE – a Pay As You Earn contract.
Self-employment
Also called being freelance, and sometimes refered to as Schedule D, self-employment means that you work for yourself – well strictly speaking you work for lots of different companies, but you’re responsible for yourself. Within reason, you decide when and how and where you work (as long as you get the job done) and you sort out your own tax and NICs.
Some of the contracts you will see advertised are PAYE and some are freelance – it pays to know the difference, so ask if it’s not clear.
The secret to scary sounding stuff like tax is to ask! There are plenty of people who are here to help. You can find out more about how do deal with your first job at HM Revenue and Customs and general info on tax, NICs and freelancing.
Minimum wage
This means that you should earn a fair wage for your work. The national minimum wage (as of 1 October 2008) is £5.73 an hour for ages 22+, £4.77 an hour for 18-21s and £3.53 for 16-17-year-olds.
