Television production assistant : Entry requirements

This area of work is open to all graduates. There are no specific educational requirements to enter the profession but the industry is becoming increasingly competitive and more entrants are now educated to degree level.

It is important to have work experience, enthusiasm and contacts so knowledge of the industry, the ability to network and a willingness to work for free will help significantly.

A postgraduate course can help increase your practical skills, although it is not considered essential. With media qualifications, it is always important to ask about accreditation by industry bodies as well as opportunities for placements and using equipment.

Media experience is crucial. It is possible to gain experience from your course, university television unit or filmmaking society. Volunteering on a local community film project or the local hospital radio station, entering media competitions, applying for awards and building up a portfolio of work will all help.

Candidates need to show evidence of the following:

• excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
• the ability to work effectively as part of a team and alone;
• stamina, persistence, enthusiasm, motivation and a proactive manner;
• the ability to remain calm and level-headed under pressure;
• initiative, flexibility, adaptability, common sense and problem-solving skills;
• sound administrative and organisational skills;
• a good level of numeracy and fast, accurate word-processing skills;
• the ability to prioritise and cope with last-minute changes (e.g. to scripts) while under pressure.

Media directories, such as The Knowledge and the PACT Directory of Independent Producers , list addresses, named contacts and information on productions.

Find out what is going on in the industry by reading the media press, in particular Broadcast and The Guardian on a Monday.

The majority of vacancies are rarely advertised. Networking and persistence is vital for hearing about opportunities. Contact production companies, independent filmmakers, or local TV and radio stations for paid or unpaid work opportunities.

Some companies offer unpaid work experience, but you may have to approach them a few times as both the timing of your application and their recruitment needs will affect whether you are successful each time.

The minimum wage legislation can make unpaid work experience a grey area, but if you are working solely in order to gain skills, it is legal for you to work unpaid. In TV production, it is highly unlikely you will secure paid work without having done a substantial amount of unpaid work to strengthen your CV first.

Skillset has published Guidelines for Work Experience Placements in the TV Industry . Although these are aimed at employers, they contain useful information that will help candidates understand their rights. The BBC offers a limited number of work experience placements, for which competition is fierce. These can be viewed at BBC Work Experience .

For more information, see work experience and internships and search courses and research.