Television production assistant : Employers and vacancy sources

The UK television industry has nine terrestrial broadcasters, which include BBC , ITV , Channel 4 , Channel 5 , S4C, SMG and UTV, and over 300 cable and satellite broadcasters, such as BSkyB (British Sky Broadcasting Group) .

The biggest area of the industry are the ‘indies’, the 1,500 independent production companies which make the biggest shows on television and employ thousands of people in the course of a year.

The BBC is the UK's largest broadcaster and produces much of its own content. There is growing regional interest, and more opportunities are arising outside London. BBC North, which will be based at MediaCityUK at Salford Quays from 2011, will include BBC Children’s, BBC Learning and parts of BBC Sport.

Channel 4 Television broadcasts throughout the UK, except Wales, where Channel 4 Wales broadcasts S4C (Sianel Pedwar Cymru).

Five broadcasts terrestrially to around 80% of the UK with the remainder receiving it by cable, satellite or digital equipment. Both C4 and Five commission their programmes from independent production companies whilst S4C commissions them in Welsh from the BBC and independent producers. They do not, therefore, offer opportunities in production.

There are numerous other satellite, cable and digital broadcasters and news specialists. There are also around 1,000 independent production companies in the UK. Most belong to the Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (PACT) .

Sources of vacancies

• Search graduate jobs on this site.
• 4Talent
• Guardian Jobs  
• Independent Jobs  
• Broadcast
• BBC Jobs
• grapevinejobs
• Production Base
• Sky jobs

Most vacancies are not advertised externally, so proactively sending CVs with covering letters, making regular follow-up calls, getting work experience and having contacts in the industry will make all the difference. It is rare to find paid work without having substantial unpaid work experience first, so try and gain as much experience as possible to enhance your CV.

Recruitment agencies sometimes handle vacancies, and you may find temporary jobs through media recruitment agencies. However, networking opportunities should be used whenever possible. Some production companies offer work experience schemes, and a number of independent television companies have graduate opportunities which operate on an individual company basis. These will be advertised on their websites and in industry press.

Get tips on job hunting, CVs and covering letters and interviews.