Help and Advice - Careers and Employment

SEARCH FOR A JOB

Careerjet.co.uk is a job search engine for the UK. In one simple search, Careerjet gives the job seeker access to a massive selection of jobs that are compiled from various internet sources, saving the trouble of having to visit each site individually.

CAREERS ADVICE

Many people unfortunately assume that a position as a make-up artist will lead to a glamorous future. Regretfully, the hours and work conditions, in most cases, are long and hard and even the most thorough training cannot ensure a successful career. Despite all this many of you may wish to find out more.

As an association we cannot be seen to endorse any school or college. There are lots of courses out there and with a little persistence and research you should find the right one for you. Look at what the tutors have done within the industry itself; many may be qualified to teach but do they have proper industry experience? Many of our members do run their own courses and, as our members have had all their qualifications checked and CVs verified, they are fully competent to teach. Private courses are advertised in most fashion magazines like Vogue and these are not subsidised. Many Local Authority colleges run media courses which include make-up and hairdressing. Speak to your local careers officer - they should know which colleges run the best courses. We advise most applicants to have had some hair training as it is essential even for make-up artists. We have found that working in the local amateur dramatic society or even school plays has provided a foundation for this kind of work. 

Here are some useful organisations:

Skillet   - Information on careers, training and funding specifically for the media industries. Call them for free on:  England and Northern Ireland: 08080 300 900    Scotland: 0808 100 8094    Wales: 0800 012 1815

Learn Direct  - Advice on courses, qualifications and careers.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Many people see unpaid work experience as the only way into working in the media. However, the law is very clear about what constitutes as work experience and, generally, if you are doing a job for someone then you should be paid at least the National Minimum Wage. It doesn't matter if you would happily work for free to gain experience - if you are working and carrying out duties then the law says that you must be paid. There are a couple of exceptions, for example, people who are genuinely self-employed and, therefore, set their own rates are not governed by the National Minimum Wage legislation, and unpaid work experience can be acceptable as part of a training course. 

For more information on work experience and the National Minimum Wage here are some useful Government websites:

HM Revenue and Customs website

DirectGov website

Call the National Minimum Wage Helpline on 0845 6000 678 for confidential and free advice on any work experience you are offered or to make sure you are not getting underpaid.

EMPLOYMENT ISSUES

For advice on employment-related issues (such as contacts, redundancy, disciplinary and grievances, holiday pay, sickness, maternity and paternity leave) there is a free and confidential service for  UK film and television workers - Workline UK. Sponsored by Women In Film & Television and the UK Film Council, Workline is run by staff with years of human resource experience in the media. The website www.workline.org.uk has lots of useful information. To deal with a specific issue, either call the telephone helpline on 0870 850 7147 (open Monday to Friday from 10am to 6pm) or e-mail help@workline.org.uk - they aim to get back to you within 48 hours. Please note, they cannot provide advice on careers or finding work.

There is also comprehensive information on BECTU's legal FAQs web page covering all sorts of issues from contracts to insurance to working hours. BECTU  members can also contact the union for further specific advice.

CONTRACTS AND AGREEMENTS

Getting a written contract from some companies can be tricky! Verbal agreements are legally binding, but it can be difficult to prove this in the event of having to go down the legal route to get your payment. BECTU strongly advises freelancers to issue a 'confirmation of booking' letter, where you know, or suspect, that a company may not send you a contract. Read more about this on BECTU's legal FAQs page and download a sample letter. BECTU members can also contact the union for further advice on contracts.

For general advice on contracts and written statements, check out Workline's guide to contracts page on their website and you can always contact Workline for more specific advice

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