Task 3 to understanding the creative media section of my course

1. Task 3
Employment in the media

2. Employment
In any industry you work in you will see that many
of the workers are on various different contracts,
these can be any of the following;
• Full-time
• Part-time
• Freelance
• Shift work
• Permanent
• Temporary
• Multiskilled
• Voluntary
• Casual
• Hourly paid
• Piecework

3. Full-Time and Part-Time
According to gov.vo.uk benefits
of full and part time are:
• A written statement of
employment or contract
• The statutory minimum
level of paid holiday
• A payslip showing all
deductions, e.g.
National Insurance
contributions (NICs)
• The statutory minimum
length of rest breaks
• Statutory Sick Pay
(SSP)
• Maternity, paternity and
adoption pay and leave
• Full time employment is the most secure contract a person can
be in, mainly because it allows the worker to have a constant
reliable income, however just because it is the most secure does
not mean it is the most suitable to a certain type of job.
• The standard amount of hours someone in full time employment
is expected to do each week is around 30 – 40 hours
• When it comes to part time
employment you will find
that a lot of the time it is
predominantly women,
most likely one of the
reasons is due to how they
will go off on maternity
leave.

4. Full-Time and Part-Time
One of the very few roles within the media sector that will class as full and part time is the role of
administration.
The job in hand is the process of managing a business or non-profit organisation, so that it remains
stable and continues to grow.
To the right is a job opening for a role as finance
assistant; just one of the jobs within administration.
Just like any full time job it offers a set wage allowing for
the candidate to know they will be in comfortable
employment for a certain amount of time.
When looking at the role of administration within a TV
production they would most likely be the only ones other
than the producer to be involved with the whole
production due to how they will be in charge of the
finances, cast and crew as well as helping to make sure
the production runs smoothly and sticks to schedule.

5. Freelance
One of the most common employment methods within
the media industry is through freelance.
This is where an individual does not work for a set
company but instead is self employed and is hired to
work for different companies on various different
projects.
In the table to the left we can see a cut down of the
percentage of freelancers within the TV sector, it helps
to back up what I said previously about freelancers
being one of the most common ways in which people
are employed within the media industry as we can see
that a total of 61% (two thirds of the TV industry) are in
fact self employed.
One of the downsides to being a freelancer however is
the fact that you can not guarantee you will always be
working meaning that you will have a very unstable
income, because of this you will less likely be accepted
According to gov.co.uk these are a few
things that happen when you are
freelancer are;
• You look after your own tax and
National Insurance contributions
• You may not be entitled to the same
rights as workers e.g. minimum wage
• The company whom you are working for
at the time is responsible is still

6. Freelance
Quite often people who go freelance are people whom
are specialist within a certain area of the industry, for
instance someone who is specialist in special effects
would be perfect for a role within a TV production that is
on its first series mainly because it means that rather
than relying on someone whom isn't as confident in that
area you are able to pay someone to do what they are
good at which in turn will hopefully make your show look
good which will hopefully draw the audience in allowing
for further series to be created.
Freelance jobs;
• Editor
• Cameraman
• Script writer
• Script editor
• Graphic designer
• Actors
• Stylists
• Producer
• Director etc
When it comes to finding a job as a freelancer you often find yourself sending out show reels
(examples of work) to various companies and productions.
For instance if you are freelance script writer you would go and pitch an idea for a story you had to the
executive producer hoping that they saw what you wanted to do leading to you being hired.
Also any role within TV can be taken up by a freelancer aslong as they are able to show they are good
enough for the role.

7. Shift Work
Shift work is a type of employment where the day is divided up in to sections (shifts), this is where
people are hired to work certain shifts each week be it day or night.
An advantage of shift work are that if you have a family and want to spend more time with them then
you are able to ask for a night shfit allowing you to be at home with them in the day.
Obviously if you are working for a company and they
gave you a 12 hour shift on a Monday from 9AM –
9PM and then on the Tuesday the same length but
8AM – 8AM you would be warn out but if you were
given this for 5 days straight then you would begin to
fall ill mainly down to the fatigue and strenuous hours
in which you are expected to keep concentration.
Taking a look at the image to the right you can see
how the BBC approaches shift work, it clearly states
that the nightshifts can disrupt your daily cycle which if
happens on a regular basis can have serious
repercussions.

8. Shift Work
When it comes to a jobs within TV that are shift work you will find that the most common one is in fact
security.
The role of a security guard on a TV production is to ensure the set / location is at all times safe to
both cast and crew as well as general public, this would include having a visibly strong presence to
deter disturbances as well as look out for any hazards that may arise such as a possible causes of
fires. They must also accompany anyone on set who is deemed “important” or “famous” enough to
require 24/7 protection.
The average pay of someone on a night shift consists of £22,000
a year meaning that although it is a decent enough size income it
is still below what you would expect when the employee would be
working nights on a continuous basis meaning their health would
begin to deter from the strenuously long unsociable hours in which
they are having to work.

9. Permanent and temporary
Permanent employment is where an employee is permanently employed by a company and is directly
paid a wage by them.
They are also jobs in which employees are employed on a regular continuing basis rather than
temporary contracts which only allow someone to be employed for a specified length of time.
According to gov.co.uk employers must also ensure that temporary employees get:
• The same pay and conditions as permanent staff
• The same or equivalent benefits package
• Information about permanent vacancies in the organisation
• Protection against redundancy or dismissal
• However, they’re only entitled to the same rights as permanent staff working for the same
employer, and not an associated employer’s organisation.
• Anyone who’s worked continually for the same employer for 2 years or more has the same
redundancy rights as a permanent employee.
Due to how the media sector is constantly moving and changing it has very few permanent jobs.

10. Permanent and temporary
Much like full time and part time you will find that administration roles are the most common to be
permanent mainly due to how in administration there are countless roles but also due to how it is one
of the only jobs needed on the entire production.
When it comes to temporary employment it is much like freelance work in the aspect that
you can never be sure when you will find work, however once in employment you will be in
a better position that those who are freelancers due to how you will at least know how long
you will be in that specific job for as it is the duty of the employers to tell you how long you
will be with them for.
When it comes to roles within TV that are usually part time it is usually a role that will only
be needed for a certain amount of time on the production, for instance the job of editor
would only be needed in post production so rather than employing them full time it makes
more sense to only employ them for the time in which they would be needed as this way it
will work out cheaper for the production as you are not paying people for not doing
anything.

11. Multiskilled
A multiskilled job is a job where an employee is capable of taking on various other roles and
responsibilities, more often than not it is someone high up within the company that takes on the role of
a multiskilled employee.
When it comes to the media sector you will find that the producer would tend to be multi skilled as
they will have done the majority if not all the roles involved in production, the reason being that in
order to be a good producer you must understand everything that is involved as this will allow for you
to then be a good team leader which is essentially what a producer is.
They are responsible for facilitating a project and are involved in every stage of the television
programme, film or video, overseeing the project from beginning to end, both in the studio and on
location.
They will usually be supported by production assistants, coordinators and managers.
At the end of the day it is the role of producer to ensure the production is running smoothly by
checking each section of the team (finance, editing, scripts, admin, security etc), this will then allow for
the director to get on with his job without any hassle, hopefully allowing the production to not run over
budget or schedule.

12. Multiskilled
According to prospects.ac.uk some of their tasks include:
• Raising funding;
• Reading, researching and assessing ideas and finished scripts;
• Commissioning writers or securing the rights to novels, plays or screenplays;
• Hiring key staff, including a director and a crew to shoot programmes, films or videos;
• Controlling the budget and allocating resources;
• Organising shooting schedules - dependent on the type of producer and availability of support staff;
• Ensuring health and safety laws;
• Supervising the progress of the project from production to post production;
• Holding regular meetings with the director to discuss characters and scenes
In order to become a producer you are not required to have any specific qualifications but rather have
experience in the job in hand as in an industry that is highly competitive and creative it is more
important to be able to stand out from the ground rather than being the same as everyone else.

13. Voluntary
When it comes to voluntary work within TV this tends to be the bottom of the lot in terms of respect
that the employees are given however it is one role that almost everyone undertakes if they wish to
get ahead in the industry, one job that would quite often be voluntary would be a runner.
Role of a runner;
• Making cups of coffee for cast and crew
• Ensuring everyone has a copy of the script
• Cleaning up sets and green rooms
• Meeting and greeting important guests and TV stars
• Photocopying
• Getting lunch for everyone
Because the role of runner is often taken up by people on work
experience there are no qualifications needed as it allows for
the person to gain valuable experience of working on a
production, it also allows them to get noticed and hopefully
remembered for future productions.

14. Casual
A casual employee tends to be someone who has a main job and then does something else on the
side, for instance an example of someone in TV who would be on a casual contract would be a TV
extra.
If you wanted to get a role as an extra then you
wouldn't’t need any qualification in higher
education however experience is recommended
as like with many of the other jobs it allows you
to stand out of the crowd.
As an Extra, you may work for one specific
television show or movie, appearing either as the
same character or as different characters. You
may work just one day for one project. You arrive
at work, dress in your costume, take your place on
the set, and behave as outlined in the script.
Although extras tend to be
temporary jobs some can be
permanent, for instance Jane
Slaughter who playes Tracy
in Eastenders has been an
extra in the show since 1985.

15. Casual
Another name for casual contracts are zero hour contracts.
According to gov.co.uk people on zero hour contracts are usually only for “piecework”
meaning;
• They are on call to work when you need them
• You don’t have to give them work
• They don’t have to do work when asked
Because of how hard casual work can be to find it is often wise to have a second job on the
side that generates a more stable income as otherwise you would find it extremely hard to
make a living.
You will find that zero hour contracts are not that well received due to how they don’t allow
the employee to have a stable income, according to an interview on the BBC News website
employers say zero-hours contracts allow them to take on staff in response to fluctuating
demand for their services, in sectors such as tourism and hospitality.

16. Piecework
Piecework is work for which employees are paid fairly in accordance with the number of products
produced or pieces of work done, they can also be paid hourly at the minimum wage but this is very
rare when it comes to piecework
The fair rate is a form of payment that allows
an employee to be paid the minimum wage
(or close to) if they have been working at an
average rate.
In order to work out the fair rate have a look
at the image to the left.
Piecework within TV can cover anyone who is being employed to create a certain amount of products
within a specified amount of time, it allows for a quick turn around as well as helping to ensure a
production sticks to schedule.

17. Types of jobs
Jobs in TV;
• Director
• Producer (executive producer)
• Script writer
• Editor
• Camera operator
• Camera Assistant
• Administration
• Personnel
• Finance
• Actor
• Agents
• Art Director
• Boom Operator
• Security
• Costume Designer
• Lighting Director
• Location Manager
• Production manager
• PR officer
• Researcher
• Sound recordist
• Sound assistant
• Sound supervisor
• Transmission engineer
• Vision Mixer

18. Finding Jobs
There are various methods of finding work within the media industry, it can be through online applications, word of
mouth (through gaining contacts), trade fairs, national press and work experience.
Getting a job within the media industry however is extremely completive due to how it is ever evolving and ideas
are constantly changing meaning that one day you may be the perfect candidate but then the next you are not, this
is why it is extremely important to gain all the experience you would need.
Another good way of getting a job in the media industry is to find people with similar interests as you and try and
show them your work, ways of doing this is by creating accounts on platforms such as LinkedIn or even going to
events such as a film festival (a good place to show off short films you have created) by doing this you will be able
to build up the contacts you need in order to get your foot in to the industry.
When looking at which type of employment is best for a
media career I would say that being a freelancer allows
for you to gain experience in various production
companies but also gives you a fresh start every place
you go allowing for you to constantly feel creative and
fresh.

19. Finding Jobs
There are many place in which you can apply for a job, some of
the best sites to look for work within the media industry are on
sites such as;
• The Unit List (specializes in TV production jobs)
• Mandy (allows you to search for paid and unpaid jobs
in TV, video and film)
• Journalism.co.uk (specializes in journalism)
• Media UK (specializing in journalism broadcast (radio)
• Creativepool (specializing in web and graphic design)
Because of how the media industry works very little jobs require
degrees (only usually maths and English GCSE), however what
they do like you to have it experience as within an industry that
is highly creative, experience is more important to a production
than someone who has no experience but the best grades in
class.
Ways in which you can get experience is by going on to
websites such as Mandy and applying to unpaid jobs such as
runner as this will give you valuable experience in to how a
production runs as you will be expected to do all the jobs that

20. Finding Jobs
In many industries you will find things
knowing as trade unions, these are
organizations of workers who have come
together to achieve common goals such as
protecting the integrity of its trade.
The media industry is no different, in the UK
BECTU is the media and entertainment
trade union.
BECTU provides a wide range of services to all of their 25,000
members, including:
• Negotiating pay, conditions and contracts with employers
• Personal advice and representation for individual members
• Advice and representation on health and safety
• Benefits and services for BECTU members
• Training support and courses
• Networking events and career development opportunities
• Union journal, Stage Screen and Radio, published six
times a year.
• Website designed to improve access to the union's advice
and support.
Being part of a trade union not only allows you to have someone to
go to if you feel mistreated in the workplace but also it is said that
union employees make an average of 30% more than non-union
workers. 92% of union workers have job-related health coverage
versus 68% of non-union workers. Union workers are more likely to
have guaranteed pensions than non-union employees.

21. What job do you want to do?
After researching the various methods of employment as well as looking in to ways you can find jobs I still don’t
feel 100% sure on what it is I want to do within the industry as unlike every other industry the media world is
constantly evolving so it is rather difficult to be sure what the workplace will look like when I come to being in it.
However the one thing I can be sure of is I am more aware of places in which I can find jobs, for instance now I
know about Mandy I am able to look for jobs that suit what is I am looking for as well as being able to look for jobs
that will give me that all important experience that the media industry loves you to have.
Knowing about the various methods of employment
has also enabled me to be aware of how other people
either in or trying to get in to the media world may be
getting employed, by knowing this it has also made
me realise that certain contracts suit certain jobs
better, for instance a free lance job is most suited to
the media industry as like I have said it is constantly
evolving so by having people self employed the
industry is able to keep up with changing methods of
research, production etc. as with each new person
comes new ideas.