Careers Resources
Welcome to the TiME careers resource page, designed to help teachers, students and graduates to become more aware of some of the opportunities available to them. This includes links to articles, resources and career suggestions. You can download a pdf document with lots of great links and information here
Composing for the Film Industry
In this recent article published by the ISM (Dec 2023), Vinota Karunasaagarar reports on the expansion of the UK film industry and hears from Chris Mitchell about his work as a film music composer. With contributions from our very own Richard Llewellyn!
When Shinfield Studios in Reading opens at the end of this year, it will include 18 sound stages comprising a staggering 1 million square feet of production space. As composer Chris Mitchell enthusiastically points out, “that’s 3,000 jobs, just for Shinfield. Neighbouring Winnersh Film Studios is also expanding, and estimating another 1,000 jobs. These aren’t the only film studios with plans to grow. Warner Brothers aims to add 400,000 sq ft (37,000 sq metres) to its Leaverton, Hertfordshire studios by 2027, and Shepperton in Surrey is hoping to be the second largest film studio in the world once it’s proposed extensions are completed. The growth in the film industry will inevitably lead to an increase in jobs in all sectors, including music.”
Richard Llewellyn interviews Guy Michelmore, CEO of ThinkSpace Education for the Music Teachers Association to discuss routes into careers connected to music in film, games and streaming.
ThinkSpace Education is the world's first online postgraduate degree provider in music and sound-design, for film, games and television. They also provide a complete range of quick short courses on subjects such as Video Game Music, Orchestral Mixing, Sound Design, Film Scoring, Trailer Music and Music Theory. Guy is a multi-award-winning film, games and television composer, whose clients include Marvel, Disney, Dreamworks, Lionsgate and many major TV networks around the world. His YouTube channel www.youtube.com/@ThinkSpaceEducation has well over 350k subscribers and is an incredible resource for school Music Departments.
UK Music is an industry-funded body, established in October 2008, to represent the collective interests of the recorded, published and live arms of the British music industry.
Through collective representation, UK Music promotes the interests of record labels and music publishers (major and independent), songwriters, composers, lyricists, musicians, managers, producers, promoters, venues and collection societies.
They are also very passionate about helping students get a career in the music business. They have an area on their website call Education and Skills - which is worth exploring.
The ‘UK Music Careers Information Pack for Schools’ is useful guide for any students interested in a career in music.
Music Academic Partnership institutions (MAP) - MAP is a collaboration between a select group of educational institutions and the membership of UK Music. Its focus is on preparing individuals who want to build careers out of their passion for music. It is a list of educational institutions who specialise in music performance and production.
Discover Creative Careers is a government-funded, industry-led programme working to ensure there is a larger and more diverse intake of talent into the creative industries. They offer a comprehensive set of resources for Teachers, Students and Employers. For Teachers and Career Leaders you can access a full suite of resources, lesson plans, online events and more, helping you to deliver your careers programme and meet the Gatsby benchmarks. There are lots of great resources available including a focus on music, finding a role in the creative industries, top tips on getting a job in the music business and much more! You can also find out about Discover! Creative Careers Week, which provides young people aged 11-18 with direct encounters with industry through in-person and online events at workplaces Monday 18th - Friday 22nd November 2024. Find out more and register.
Other links and resources
ScreenSkills is the industry-led skills body for the screen industries – film, television, VFX (visual effects), animation and games. ScreenSkills provide insight, career development and other opportunities to help people get into the industry and progress within it. Check out the job role profile section for lots of info!
Audio UK is is a trade association for professional audio production companies who make content for radio, podcasting, and audiobooks. They have information on careers in audio production here
Music Careers has a comprehensive A to Z list of roles in the Music Industry with information on career paths and routes into each role. Salary information is in US dollars but there is a lot of great info and interviews available in each listing. Also check out the industry insights page and gear and software reviews.
Apprenticeships
JAMES is an ‘Industry Accreditation Body’ and is comprised of music and media industry professionals who bring specialist knowledge and experience to support and accredit music degree courses. JAMES Course Accreditation is viewed as a marker of quality which provides assurance to prospective students, parents and employers. The Accreditation process is designed to endorse relevance, quality and innovation throughout the curriculum - providing ‘the Industry Seal of Approval’. There are lots of useful resources available on their Careers Advice Page