Year 10 theatre work experience CV/letter advice

[Hecouldshine]

Ds is thinking ahead for his work experience week next year. If he applies to a theatre what should he say in his letter? He will be studying Drama GCSE and has a lot of performing experience but will they be interested in this? He could easily attach an A4 CV but that seems a bit over the top, like he is applying to audition for a production rather than looking at the running of a theatre.

Should he limit his performing experience and training to one paragraph of a letter? If so, what are the essentials? What should he prune out or leave in? He does a lot of music and dance, as well as musical theatre, has sung in touring operas, including a solo, has done English Youth Ballet, Joseph choir of touring Joseph, etc etc. Does he put all that in as well as what his current training/involvement is in music/instruments/dance/drama /singing?

[cops22]

Obviously I can't speak on behalf of your theatre as not sure which one it is... but at Sheffield Theatres they get sooooo many applications for work experience every year that they just use a lottery system... no-one is given prefrence on ability or experience. If they are interested they are all in the same hat so to speak and drawn at random.
So in this case it wouldn't matter what you wrote just your enthusiasm is enough....

It may be totally different at other places, I would think a description of his interest in theatre and commitment to learning about the workings of a theatre will stand him in good stead. Emphasise his enthusiasm, punctuality and all his other great personality traits.
A brief mention of his experience would be useful but I wouldn't go overboard (more that these have made him interested in the backstage of a theatre) you don't want them thinking that he is there to try and sell his talents to anyone who may listen.... but of course his experience IS why he wants to go there in the first place.

Hopefully this makes sense........ good luck and hopefully your theatre does take all this into consideration.
Keep us posted

[Hecouldshine]

Thanks cops22, that's really helpful.

Would it sound really pushymum stuff if I contacted the theatre to ask what they looked for in their applications/how they decided? It seems to be a well established scheme run by an education officer.

[Pearl]

My husband is in charge of the backstage in the west end.
He hates it when he gets a work experience who is a performer!!!! So in my opinion I would not put too much detail about his performing experience but push the fact that he is interested in how theatre works from a more technical point of view.
He is more likely to be accepted by the techies if he is actually interested in what goes on in the theatre and not what goes on on stage!

[Kitschqueen]

At my Dd's school, when applying for work experience they have to include a CV and a covering letter to the "employer".

Your ds could include his experiences to date in the cv without labouring the point and then why he wants to work at that particular theatre would put into the covering letter.

I agree with cops 22 as that is my DD's experience; the popular placements are oversubscribed and are either on a first come first serve basis (for that academic year) or names go into a hat!

[paulears]

Keep in mind the fact that if he is at school - then it's actually illegal for him to work in a theatre - it's one of the prohibited places in the Children's Act - abattoirs, nightclubs/discos and catering kitchens being others. Lots of venues are aware of this and as a result have a ban on work experience in theatres - unless there is a children's license (same one as the performing one talked about frequently on here, complete with chaperones) in operation. Here in East Anglia they are very strict on it. We had an excellent girl who worked front of house, who we intended to keep as although only 15, she was a very mature 15 and we knew her mum very well. I checked with the council and they said it was fine - then ten minutes later they rang back saying that when they checked, they discovered the ban. Strictly speaking it also means the kids who do kitchen washing up and stuff in hotels at 15 are also working illegally.

While it could be argued it doesn't matter if the school are unaware of the law and so is the venue - it would mean any insurance would probably be void - as it is when employing illegal immigrants (remember the cockle picker incident?).

I have a very keen 15 year old who plagues the life out of me for work experience and is amazingly keen. I did break the rules for one show and let him help, but decided it was just too risky.

I would check that the education officer knows the rules - because many don't, and allowing an illegal placement would be pretty dodgy if anything happened - and I doubt anybody would want to take out the license for a work experience option.

The actual list of 'dangerous' places is pretty long.

3. No child of any age may be employed:
(a) in a cinema, theatre, discotheque, dance hall or night club, except in connection with a performance given entirely by children;2
(b) to sell or deliver alcohol, except in sealed containers;
(c) to deliver milk;
(d) to deliver fuel oils;
(e) in a commercial kitchen;
(f) to collect or sort refuse;
(g) in any work which is more than three metres above ground level or, in the case of internal work, more than three metres above floor level;
(h) in employment involving harmful exposure to physical, biological or chemical agents;
(i) to collect money or to sell or canvass door to door, except under the supervision of an adult;
(j) in work involving exposure to adult material or in situations which are for this reason otherwise unsuitable for children;
(k) in telephone sales;
(l) in any slaughterhouse or in that part of any butcher’s shop or other premises connected with the killing of livestock, butchery, or the preparation of carcasses or meat for sale;
(m) as an attendant or assistant in a fairground or amusement arcade or in any other premises used for the purpose of public amusement by means of automatic machines, games of chance or skill or similar devices;
(n) in the personal care of residents of any residential care home or nursing home unless under the supervision of a responsible adult.

[mathsmum]

oh my - going round with your milkman dad in the hols is a long-standing tradition

but then, those kids wouldn't be 'employed'

are work experience kids actually 'employed'? they are generally neither contracted nor paid

[francescasmum]

If 3(a) is a ruling

3. No child of any age may be employed:
(a) in a cinema, theatre, discotheque, dance hall or night club, except in connection with a performance given entirely by children;

How do our children manage? Very few of their performances in the theatre are entirely by children! This doesn't make sense.

[francescasmum]

Ah.. makes a bit more sense now I've read the whole post, ' unless a licence is in place'