Job websites

Hi, I wonder if you can help me find some industry related job websites for audio technicians. So far I have located:

artshub
connections magazine

and Seek (not a theatre website, but sometimes has jobs)

Thanks,

Limey.

Try ALIA, www.alia.com.au, they post jobs for techies. Also www.filmstage.net posts tech jobs, but most of them you can find on ALIA or Arts Hub. Those are your best bets (ALIA and Arts Hub) for tech jobs. Not much else exists on the net.

If it helps, I run a free weekly theatre zine, mainly for Melbourne people, that has jobs in it. I'm afraid though, it won't have the selection that Arts Hub has...

For tech jobs, I've found that you simply have to go out and talk to people. They don't really advertise tech jobs as much as auditions. It's very much who you know, not what you know. I suggest sending out CVs, contacting the venues/theatre companies/groups/individuals personally.

Also going and doing some volunteer work for venues is always a good idea. Yuo get to meet the management, get to know the space, and then work your way in.

Try contacting production companies like Showtech, who are always on the look out for basic techies.

Hope that helps!

Thanks Na for your help.

My situation is quite interesting. I'm English, living in Taiwan. I have had experience in Australia touring with a ballet company from England, then I took a working holiday and worked for a bit for various companies - VAC in Melbourne, System Sound and a company up in Brizzie.

We, my partner and I, want to move back to Australia, so I'm currently looking for suitable positions and wading through the DIMA paperwork.

Cheers,

L.

I'm sure you should have no problems setting up some work (with a bit of effort of course), since you have prior work with local companies. As I said, you're best bet is contacting the companies directly, and sending in CVs.

Arts Hub and ALIA have a few jobs, that are either working profit-share or working at venues/production companies. Paying for Arts Hub is worth it, I get a lot of my work via their ads.

Na

Hi
As previously mentioned the best thing to do is to go door knocking.

In our experience a CV is a good start to email out to companies, but you should also follow up with a call and more so in interview.
Before you send your CV, ring and ask who to send it to because if you send it to the wrong person it may get deleted or go into the junk mail box.

I get allot of cv's sent which look great on paper, and even several times have had people who put us down as a referee when they have never worked for us. Which I find amusing.

There are always jobs around if you do some leg work, try av companies as well as specialists in audio, as most av companies run hotels and ballrooms and require a large database of crew.
The best place to look is the yellow pages under theatre suppliers, or some magazines have directories available.

Things to consider are:-

„«Make sure your CV shows your true experience; don¡¦t hype it up because you will only waste your time and the company you are sending it to.

„«In your cv always give referees names and phone numbers

„«If you have licences or certificates include copies of these in your cv

„«Follow it up with a phone call and request an interview.

„«Remember this is generally a casual based industry, so full-time positions are limited.

„«Be multi skilled or willing to do more than just your chosen task.

„«remember the hours can be long and hard and not 9 to 5

„«generally public holidays do not exist in this industry

„«Summer months are generally the busiest, whilst winter can be quiet or no work at all if you are casually based, so being multi skilled can be advantageous.
Or choose these times to go on holidays.
Or be available to more than one company

„«Don¡¦t expect to walk into the dream touring job or big named show straight away, this will take time, trust, hard work and loyalty (unless you have the proven experience)

„«Most companies work on a minimum call, be that minimum 3 or 4 hour call

„«Some work occupations are covered under the (MEAA) union and others are not and the MEAA differs considerably to construction unions and unions overseas

„«Don¡¦t send a cv to a company or go to an interview if you are not willing to work, (this is a bug bear of ours when people send in cv¡¦s come to an interview and then are either not contactable, don¡¦t return calls or don¡¦t let us know they are not interested or don¡¦t realise the hours are so periodic)

„«What we look for in our crew is professionalism, loyalty, hard working, honest, multi skilled, willing to lend a hand to any task required (within the realm of your competency level), willing to listen and learn. Ask questions because there is never a dumb question, work as a team, show initiative, a knowledge of the industry, always follow regulations and safety guidelines to provide yourself, your fellow workers, venues etc with a safe working enviroment

I have had experience with the DIMA paperwork, and if you are looking for a company to sponsor you, you may find it difficult due to the costs and company guarantees required by the sponsoring company.


So good luck in your endeavours

Robyn Good
General Manager
Showtech Australia Pty Ltd
Showtech Rigging
www.showtechaustralia.com.au

Hi, Robyn.

I'm a set and costume designer, painter. I arrived in Sydney 9 months ago.
It's obvious, that it isn't easy to find a job in the art sphere, wherever you are, unless you are really well known all over the world!

You say, that the best thing to do is to knock on the door. This is exactly what I was doing all this time. it is better then sending emails, as very few reply to them.
What happens is that when I go to the theatres and other art related companies I always hear a lot of beautiful words, then million promises, and at the end nothing happens. I just try and try to follow up, but end up often with some sort of funny things, like people that do not answer either phones nor emails. Just carry my heavy portfolio all around with no sense!! I've done one production here in Sydney a month ago and I am really happy about it, however, it'll take continuous knocking on the door for future too I guess. And not because someone is not good enough, but because nobody gives an opportunity or we still don't find the right people, willing to help.

However your advices are really good and worthy to be read!

Regards,
Irma

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Hi Irma,
I guess people dont realise how small Australia actually is and that we are not like Europe and the US whereby there is constantly touring shows.
There is work around but there has been a decline in professional shows and events over the last few years, as people do not do the big shows like they used to due to budgets being tighter, insurance being so high and overheads of putting a show on getting higher too, the producers are trying to get as buch "bang for buck" as they can.

With your skills why not try some of the event and av companies, like staging rentals in Sydney and melbourne, staging connections, film set and construction companies or join up with an agency who supplies to the film industry.

good luck with your endevours

kindest regards

robyn good

Hi, Robyn.

The thing is that time ago I was sending resumes around, but as I didn't get much of contact, I started to go directly to the companies with a portfolio. The thing that stops me there everytime is a stupid receptionist at a front desk, that doesn't want to help because of jealousy or any other reason! It seems that they feel good not giving the right names or right contact information! They usually create million problems that one cannot see the person that he's after!

However, I keep trying and looking.
Would you know any event, film or av companies that would be worthy to go in? any names that I could look for?
thanks for your reply.

Irma

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Check out www.alia.com.au, in the brand search and/or links section. They have heaps of theatre production sites linked there.

If you're an Arts Hub member, check out their jobs, because they place most of the co-op/fringe positions, as well as the professional positions on their site. (And the non-paid ones...)

You may want to try this link instead.

na wrote:
>
> Check out www.alia.com.au , in the brand search and/or links
> section. They have heaps of theatre production sites linked
> there.

Tip for all when posting web addresses - leave blank spaces either side of the link or the commas, full stops and other characters will be interpreted as part of the link.

[%sig%]

thanks. I'll check it out.

What about any famous sceneries and costume companies, that are big enough to employ somebody?

In Europe I was also making greeting cards, invitations, illustrations, designs for leaflets, mostly by hand. It's a while that I'm looking for some possibilities to do this work also here, as I like it, but frankly I didn't find a way to find interested people or a place to advertise myself...

IRMA

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I do not know much about Sydney being a west Ozzie. However, I do know that there is Fox Studios and most of the Major TV Production Centres. You could also try up the Gold Coast.

Melborne has some professional theatrical production companies as well.

As fo Famous Companies (beyond any I may have already mentioned), I can't help you.....

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