Annual Salary
variable
Average UK salary in 2022 was £33,200
(source Office for National Statistics)
Swap to Performing arts or Games or go back to all job sectors
Swap to Performing arts or Games or go back to all job sectors
Assistant directors support directors by organising and planning everything on TV or film sets.
Average UK salary in 2022 was £33,200
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; away from home
There will be
0.5% more TV or film assistant director jobs in 2027.
Most productions use a team of assistant directors (ADs). First, second, and third assistant directors have different jobs.
As first assistant director, you could:
As second or third assistant director you might:
You could work at a TV studio, at a film studio or on a film set.
Your working environment may be outdoors some of the time and you may spend nights away from home.
You can get into this job through:
You can do a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in:
Courses that include practical skills and work placements are usually the most useful.
You'll usually need:
You could start by taking a college course to help you get a job with a production company. Courses include:
You'll usually need:
You might start as runner or production assistant on set, and work your way up to 3rd or 2nd assistant director (AD). It can take several years to progress from being a runner through to 1st AD.
You'll need relevant work experience to get into an entry level job like a runner, from where you could work your way up. You could volunteer for student or community film and TV projects.
You can also search for film and TV companies to approach for experience through media business listing services like PACT and The Knowledge.
You could join the Assistant Directors Guild UK for professional support.
You can take short courses in production skills for assistant directors run by film schools, regional screen agencies and private training providers.
It's important to get practical experience of the production process. You'll also need a network of contacts in the industry to help you find work.
You may find it useful to train in health and safety, as this is likely to be part of your duties.
You can find out more about careers in film and TV from ScreenSkills.
You can get more information on working in creative careers from Discover Creative Careers.
Many assistant directors work freelance. With experience, you could progress to be a director, production manager or producer.
You can find out more about careers in film and TV from ScreenSkills.
You'll need: