Acting, £££, London.

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	Topic: Acting, £££, London.
Posted : 02/08/10 / Views : 1571 / Replies : 5 /
fortworth 21 posts last on: 6 hours send private reply	Okay, guys - massively cliched question here, but here goes. I am an actor planning to move back down to London after a couple of years away and am beginning to think about how I am going to keep myself afloat while not acting. Now, I know many of you fund yourselves through temping, promo work, bar work etc but my real question is this: how do you guys manage to earn money while being FLEXIBLE enough to drop everything at a moment's notice to go to an audition? I really don't want a repeat performance of what happened last time I lived in the City (on the dole, no money coming in) and would like to be able to look after myself with some form of job while still being able to audition when something pops up at short notice. Having some kind of 'action plan' to shoot for when I move rather than 'hoping for the best' is my aim here, so any help would be much appreciated. All the best, Chris.

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	Reply #1
Posted : 27/07/10
laz1 17 posts last on: 07/02/12 send private reply	Temping is a good way to go if you can find it as temping agencies can't complain if you need time off for interviews or auditions. Restaurant / bar work is to be considered as working evenings limits clashes with auditions...tips can be good tax free money in the pocket. Thirdly remember that you are in London to become an actor...do not be afraid to fake the odd sickness...dentist appointment etc for those last minute auditions. When you are desperate for work you can't be choosy so may have to apply for full time work. In my experience in this type of work it is not always best to be completely honest if you have a last minute audition. Good luck

Reply #1

Posted : 27/07/10

laz1
17 posts
last on: 07/02/12
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Temping is a good way to go if you can find it as temping agencies can't complain if you need time off for interviews or auditions.
Restaurant / bar work is to be considered as working evenings limits clashes with auditions...tips can be good tax free money in the pocket.
Thirdly remember that you are in London to become an actor...do not be afraid to fake the odd sickness...dentist appointment etc for those last minute auditions. When you are desperate for work you can't be choosy so may have to apply for full time work. In my experience in this type of work it is not always best to be completely honest if you have a last minute audition.
Good luck

	Reply #2
Posted : 27/07/10
cheska 100 posts last on: 07/02/12 send private reply	Chris!!! You're coming back to London? Drinks then soon! Hope you're well.xx

	Reply #3
Posted : 02/08/10
Angie15 9 posts last on: 06/02/12 send private reply	Hi Chris, I could suggest a brilliant promo company called Mash Marketing. They're great and have loads of actors on their books. They have lots of different jobs coming up, esp. in summer, and they are very accommodating with actors as they know we get jobs and auditions all the time at the last minute. They are definitely worth getting in touch with and arranging a meeting when you get here. They are also a lovely lovely team of peeps! Good luck Angie

Reply #3

Posted : 02/08/10

Angie15
9 posts
last on: 06/02/12
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Hi Chris,

I could suggest a brilliant promo company called Mash Marketing. They're great and have loads of actors on their books. They have lots of different jobs coming up, esp. in summer, and they are very accommodating with actors as they know we get jobs and auditions all the time at the last minute. They are definitely worth getting in touch with and arranging a meeting when you get here. They are also a lovely lovely team of peeps!

Good luck
Angie

	Reply #4
Posted : 02/08/10
Linda.Large 80 posts last on: 07/02/12 send private reply	If you have a degree you could try private tutoring. The agency I worked with is called Fleet Tutors. They have a lot of actors on their books and arrange CRB checks. You can do as much work as you want, depending on subject demand. To apply, go to http://www.fleet-tutors.co.uk/apply.asp Good luck!

	Reply #5
Posted : 02/08/10
ForbesKB 1039 posts last on: 4 hours send private reply	I truck! When I decided to follow this path I knew I wouldn't be making enough to support my family from acting alone so made the conscious decision to get myself an HGV licence! There is always very strong demand for good quality truckers with more and more companies opting to use agencies as oppose to employing full time drivers I can pretty much guarantee a truck to drive whenever the acting work is thin on the ground! There's a 2nd reason too...where ever there's film work or a touring theatre production, there's trucks so staying in touch with what's going on in the acting world and being around the scene is pretty easy and it's an additional skill to add to your portfolio that not many actors have as an additional bonus...I've been on camera quite a few times playing roles that needed an HGV licence including Eastenders! 100% flexibility and on a good week £800 plus in your back pocket works well for me!

Reply #5

Posted : 02/08/10

ForbesKB
1039 posts
last on: 4 hours
send private reply

I truck! When I decided to follow this path I knew I wouldn't be making enough to support my family from acting alone so made the conscious decision to get myself an HGV licence!

There is always very strong demand for good quality truckers with more and more companies opting to use agencies as oppose to employing full time drivers I can pretty much guarantee a truck to drive whenever the acting work is thin on the ground! There's a 2nd reason too...where ever there's film work or a touring theatre production, there's trucks so staying in touch with what's going on in the acting world and being around the scene is pretty easy and it's an additional skill to add to your portfolio that not many actors have as an additional bonus...I've been on camera quite a few times playing roles that needed an HGV licence including Eastenders!

100% flexibility and on a good week £800 plus in your back pocket works well for me!

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