Find a job in Animation, VFX, Post Production, Film & TV Studios, or SFX

Please note that UK Screen Alliance does not offer apprenticeships, so please do not apply to us. You will need to contact employers in our s ector to see if they are currently offering apprenticeships. The BBC and Sky also offer apprenticeships in post production.

For details of employer cash incentives for taking on apprentices and details of partnering with the BBC flexi-job agency, please scroll down.

Apprenticeships are available at a variety of levels from GCSE equivalent to master degree. There is no upper age limit for who can be an apprentice and you can be an existing employee who is being up-skilled. Even if already have a degree, you can do an apprenticeship as long as it represents new learning.

If companies have a payroll larger than £3 million per year, they must pay the apprenticeship levy. They can draw on these levy payments to fund apprenticeship training. Non-levy paying employers can receive up to 95% of the training costs from the government, but from 1st August 2026, the need to contribute even 5% will be removed, allowing 100% subsidy for training and assesment costs for non-levy paying companies.

All apprenticeships courses in England have to be approved by the Skills England. The course outline is called a “standard” and groups of employer called “Trailblazers” work together to develop new standards.

List of apprenticeship standards directly relevant to film & TV

Apprenticeship	Level	Duration
VISUAL EFFECTS
Junior vis ual effects – VFX artist or assistant technical director	4	18 months
VFX Technical Director	6	24 months
VFX Supervisor *	7	18 months
ANIMATION
Junior Animator	4	18 months
Storyboard Artist *	7	18 months
POST PRODUCTION
Post Production Technical Operator	4	12 months
Post Production Engineer	5	24 months
Assistant (audio) recording technician	4	24 months
PRODUCTION
Content Creator	4	18 months
Production Assistant – screen and audio	3	9 months
Junior Production Coordinator	4	18 months
Junior Advertising Creative	3	18 months
ENGINEERING
Broadcast and Media Systems Technical Operator	3	22 months
Broadcast and Media Systems Technician	5	24 months
Broadcast and Media Systems Engineer (Degree)	6	36 months
Camera Prep Technician	3	24 months
PRODUCTION CRAFTS
Assistant Puppet Maker	3	18 months
Costume Technician – stage and screen	3	15 months
Props Technician	3	18 months
Model Maker	6	36 months
Scenic Construction Technician	3	30 months
Scenic Artist	3	24 months
Hair, wigs, make-up and prosthetics technician	3	24 months
Scenic Automation Technician	3	24 months

* From 1 January 2026, Level 7 apprenticeships will only be government-funded for apprentices who, at the start of their apprenticeship training, are either aged 16-21, or aged under 25 and have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan and/or have been, or are, in the care of their local authority. Any individual who started a level 7 apprenticeship before 1 January 2026 will continue to be funded through to completion.

DWP Incentives for employers

In 2026 a range of incentives payments for employers who offer apprenticeships were announced. The grants could be used to subsidise the apprentice’s wage. The incentives include…

SMEs hiring apprentices under 25 will get a £2,000 grant from 1st October 2026
Any company hiring a person under 25 who has been on Universal Credit for 6+ months gets £3,000 grant (stackable with SME incentive above)
Company pays no employer NIC on apprentices under 25 (saves between £3,000 and £3,600 on payroll cost over employing a non apprentice on living wage)
As of August 1^st 2026, non-levy paying employers no longer need to fund 5% of the training cost for apprentices under 25. Government will fund 100%

Partnering with the BBC Flexi Job Apprenticeship Agency

The BBC is committed to supporting and developing talent for both the BBC, its partners, and the wider creative sector. They want to partner with independent production companies and post production companies in broadcast media. Employers will provide practical skills and experiences, the learning providers will deliver high-quality education and skill development, while the BBC will manage the apprenticeship scheme. This will not only contribute to the growth of the creative sector but also support individuals in starting their careers.

Benefits of the Flexi Job Scheme

The BBC will pay up to 50% of the apprentice’s salary and on-costs.
The BBC will manage the recruitment and work with the training provider to create a bespoke learning programme for the apprentice.
The BBC will work flexibly with you to enable the apprenticeship to work with your production schedule.
The BBC funds all training costs of the apprenticeship through its apprenticeship levy.

The BBC Apprenticeships team will:

Manage the recruitment of the apprentices, hiring them on a fixed-term contract for the duration of the apprenticeship.
Provide payroll and an end-to-end HR service.
Offer access and disability services including pastoral support.
Deliver a wrap-around learning programme including apprenticeship qualification and learning support and career employability master-classes.
Partner with learning providers to deliver gold standard training programmes.

The host employer will:

Provide an on-the-job industry placement that will allow apprentices to gain experience that will fulfil the requirements of their apprenticeship.
Manage and support the apprentice day-to-day whilst they are on placement.
Ensure the apprentice is treated as supernumerary to your team so they can learn from colleagues and gain as much knowledge as possible during their time with you.
Allow time off for training and academy study.
Provide feedback to the BBC Apprenticeship Team and Learning Provider on how the apprentice is progressing.
Offer networking opportunities to the apprentice where appropriate.

If you are an independent production company or a post production company who are interested in taking on an apprentice through the BBC Flexi-Job Apprenticeship Agency, further details are available here, including an Expression of Interest form.

Find a job in Animation or VFX

Our member companies are posting new job vacancies all the time, so check out their recruitment pages from this comprehensive listing.

Check out jobs in Animation, or VFX, and VFX Apprenticeships, as well as jobs in Post Production or TV & Film Studios

Animation

A Productions: https://aproductions.co.uk/jobs/

A+C Studios https://www.aplusc.tv/careers

Aardman Animation: https://www.aardman.com/jobs/

Acamar Films: http://www.acamarfilms.com/careers/

Animation Associates: http://www.animation-associates.co.uk/opportunities/4593527396

Blue Zoo: https://careers.blue-zoo.co.uk/

Cake Entertainment: https://www.indeed.co.uk/Cake-Entertainment-jobs

Carse & Waterman: https://www.carseandwaterman.com/careers

Cloth Cat Animation: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cloth-cat-animation

Eye Present: http://www.eyepresent.co.uk/

Karrot Entertainment: http://karrotanimation.com/about/

Locksmith Animation: https://locksmithanimation.com/careers

Lupus Films: https://lupusfilms.com/tag/jobs

Mackinnon and Saunders: https://www.mackinnonandsaunders.com/jobs

Magic Light Pictures: https://www.magiclightpictures.com/

Salamandra.uk: https://salamandra.uk/careers/

Spider Eye: https://www.spider-eye.com

Studio AKA: https://studioaka.co.uk/contacts/#Vacancies

Studio Liddell: www.studioliddell.com/careers/

Tiger Aspect Productions: https://www.tigeraspect.co.uk/recruitment/

Tinmouse Animation Studio: http://www.tinmouseanimation.com/about

Wildseed Studios: http://wildseedstudios.com/category/jobs/

VFX

BlueBolt: https://www.blue-bolt.com/hiring

Cinesite: https://www.cinesite.com/careers/

DNEG: https://www.dneg.com/careers/

Electric Theatre Collective: http://electrictheatre.tv/blog/careers

Framestore: https://www.framestore.com/careers

Freefolk: https://freefolk.com/jobs/

The Imaginarium Studios: https://www.imaginariumstudios.co.uk/contact

Industrial Light and Magic: https://jobs.jobvite.com/lucascompanies/jobs/ilm

Lexhag: https://lexhag.co.uk/join-us/

Milk VFX: http://www.milk-vfx.com/careers/

One Of Us: https://www.weacceptyou.com/join-us

Outpost VFX: https://www.outpostvfx.co.uk/careers/

Scanline VFX: https://www.scanlinevfx.com/london-careers

Union VFX: https://unionvfx.com/careers

Vine FX: http://vinefx.com/#contact

VFX Apprenticeships

NextGen Skills Academy: https://www.nextgenskillsacademy.com/vfx-apprenticeships-how-to-apply

SUBSIDISED TRAINING FOR VFX AND POST PRODUCTION

UK Screen Alliance liaises with the main skills bodies for our industry to direct funds towards post production and visual effects training

The High-End Televison Skills Fund, which is administered by ScreenSkills, is funded by a voluntary levy paid by TV drama productions.

We have directed HETV funds towards the following programmes:

Client relationships and negotiation training for Post & VFX
Development of e-modules on Post Production Explained aimed at increasing theunderstand of post by production people
Secretariat support for the creation of the Post Production Technical Operator apprenticeship standard
A tendering process to engage a prefered training supplier to deliver the Post Production Technical Operator apprenticeship
Short courses on Blackmagic Resolve colour grading software
Short couses on Avid Editing and Storage ManagementHDR training
Broadcast Quality Control training
IMF Delivery – a primer on versioning and delivery technology
Leadership and Management training
Bursaries and funded placements for assistant dubbing editors
Return to Work Scheme delivered by Film London aimed at getting experienced people back into jobs after extended parental leave

“Onion” Training Scheme

The Onion sessions are our own UK Screen Alliance training inititaive and are available to members only. The scheme is sponsored by media industry insurance brokers, Integro Entertainment.

Why “Onion”? Well it’s not because the sessions make you cry! It’s all about peeling back the layers of something complex to let you get a glimpse of what lies beneath.

It is a series of experiential and inspirational masterclasses aimed junior staff within our membership, giving those just starting out in their career useful insight in to the industry and helping them develop their understanding of various areas of post production. The sessions take the form of panel discussions, workshops and skills based events which are held at the end of the working day.

Experts from within our membership present topics such as colour grading, audio mixing, digital acquisition, an introduction to VFX, and quality control and delivery.

We run the cycle of sessions twice a year and the idea is that nominated junior employees of UK Screen members attend all the sessions in the cycle. It’s entirely free for employees of member companies and availability will be advertised in member communications and on our Events pages. Contact us for further information.

“The Audio Dubbing masterclass was so interesting and great to be able to watch and listen to a skilled expert do a demo of how building high-quality audio for an award-winning TV episode bit by bit is done.”
Onions Masterclass attendee, autumn 2018

“Really enjoyed the Introduction to VFX session – it was informative, just the right amount of time, and well worthwhile as an intro into VFX and the company.”
Onions Masterclass attendee, summer 2019

“The sessions were a really nice way to spend an evening after work getting to learn about the industry from specialists, with a bunch of people who are at a similar level just getting into the industry and learning about which career pathways we could take next.”
Onions Masterclass attendee, summer 2019

Careers advice for VFX, animation, post production, TV & film studios or SFX

If you are researching careers in post-production, visual effects or animation, we guess you will be looking for authoritative advice to help you with your choices.

What are the different job roles that are available? What qualifications do I need, if any? Can I do an apprenticeship, or should I go to uni? What’s it like to work in this industry? Are these “proper jobs”, which pay a good wage and give job security? Do I have to move to London? So many important questions that need answering.

There are some great resources available online that do just that and, on this page, we are going to introduce you to some of our favourites.

If you want to find out what all those people do when you look at the hundreds of names and job roles on the end credits of a VFX-heavy movie, then the VFX Careers map is just what you need.

VFX Careers Map Download

Then if you want to dig a little deeper, the Core Skills of VFX is an essential read not just for educators and students but for parents too. It is blueprint for university curricula developed by over 100 professionals in the VFX industry.

The Core Skills of VFX – Student Primer Download

The Core Skills of VFX Handbook 2025 – Repository Download

Our friends at Access:VFX are building up a library of blogs and p odcasts that will give you great insights into what it’s like to work in VFX or animation, as well as a page of current and ongoing internship opportunities. You can also sign up free of charge to get a mentor who will give you bespoke advice based on their own real-world experience of our industry.

If you really want to kick start your career, check out the NextGen Skills Academy courses in VFX, Animation and Games that are aimed at 16 to 18 year-olds. These are designed and supported by industry. The Level 3 courses are equivalent to A-Levels and give you a head start, whether want to study these subjects at university or to get an apprenticeship. The couses are avaialble in selected Further Education colleges around the UK.

NextGen also has information about apprenticeships in VFX

The main skills organisation for our sector is ScreenSkills and they too have information about the job roles available in the whole TV and film industry. ScreenSkills also have a selection of careers maps relating to industry job pathways, such as in animation, and unscripted-TV technical roles. ScreenSkills’ Animation Skills Council comprises senior animation industry figures, from all areas of the animation value chain, who lead and advise ScreenSkills on their work in animation.

Animated Women UK is an industry body which exists to positively support, represent, celebrate and encourage women in the animation and VFX industries in the UK. Through their subgroup Animated Women UK Education, they aim to inspire change through programmes in Networking, Recruitment, Showcasing, Mentoring & Education, such as the Helen North Achieve Programme.