Graduating from an FDS School

Member schools place a lot of importance on ensuring that graduates from their courses have an employable skill set when they leave- in all aspects of the performance industries – and that these are recognised by the organisations which shape those industries (link to network/contact page).

What graduates have gone on to do is very varied- many of the skills involved in making performance are highly transferable to other industries and it’s quite usual for graduates to develop broad portfolios in terms of career destinations across theatre, film, TV, events and beyond. (link to case studies) This is backed up by what our graduates say (article link) – and how many long term careers are started through this training

Particularly in acting/performance work, competition is fierce, and so it’s important that our graduates are adaptable, highly skilled and savvy about creating opportunities for themselves.

Graduating from a professional performance course means you will emerge eligible for membership of Spotlight and Equity, which are key organisations through which performers can be identified as having professional performance skills, and your course will provide opportunities for you to perform in front of agents and casting directors, who are key people in finding employment.

Technical and production courses will identify you as professional with equivalent organisations such as BECTU, and the SMA, and are likely to include placements and production credits within the programme itself.

It’s important to understand that not every course at every school is intended to provide these specifically- a foundation course is intended to develop core skills, an MA might be intended to bridge your studies into further research, or developing your own performance work. Make sure you have looked carefully at the programme info before applying, so you know what opportunities it is intended to provided and where it’s able to take you afterwards.

The performance industries are rapidly changing, and so while graduating from these courses (as with any UNI course) is no guarantee of fame and fortune, they will provide the opportunity to gain vital skills, and place you in a position where you have the best routes into using them professionally.