Arian mewn Hysbysebion
The Broadcast "Rich List", published annually, shows that a small minority of people still make a vast amount of money out of the Commercials industry. Inevitably it is the owners of Agencies, or Senior Executives who earn the most.
Experienced practitioners in all areas of work can earn a very decent living in Commercials however - IF they work regularly. Skillset's Employment Census 2006 shows that 68% of people in the Commercials sector are freelance, which means they may work 10 days a year or 150 if they are lucky.
Rates of pay are good - if you have a track record, and are one of the trusted Commercials few. Do not get fazed or misled by these figures however: remember these people are paid well by the day or week because they are trusted, they have a track record, they are dealing with big budget productions, they have to deliver to the specifications and deadlines and they are under constant pressure throughout. Remember too that if they do not deliver they may not work again for that Agency or indeed for any others for a while!
Having said all that, the buzz from working on a Commercial is wonderful. You are with some of the best in the business, working to the peak of their powers, and earning well for their services.
Pay is all relative, negotiable and dependent upon the production, and rates vary enormously, although the most common daily rate for 10 hours is approximately £1,000 with overtime at single time but budgets vary and work is scarce.
But be warned, it can take years to reach such a situation of working regularly - if you ever do. Most people in Commercials will not be earning a great deal. A Lighting Director in the Midlands said recently that he averaged only 10 days work a year for the past two years. He charges £1,000 a day, but that is only £10,000 annual earnings. It is a question of supply and demand. People do get paid good rates if they are highly skilled, or for specialist jobs that are hard to fill. But many freelancers will earn less than £20,000 (even less than a classroom teacher) in a year. When you start to make career decisions, find out as much as possible about the average rates of pay for your potential sectors and job role, whether there is a shortage in that area of work, and what the competition is like.
For more information on our research work, please visit Skillset's Research pages.
