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Community arts worker

Community arts workers help local communities plan and take part in activities like drama, dance, painting and photography.

Average salary (a year)

£16,000 Starter

to

£28,000 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

37 to 39 variable

You could work

evenings / weekends / bank holidays attending events or appointments

How to become a community arts worker

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • volunteering

University

You could take a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in:

  • community arts
  • creative expressive therapies
  • art and design
  • community education

You'll usually need to be qualified and experienced in a particular art form, for instance visual arts, dance, drama, music or creative writing.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 1 or 2 A levels for a foundation degree or higher national diploma
  • 2 to 3 A levels for a degree

More information

College

You may find a community arts qualification useful for getting a job as an assistant. Examples include:

  • Level 2 Certificate in Community Arts Administration
  • Level 3 Certificate in Community Development

Entry requirements

You may need:

  • 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course

More information

Apprenticeship

You may be able to do a cultural learning and participation officer advanced apprenticeship, or an apprenticeship in community arts.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

More information

Volunteering and experience

It's important to get relevant experience by volunteering. This can often lead into paid work.

You can find out about local community arts projects from the arts officer at your local council, or by checking:

Direct application

You can apply directly for jobs if you've got paid or voluntary experience of working in the community. For example, in adult education, art teaching or youth work. Experience of working with disadvantaged or vulnerable groups will also be helpful.

More information

Career tips

Experience is just as important for getting onto a community arts course as it is for finding paid work.

Further information

You'll find more on working in community arts through Creative Choices.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • customer service skills
  • knowledge of psychology
  • counselling skills including active listening and a non-judgemental approach
  • sensitivity and understanding
  • the ability to work well with others
  • leadership skills
  • the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • knowledge of English language
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Restrictions and requirements

You'll need to:

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

Your day-to-day duties may include:

  • working with local community groups to identify needs and concerns
  • developing new groups and activities
  • creating artwork and helping community members develop their own ideas
  • promoting and organising input from other arts workers
  • leading meetings and training activities
  • advising on grants, sponsorship and other sources of funding
  • writing funding bids and proposals, managing budgets and general administration
  • publicising activities through the press, local radio, leaflets and social media
  • managing and assessing projects

Working environment

You could work in the community, at an adult care home, in a prison or at a school.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could work freelance and run larger projects with bigger budgets.

In larger organisations, you could move into a more senior or management role.

Current opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

We can't find any apprenticeship vacancies in England for a community arts worker right now.

The Find an apprenticeship service can help you with your search, send alerts when new apprenticeships become available and has advice on how to apply.

Courses In England

Arts administration: introduction

  • Provider: CITY LIT
  • Start date: 17 January 2020
  • Location: London
Find courses near you

JobsIn the United Kingdom

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