For graduates interested in a diverse range of career opportunities the performing and creative arts sector is one that has a huge amount to offer.

Performing arts is a collective term for music, drama and dance while creative arts describes professions such as craft making, fashion and textile design, photography and painting. It is a sector that is infamous for its competitive nature and yet remains ever popular.

Opportunities within the performing arts exist for actors, dancers, musicians, producers, choreographers, writers. Career opportunities also exist working behind the scenes in areas including set design, theatre management, costume design and lighting.

The craft field within creative arts is diverse and includes ceramics, textiles, jewellery, wood and glass work, toys, furniture making, textiles and leather work.

Some of the many opportunities within the sector are described briefly below.

Acting

A career in acting can involve working with commercial theatre companies, community theatres, and in television, radio and films.

Although there are no formal entry requirements, competition is fierce and formal training by means of a degree in drama is seen as an advantage. Trinity College, University College Cork , DIT and the University of Ulster have degree programmes in drama.

Minimum rates for performers are set by Equity and published on the Irish Equity website. Minimum rates for theatre performers are circa €400 per week.

Developing a career is notoriously difficult. The Arts Council published a study in 2005 on theatre practitioners in Ireland which estimated that among the 900 freelance practitioners in Ireland, 73 per cent had third level qualifications. Those surveyed for the report worked an average of just 20 weeks a year in their area of specialism. The report also highlighted that 50 per cent of theatre practitioners earn less than €7,200 a year from work in their main specialist area. Within that practitioners grouping, the performing artists earn an average of €5,500 per year for work in their specialist area.

Music

Musicians generally begin training at a young age and then proceed to degree level courses.

A number of third level institutions throughout the country have honours degree in music. These include Trinity College Dublin, Royal Irish Academy of Music, University College Dublin, NUI Maynooth, University College Cork and the Cork and Waterford Institutes of Technology. With appropriate experience graduates can gain employment as performers, composers, vocal coaching, conducting and in private teaching.

RTÉ has an 89 piece National Symphony Orchestra and a 45-piece Concert Orchestra. It also maintains the Cork-based RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet, the RTÉ Philharmonic Choir and RTÉ Cór na nÓg. Belfast has the Ulster Orchestra. The three Army bands, located in Dublin, Cork and Athlone, employ 100 musicians while the Dublin-based Garda band involves 39 musicians. The National Youth Orchestra has 110 players: it holds a selection procedure nationally and all members must re-audition annually to keep their places. Audition applications are from 1 July to 1 October every year.

For those interested in becoming a secondary school music teacher, the Bachelor of Music Education is run jointly by the Royal Irish Academy of Music, DIT and Trinity College. University of Limerick also has a one year Graduate Diploma in Education (Music).

Creative arts

Graduates within the sector will generally have completed a relevant degree. Design degrees are offered through a range of third level institutions including National College of Art and Design, Dublin Institute of Technology and Galway–Mayo Institute of Technology.

Opportunities include selling work at local markets and fairs, working on a self-employed basis and working within a large manufacturing company. Those working on a self-employed basis may contract commissions from organisations, individuals or the public sector.

Fashion and textile design

The Irish fashion and textile industry currently employs 5,000 people, with 75 per cent of jobs based outside of Dublin. In 2005, exports in clothing and textiles accounted for €658 million.

Fashion graduates pursue opportunities as 'in-house', or freelance designers, design management, teaching and fashion styling.

Written by Caroline Kennedy, Careers & Opportunities Officer, National College of Ireland.