Film finance companies help producers put together the money for a feature: pre-sales, gap, equity, the expenditure credit, the BFI and the broadcasters, with a completion bond over the top. The offices are small and specialised, so competition for placements is real, and the pay is lower than in the rest of the finance sector. At Stage 1 you have never had a paid job in the industry, so do not apply yet: learn how a UK feature is financed, get your Excel to a real standard, and learn the vocabulary. Stage 2 is placements, a reference and contacts, including a look at production accounting, which has more entry routes. Stage 3 is a paid assistant job. Tick what you have done, work on the rest, and take the gaps to an MFJF mentor. The Foundations course for this role covers the Stage 1 knowledge, the finance plan and the recoupment order.
Read the career guide for what the job involves day to day.
Stage 1: Before your first job
26 things to do, know or be able to do
Experience 7
- Apply for work experience positions during the holidays if you are studying.
- Know what the Production Finance Market is: Film London's two-day financing event, 6 to 7 October 2026, during the BFI London Film Festival, with a main strand for budgets over one million euros and a New Talent Strand; the old Micro Market was folded into it.
- Register your interest in volunteering at the BFI's festivals (the London Film Festival in October, and BFI Flare); you must be 18 or over, and travel and food are covered.
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Skills 7
- Further your knowledge of Excel in Microsoft 365.
- If you are lacking in administrative skills, take a short course or online tutorials; Microsoft's own Excel help and learning pages are free.
- Build one film finance model in Excel: budget, finance plan, sales estimates and a recoupment waterfall.
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Knowledge 12
- Research how to write coverage for a script.
- Read Dictionary of Film Finance and Distribution by John W. Cones; it is American and from 2007, so use it as a glossary.
- Read The International Film Business by Angus Finney, 3rd edition (2022).
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Stage 2: Experience and contacts
26 things to do, know or be able to do
Experience 10
- If you have finished studying, look for paid internships and short placements listed on MFJF or through your own research.
- Aim for a reference from a work experience or intern placement to add to your CV.
- Do you have work experience or intern placements on your CV?
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Skills 8
- Practise your interview technique with friends and relatives; interviews are only nerve-racking when you have not had many.
- Continue to develop your IT and admin skills.
- Knowing how to use Excel effectively is essential as a film finance assistant.
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Knowledge 8
- Research the company before each interview and keep re-reading the job description.
- Do you know how a film market works and when they are? In 2026 the EFM is in February, the Marche du Film in May, MIPCOM in October and the AFM in November, back in Los Angeles.
- Do you know what the film finance companies will be doing there?
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Stage 3: Paid work
19 things to do, know or be able to do
Experience 7
- Do you have a CV with relevant placements?
- Can you operate Excel?
- Can you collate data?
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Skills 5
- Do you know where to look for release dates and what is in production?
- Can you update a company database, making sure all the relevant people are listed in the system?
- Can you build and check a recoupment waterfall in Excel?
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Knowledge 7
- As many film finance companies have broadened their remit, do you know what areas you would like to specialise in: tax, legal, sales, acquisitions?
- Do you know how the industry uses the trades?
- Can you list the types of funding and investment available for producers?
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Ways in for a film finance assistant
Real schemes, checked on the organiser’s own page. A shut one is still here with when it comes back, because half the big schemes are closed at any one time and that is worth knowing.
- Trainee FinderScreenSkillsPeople over 18 who live in the UK and have less than 12 months of paid production experience in their chosen department. No on-set experience is needed, and there is no upper age limit.Final deadline 28 October 2026
- Yorkshire's Screen Diversity ProgrammeScreen YorkshirePeople aged 19 or over who live in York and North Yorkshire and have not done a Skills Bootcamp in the last 12 months. No screen experience or qualifications are needed, and graduates and career changers are welcome. Screen Yorkshire particularly encourages applicants from groups under-represented in film and television.Final deadline 2 November 2026
- Sara Putt Associates Trainee SchemeSara Putt AssociatesTwo professional credits but under three years' cumulative experience, in Camera, Sound, Edit, Production Office, Art, Costume, AD, Script Supervisor, Locations, or Hair and Make-Up.Final deadline 24 January 2027
Sources and References
This is MFJF’s own three-stage career plan for a film finance assistant, written up from the career plan and the careers guide on our site. Open any of them yourself.
- MFJF career plan: Film Finance Assistant (PDF) the original plan this page was written up from
- MFJF careers guide: Film Finance Assistant what the job involves day to day
- The Three Career Stages the framework all three stages follow
Every link checked 19 September 2026. The plan itself was last revised September 2026.
