A floor runner, also called a set PA, is the most junior member of the assistant directors' team: you run errands, hold lock-offs, echo the 1st AD on the walkie, look after cast and supporting artists, and hand out sides and call sheets. If you want to be an AD it is where you start; if you are using it to look at other departments, decide early. At Stage 1 you are not applying for jobs yet: you are getting the licence, the safety training and the set knowledge that make a runner worth hiring, on student films and no-budget shorts, mostly unpaid. Stage 2 is unpaid and daily work that earns credits, references and contacts. Stage 3 is paid, consistent work. Go through each line below and mark it done, next or later. It is a checklist, not a race: most people take two to five years to reach studio features.
Read the career guide for what the job involves day to day.
Stage 1: Before your first job
30 things to do, know or be able to do
Experience 7
- Work towards 5 credits as a runner on short films; at this stage most are unpaid student or self-funded shorts, and that is normal.
- Continue to work on student productions, ideally from the established UK film schools, where the shoot is insured and someone senior is running it.
- Check the MFJF jobs board every day to learn what floor runner adverts ask for, before you start applying.
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Skills 11
- Take your driving test; the licence is essential for this job.
- If cost is the barrier, ScreenSkills bursaries fund driving lessons up to 750 pounds at entry level (not while you are still in education).
- Get a first aid certificate: a one-day Emergency First Aid at Work course meets the HSE standard and lasts three years.
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Knowledge 12
- Study the example CVs on MFJF to see what a good first floor runner CV looks like.
- Build your CV in the MFJF CV Builder from your profile and your current CV; call yourself a floor runner or set PA on it, not a filmmaker.
- Research production companies and the 2nd ADs who hire runners.
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Stage 2: Experience and contacts
31 things to do, know or be able to do
Experience 10
- Create a network of contacts from short films and keep in touch with every AD and runner you work with.
- Continue to work on short films, now as a 3rd or 2nd AD.
- Take daily, crowd and lock-off runner days on bigger features and TV drama; make those days count and leave with phone numbers and a reference.
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Skills 10
- Able to demonstrate a professional attitude on set.
- Adaptable when working on different productions.
- Driving licence and your own car if possible.
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Knowledge 11
- Continue to look at the MFJF resources section for training opportunities.
- Know what is required from you as soon as you set foot on set.
- Know all the terms for the set amenities and the general film language; Movie Speak by Tony Bill is the book for it.
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Stage 3: Paid work
20 things to do, know or be able to do
Experience 7
- Work consistently for 2 to 3 years as a floor runner or set PA on low and medium budget feature films; in the current market expect gaps between jobs.
- Work on short films as a 1st AD.
- Work on TV drama as a 3rd AD.
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Skills 7
- The skills of the previous two stages, plus a strong work ethic.
- Able to create sides when you AD a short film.
- Able to create a shooting schedule when you AD a short film.
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Knowledge 6
- Know to look for work before the job you are on finishes.
- Have a network of PAs and ADs who know who you are and what you can do.
- Keep refining your CV; try to keep it to one page.
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Ways in for a floor runner and set PA
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
- 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
- Production Training SchemeChannel 4 (4Skills)People at the very start of a TV production career who may face barriers to getting in. You are not eligible with more than three months' industry experience in total.Not open right now
Sources and References
This is MFJF’s own three-stage career plan for a floor runner and set PA, written up from the career plan and the careers guide on our site. Open any of them yourself.
- MFJF career plan: Floor Runner and Set PA (PDF) the original plan this page was written up from
- MFJF careers guide: Floor Runner and Set PA 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.
