A sound trainee is the junior of a two or three person team: the production sound mixer, the boom operator (1st assistant sound), a 2nd assistant sound and you. You charge and rotate the batteries, hand out the IFB headphones and get them back, coil and clean the cables, move the cart and the boxes, keep the consumables stocked, fetch the sides and the teas, and hold the quiet on set when asked. Trainee places are rare because many teams have no budget for one, so some sound experience anywhere beats none. Stage 1 is what you learn before any paid day: the kit, the language, the physics of sound and the rules on pay and safety. Stage 2 is unpaid and student shorts, a rental house, references and contacts. Stage 3 is paid trainee days on features and high-end TV, a credit list and mixers who ring you. Mark each line done, next or later, and be honest.
Read the career guide for what the job involves day to day.
Stage 1: Before your first job
33 things to do, know or be able to do
Experience 10
- If you are studying, push for work experience through your college or university.
- Work towards 5 credits on short films, choosing student and properly run no-budget shorts where nobody is paid.
- Consider taking runner positions to get a foot in the door and experience life on set.
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Skills 11
- Take your driving test if you do not have a licence; ScreenSkills offers bursaries for driving lessons.
- Drive vans up to 3.5 tonnes on your car licence when asked; never drive a minibus unless you hold D1 entitlement and the production's insurance covers you.
- Do you know how to swing a boom, and can you hold one above your head for a full take without the mic drifting?
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Knowledge 12
- Research the example CVs on MFJF to see what a great Stage 1, 2 and 3 CV looks like.
- Use the MFJF CV Builder to help create a one-page CV titled Sound Trainee.
- Research kit hire companies to see if they are recruiting.
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Stage 2: Experience and contacts
29 things to do, know or be able to do
Experience 10
- Create a network of contacts from short films and keep in touch with the boom ops and mixers.
- Apply to the ScreenSkills Trainee Finder (sound on location is one of its 11 departments) in the autumn application window for the programme year that starts on 1 April.
- Join AMPS as a Foundation member (75 pounds a year, 25 for students, under three years' experience, no sponsor needed) and apply for its mentoring scheme, which gives Foundation members priority; AMPS does not place trainees.
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Skills 8
- Are you able to demonstrate a professional attitude on set?
- Are you 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 resources section for training opportunities.
- Do you know what is required from you as soon as you set foot on set?
- Do you know all the terms for the set amenities and the general film lingo?
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Stage 3: Paid work
21 things to do, know or be able to do
Experience 6
- Work consistently for 2-3 years as a trainee on low and medium budget feature films and high-end TV; in the current market allow longer than that.
- Work on short films as a boom operator.
- Gain experience in all areas of the industry that employ production sound, to maximise your chances to earn money.
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Skills 6
- Do you feel confident working with new people?
- Are you able to fit into an established team?
- Do you have the skills listed in the previous two stages plus a hearty work ethic and drive?
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Knowledge 9
- Look for work before the job you are on finishes.
- Have a network of mixers that know who you are and what you can do.
- Keep refining your CV, try and keep it down to one page, and rebuild it in the MFJF CV Builder each time your title changes.
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Ways in for a sound trainee
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
- Waterloo Road Production Development Trainee SchemeWall to Wall North and Rope Ladder Fiction, with Screen ManchesterPeople aged 18 or over who live in Greater Manchester and want to work in scripted drama production.Not open right now
Sources and References
This is MFJF’s own three-stage career plan for a sound trainee, written up from the career plan and the careers guide on our site. Open any of them yourself.
- MFJF career plan: Sound Trainee (PDF) the original plan this page was written up from
- MFJF careers guide: Sound Trainee 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.
