Arts administrator

Arts administrators help organise exhibitions, manage staff and look after buildings like museums and galleries.

• Starter salary£22,000 a year
• Experienced£32,000 a year
• Typical hours37 to 39 a week

What you'll do

As an art administrator, you could:

• book artists and performers
• promote events on social media and websites
• help recruit and train staff
• organise ticket sales, manage budgets and keep records
• carry out general office admin work
• keep venues clean and secure to meet health and safety laws

Working environment

You could work in an office, in a theatre, in a museum, at an art gallery or in the community.

Skills and knowledge you'll need

You'll need:

• business management skills
• the ability to use your initiative
• knowledge of the fine arts
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• excellent verbal communication skills
• leadership skills
• excellent written communication skills
• to be flexible and open to change
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

How to become a arts administrator

You can get into this job through:

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

University

Many arts administrators have a university degree but it's not essential.

Most subjects are useful but you may have an advantage with a degree in:

• arts management
• arts administration
• events and entertainment management
• business studies

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

College

You could do a course at college to get some of the skills you need to apply for trainee arts administrator roles.

As well as courses in creative or performing arts, you could also consider subjects like business administration and event management.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You could train to become an arts administrator by doing an apprenticeship, like:

• Administration Assistant Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
• Business Administrator Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
• Events Assistant Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

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

Volunteering

You could develop a network of contacts, volunteer or find temporary work to show employers you're committed to the arts.

You could:

• help with student or community drama productions or concerts
• work as a customer assistant at arts centres, cinemas or theatres
• get involved in community arts festivals and projects

You can search for opportunities near you, with:

• The Arts Society
• NCVO
• Do IT

Direct application

You could apply for jobs if you've got experience or qualifications in office administration, fundraising or marketing.

It would also be helpful if you can show you're interested or passionate about art.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could become an arts officer or manager.

You could also take on freelance work or become a consultant.

Guides for this industry

• Administration: pay, interviews and getting started →

Related roles

• Job roleCommunity arts worker
• Job roleActor
• Job roleMuseum curator
• Job roleMusician
• Job roleMuseum attendant

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0