Swap to Performing arts or Games or go back to all job sectors
Animators bring drawings and computer generated characters to life on screen.
You could work: evenings / weekends; occasionally
As an animator, you could:
You could work in a creative studio, in an office or from home.
You can get into this job through:
You could do a foundation degree, higher national diploma or a degree in:
You may have an advantage when looking for jobs if you choose a course that includes a work placement.
You'll usually need:
You could do a college course to get some of the skills you'll need to become a trainee animator.
Courses include:
You could apply to do a higher or degree level apprenticeship with a production studio, such as:
You'll usually need:
You could start as an animation runner with a company and with further training, work your way up to a digital painter, assistant animator, then animator.
Employers value work experience so it's important to get as much as you can. To find work experience or volunteering opportunities, you could contact:
You can also find out more about the different ways to get work experience.
You could take a training course in animation or animation software to get some practical animation skills.
These courses are usually offered by film schools, regional screen agencies and private training providers.
You'll need to create a showreel and animation portfolio to highlight your best work and ideas.
Put your work on your own blog, website or video-sharing website to make it easy to find for employers.
You can get advice about the different roles in animation and how to get into them from ScreenSkills and Into Games.
There is not enough data for this job to find employment statistics
With experience, you could:become a lead animator or animation director; work for a large animation studio, games developer, interactive media design business or video post-production company; become a freelance animator; open your own animation studio