# Needing help finding a job



## Buttmonkey (Dec 3, 2019)

I'm almost 19, have 6 years of experience, and no highschool diploma. Looking for festival jobs and could use some help from other hands to find some good festival jobs.


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## cbrandt (Dec 3, 2019)

Most festivals handle all of their staffing through an agency of some sort. Try reaching out to their info emails and ask them who that is and for contact information. Many of those agencies handle staffing for multiple festivals during the summer, and I've run across quite a few that tour the hands between the shows. Also, don't hesitate to call your local IATSE reps, and get on their overhire lists.


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## RonHebbard (Dec 3, 2019)

Buttmonkey said:


> I'm almost 19, have 6 years of experience, and no highschool diploma. Looking for festival jobs and could use some help from other hands to find some good festival jobs.


@Buttmonkey To not answer your query; Apply yourself; assuming you have four year programs in your high school, stay in school, summer school if necessary, graduate from a four year program, at least attain some level of high school graduation.

Read between the lines: Someone I know intimately, began high school at 13 and was 21 when he left. He worked part time, sometimes 48 hours per week, while continuing to attend high school. The fellow attended high school for 7 years and then still had to go to summer school in order to graduate.

On one hand, he learned things they didn't know they were teaching in school.

On the other hand, he showed the boiler hands how to make one of their 3 phase 208 volt coal feeders operate when its motor starter failed one winter when they REALLY needed it (one of three boilers was down for scheduled cleaning, a second boiler had sprang a leak leaving only the third boiler operational and its coal feeder failed. Two boiler hands were wearing themselves to a frazzle shoveling coal into a wheelbarrow, rolling the wheelbarrow to the third boiler, opening a door and throwing coal in by shovel before rolling the empty wheelbarrow back to the central coal hopper to replenish their wheelbarrow.)
A reliable source knows those two boiler hands were pleased the kid from the four year electrical program knew how to take what he'd studied, think outside the box, and get their broken motorized coal feeder working when the Board of Ed's "official" answer was: Keep shoveling 'til after Christmas break and we'll have our maintenance electrician look at it for you.

The same kid was able to troubleshoot and repair his school's dust extractor on a third story roof another time when the "official" answer was: "We can have the maintenance electrician visit your school sometime next month.

A third instance involved his school board hiring a contractor to build a new wall to sub divide a portion of his school's armory; the contractor was about to seal off an area when the teacher who taught shooting in the basement rifle range realized the light switch for the range's lights was going to disappear behind the new sub wall.
The out of the box thinking, total gun phobe had never been in his school's armory in his life but he knew how to modify a single gang electrical box from his LX shop into an extension box, run a few feet of 1/2" EMT, add a blank cover and extend the switch to a new box installed within the newly built wall and made it happen by staying after school hours and completing it before the contractors sealed off the last opening first thing the next morning.

The school thought they were teaching high school to a kid who took seven years to graduate from grade 12, what they really taught him was how to think, apply what he learned, and how to solve problems by thinking outside the school's rigidly defined boxes.

I rest my case: Get your grade 12 diploma, work part time in parallel, but get that piece of paper.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard


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## TheaterEd (Dec 3, 2019)

Not trying to be preachy, but definitely do what you can to get a GED or diploma. Not having screams to future employers 'does not play nice with others' and implies that you will not listen to authority. It's easier to get it now when you are young than 10 years down the line when you can't move up any further in the industry without it. A lot of the work we do is in venues that require everyone to be 21+ depending on the state, so might as well use your time now to check those 'employ-ability' boxes. Speaking of things employers look for, there are a good number of employers on this site so you might consider asking Dave to change your user name to something a little more professional.

Also, keep an eye on offstagejobs.com they have a lot of postings in IL depending on how close you are to Chicago.


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## ggooch (Dec 5, 2019)

TheaterEd said:


> Not trying to be preachy, but definitely do what you can to get a GED or diploma. Not having screams to future employers 'does not play nice with others' and implies that you will not listen to authority. It's easier to get it now when you are young than 10 years down the line when you can't move up any further in the industry without it. A lot of the work we do is in venues that require everyone to be 21+ depending on the state, so might as well use your time now to check those 'employ-ability' boxes. Speaking of things employers look for, there are a good number of employers on this site so you might consider asking Dave to change your user name to something a little more professional.
> 
> Also, keep an eye on offstagejobs.com they have a lot of postings in IL depending on how close you are to Chicago.


What he said. But while you are pursuing a GED, get on the call list of any theatre labor agency you can find. If you are in Illinois, there are several in the Chicago area.

Geoff


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## ruinexplorer (Dec 8, 2019)

Definitely get your GED (or diploma). Many jobs will have that as a requirement.


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## MNicolai (Dec 8, 2019)

Probably would drop the "Buttmonkey" handle. Once you start getting around it's actually a pretty small industry, and you _really_ don't want that nickname to stick. It'll become the nickname they bury you with.


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## TuckerD (Dec 9, 2019)

I agree on GED + Nickname.

Like others have said, look for call lists or find a warehouse job at a rental / production company. Greet as many people as you can in the morning BY NAME and they will start to recognize you. When they need an extra hand here or there you will come to mind and soon enough be on show calls.


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## Buttmonkey (Dec 29, 2019)

cbrandt said:


> Most festivals handle all of their staffing through an agency of some sort. Try reaching out to their info emails and ask them who that is and for contact information. Many of those agencies handle staffing for multiple festivals during the summer, and I've run across quite a few that tour the hands between the shows. Also, don't hesitate to call your local IATSE reps, and get on their overhire lists.


Thanks for the advice, definitely will do that.


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## Buttmonkey (Dec 29, 2019)

TheaterEd said:


> Not trying to be preachy, but definitely do what you can to get a GED or diploma. Not having screams to future employers 'does not play nice with others' and implies that you will not listen to authority. It's easier to get it now when you are young than 10 years down the line when you can't move up any further in the industry without it. A lot of the work we do is in venues that require everyone to be 21+ depending on the state, so might as well use your time now to check those 'employ-ability' boxes. Speaking of things employers look for, there are a good number of employers on this site so you might consider asking Dave to change your user name to something a little more professional.
> 
> Also, keep an eye on offstagejobs.com they have a lot of postings in IL depending on how close you are to Chicago.


No I agree and understand how important that diploma is, it shows that you'll do crap you dont want to and do it well. Planning on getting it, I'm just at a level that I'm not gonna learn anything and make less money if I find work outside of my theater. I'll change my username, it's a running nickname for stagehands at my theater.


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## Amiers (Dec 29, 2019)

MNicolai said:


> Probably would drop the "Buttmonkey" handle. Once you start getting around it's actually a pretty small industry, and you _really_ don't want that nickname to stick. It'll become the nickname they bury you with.


He would be the butt of every joke .


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