Cinema and theatre attendants help customers during entertainment shows. They may also be known as front-of-house staff, ushers or usherettes, customer service assistants, or (usually in large mulitplex cinema chains) cast or crew members or guest assistants. 

The work involves:

• checking tickets
• showing people to their seats
• selling programmes
• selling refreshments from trays or kiosks during the interval
• dealing with any problems or complaints
• re-stocking the refreshment kiosks and trays
• collecting litter and tidying up after the show
• being responsible for health and safety, for example making sure fire exits are not blocked.

Some attendants may also work in the venue's cafe, bar or box office.

Hours and Environment

As a cinema or theatre attendant you will usually work shifts including evenings and weekends, because this is when most performances take place. Part-time work is much more common than full-time.

You will usually be provided with a uniform.

Skills and Interests

As a cinema or theatre attendant you should:

• enjoy dealing with people
• be polite, helpful and approachable
• have good communication skills
• be able to keep calm in an emergency
• be able to handle money and work out change
• enjoy working as part of a team.

Entry

You do not need any academic qualifications to work as an attendant, but you should ideally have experience of dealing with people, for example as a shop assistant. It can also be be helpful to have an interest in film or the arts.

You may need to be aged 18 or over for jobs that involve serving alcohol.

The part-time and evening hours can make this work especially suitable if you have study or family commitments.

You may be able to get into this job through a customer service apprenticeship scheme. Funding for apprenticeships is available for 16-24 year olds and some over-25s. To find out more, visit www.apprenticeships.org.uk. For information about apprenticeships in other parts of the UK, see Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Training

You will usually be trained on the job by experienced staff. Most cinemas now belong to major leisure companies, who usually provide full structured in-house training.

Some employers may give you the chance to work towards NVQ/SVQ Levels 1 to 3 in Customer Service (Level 1 is NVQ only).

Opportunities

Cinemas have changed considerably in recent years. Many older town centre cinemas have been closed or modernised, and many new multi-screen cinema complexes have been built. Modern cinema complexes have many screens and open long hours, and so they need more staff.

Major cinema chains may have a promotion structure leading to cashier, team leader or management jobs. In theatres, concert halls and smaller cinemas you would normally be part of a small team, but you may be able to progress to a management or box office job.

Jobs may be advertised in the local press, at local cinemas or on the websites of the larger cinema chains.

Annual Income

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Full-time cinema/theatre attendants may earn £10,000 to £12,000 a year.

Most jobs are part-time and are paid by the hour. You will often also be able to watch films and shows for free.

Further information

2nd Floor
Armstrong House
38 Market Square
Uxbridge
Middlesex
UB8 1LH
Tel: 0870 060 2550