http://www.bbc.co.uk/jobs/design/costume.shtml
The costume department has a 12 month training scheme.
As for being a camerman, it seems you have to find some way of legally getting into the building (toilet cleaner? tea-boy?) and hope if you stay long enough they will let you have a go on a camera.
I couldn't find anything about catering.
I think to get on the producing ladder at the BBC, you get pretty much f**k-all for the first year or so. That's, like, more than a couple of days!
Dan
I'm surprised the writer chose to go to Chortle with it as well. If you are a jobbing comedy writer, surely going public to accuse BBC Radio Comedy of exploiting writers is not the shrewdest career move.
Yes, you'd think this was career 'suicide', wouldn't you?
Sorry, I meant 'career' suicide.
There's always the chance they'll buy his silence by giving him a 'David Beckham is Thick' joke on The Now Show and two 'Eric Pickles is Fat' lines on The News Quiz.
Fascinating that someone who's managed to make a living out of writing for sixteen years sees themselves as disadvantaged by 'rich kids'. Lots of people, myself included, are poor enough that we'd be proper chuffed to get 50 quid, especially if it wasn't even dependent on the work being used. Maybe it's that level of being out of touch with reality that was the reason he was invited for a trial on a News based programme instead of being offered a permanent job that doesn't actually exist..
^ Nail on the head. I've done the equivalent of a year's free full-time work in writing experience, just to market myself to potential employers. He's complaining about being offered a great opportunity AND getting expenses paid for it?
Interesting one this, the BBC don't usually pay expenses for work experience people or workshop attendees, but this isn't really either.
I don't see why they couldn't get HR Direct to whip up a casual contract and organise a rate of pay just about touching minimum wage.
Having said that though, I'd quite happily write for next to nothing to get a credit on the News Quiz.
Most people on here will be looking at this from the perspective of first time writers, happy to do anything because they're just starting out.
I'm saying look at it from the perspective of someone who isn't just starting out. They're not interested in whether or not a programme is suddenly a training ground for new writers or not. They want to be paid what they feel their experience is worth.
Opportunities like this are brilliant for new writers. No question of that. But they can also drive down the rate of experienced writers, because they're trying to compete in a market place with people who are willing to work for a lot less just to get noticed.
One would have to already have more than half a foot in the door to get this opportunity anyway so it's hardly like they're taking anyone from the jobcentre.
And 'the source' doesn't have experience of writing for this show or this format from what I can gather from the article.
Fair enough for that person to be disgruntled, we all bitch, but to try to turn it into a crusade about being less advantaged when from the perspective of lots if not most people they're extremely advantaged, rather shows a lack of the quality of understanding ideally needed to write for this opportunity, imo 
I think the point is that gag writing for shows is how professional comedy writers earn their crust, nothing else really pays; if this guy is at the point where he is trying to scrape a living, and has a proven track record, then being asked to do it for expenses only might seem a little like exploitation. It is one thing working for credits on a low budget production, but when the paid jobs you are aspiring to, also stop paying, it all becomes a bit pointless. I suppose the really interesting question would be is whether this work experience opportunity has replaced a paid writing post on the show,
As long as there are enough people who think that being allowed inside the building for a few hours is payment in itself, then we won't be seeing wages increasing much in the next millenium.
On the other hand, with both the monetary and comedic bar set so low, at least it's possible to write three or four sketches an hour, making the money almost reach minimum wage levels.
Look at those Americans....they have writers unions and things and they can actually get paid quite a bit of money for writing funny words. But on the other hand they often work in sweatshop conditions, with teams of writers putting in sixty hour weeks in windowless basement rooms churning out 240 gags/episode for some 'sassy' sitcom that never gets shown in the UK.
Which is better, the gentleman amateurism of the UK or the hard-nosed professionalism of the US?
I'd be interested to know at what point all the "I'd do it for nothing" people would feel that it was time to start asking for some money.
And would they feel a bit upset when the BBC kicked them out and brought in the next "I'd do it for nothing" serf to fill their shoes?
Writers who write for nothing are shafting other writers.
It's that simple.
When I lived in Glasgow many years ago the Bank Street prozzies were charging, according to local gossip, about 20 quid a go.
But there was quite a kerfuffle when some local schoolgirls started asking for 50p/blowjob behind the Anderson Bus Station. The market went crazy until the 'invisible hand' (local gangsters) moved in and set the rates back to normal.
Tragic times, but at least those schoolgirls had a better sense of economics and personal dignity than some of the posters on this thread.
Quote: Lazzard @ March 9 2012, 11:44 PM GMTWriters who write for nothing are shafting other writers.
It's that simple.
That's not a good thing. I have met a lot of writers!!
Quote: Jinky @ March 10 2012, 2:35 AM GMTWhen I lived in Glasgow many years ago the Bank Street prozzies were charging, according to local gossip, about 20 quid a go.
That local gossip eh?
Radio just isn't very well paid. Whether you're a producer, a presenter, a tech op, or in this instance - a writer.