Are you earning enough?

Research carried out by Directors UK - based on a survey of our members - indicated that the average weekly rate for a factual television director is around £1,400, and it’s encouraging to learn that this is the case for both male and female directors.

If you’re earning less than this and you have first-rate experience under your belt, you might want to bear this in mind when the awkward question of fees and rates comes up at your interview.

Last year’s survey into pay provided a lot of valuable information, but because factual television spans such a wide variety of genres we’re keen to take a more in-depth look at the state of factual pay across every sector. For instance, how are rates affected by: the types of programmes directors make, the time they’re broadcast, the regions they’re made in, and the levels of experience put into these projects.

We want to discover where the anomalies lie in the way factual directors are treated so we can empower our members to push for what they deserve, and lobby the industry to create a fair and level playing field for everyone.

Directors UK has already achieved great success with this in drama and entertainment. For example, last year our research provided us with the evidence we needed to campaign for an enhanced minimum rate of pay for directors on Coronation Street. As a result the landscape is starting to change shape. We negotiated a 2% pay rise in April 2015, then a rise of 3.3% in November 2015 and a further 2% rise expected in November 2016.

It’s now time to change the landscape for factual directors and you can help pave the way. As part of our focus on factual, we’ll soon be sending out an in-depth survey for those directing factual programmes for television. Look out for more information soon.