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Eddy Special user Manchester 582 Posts |
Anyone got any advice whatsoever on how to get jobs in the UK? What's the best strategy?
La magie, c'est ma vie
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invalidity Regular user 170 Posts |
Well, I haven't got a gig of my own yet... but I have an appointment in a week's time with a restaurant manager who is interested in having a magician for his restaurant. I was referred for this gig by a member of my local magic club in Nottingham.
I only just joined the club but he remembered me from my audition when I performed some close-up card magic and thought that I would be perfect for the job seeing how he was already fully booked. It also happens that the restaurant in question is a trendy Chinese restaurant, and I happen to be of Chinese descent! Here's a link to a thread I started on this this very topic not too long ago: http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......5&20 |
jcigam Special user Bellevue, Nebraska 512 Posts |
I am currently living in the UK and am also finding it a bit difficult to find walk-around work. I am however having some success in the Children's Birthday Party field. Without any effort whatsoever I am working 3 to 4 shows a month. I don't do any advertising; it is all just word of mouth.
I have spoken with a few magicians here in the UK and they all tell me the same thing: "British businesses are not accustomed to having entertainment in their establishments and the spectators are not used to tipping." It sounds like a difficult task to get an establishment to pay you for something they aren't used to having and if you could take the job working for tips you may find it difficult to get them. I live in Huntingdon, in between Peterborough and Cambridge. Huntingdon doesn't really have room for a walkaround magician anyway but Cambridge and Peterborough certainly do. I have often thought of Prostituting myself until I made a name out here, maybe then work wouldn't be so difficult to find. Just my two cents (which with the exchange rate, comes out to be about a 1/4 of a pence).
"The mind has exactly the same power as the hand, not merely to grasp the world, but to change it."
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kinesis Inner circle Scotland, surrounded by 2708 Posts |
It took me a long time to get regular restaurant work here in the UK (Scotland). The other thing is that it's not part of our culture to tip people. So I generally work for a set rate and make nothing on tips. So you guys in the US don't know how lucky you are. I happened to be in the right place at the right time. I've done the freebies to get work and just been ripped off by the management. In fact I've probably tried most of the tips given out on the boards at one time or another. I was told by one manager of a large restaurant chain that I would have to pull in twice as much paying customers as I was getting paid. In other words if I charged $100 a night I'd have to make sure that he made an extra $200 per night in increased custom. No way!
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ninjaduffy Veteran user UK 332 Posts |
Cambridge would be great for close up work. I lived there for ten years. There are so many restaurants and don't forget the 20,000 students, venues, music festivals, university balls and parties.... I am thinking of moving back there just cause I know I could get work there.
At the moment I live in Shrewsbury--it's a bit bleak on the work front although a friend of mine does pizza express every Saturday (but the money's rubbish). kev |
placebo New user 79 Posts |
Hey guys
Apparently TGI Fridays employs magicians. I know that my aunt takes my little cousins (aged 5 and 9) to their local TGI Fridays 2 or 3 times a month simply because they enjoy watching the magician so much. And I don't think it's just kids' magic they do either; it's proper table hopping for adults too. |
p.b.jones Inner circle Milford Haven. Pembrokeshire wales U.K. 2642 Posts |
HI,
If you want to make any money from close up here in the UK then you need to look at booking private functions. Restarants are not going (for the most part) to pay much for a performer. As Kinesis said in his post, it is just not that financially viable for them. Even in the US from what I have read here at the Café and elsewhere working restarants for the large part is not what it is cracked up to be... You are working for low fees and/or hustling tips. Some performers say they do it to get the better bookings but yet they seem to do several restaraunts on a ongoing basis so, to me at least, it seems as if really they are doing it because they cannot get enough well-paid work. Phillip |
kinesis Inner circle Scotland, surrounded by 2708 Posts |
Yup, I work two nights a week in a fun pub type bar/restaurant. I also do weddings, corporate hospitality and product launches. You can never be sure if or when the restaurant might get fed up with the idea of a magician, so I'm looking to approach a couple of other restaurants in the near future. You might like to offer your services to some of the larger hotel chains to work Christmas day or New Years to get your foot in the door. If you can sacrifice a few hours around mid-day, hotels are always looking for magicians to entertain guests staying over the festive period, during Christmas lunch for instance. It pays well too!!
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matthewjohnson Loyal user Canada 239 Posts |
Hi guys,
I used to live in the UK (where I was born). I now live in Vancouver, Canada. To cut a long story short I got my work in the UK from a newspaper called The Stage. The web site is http://www.thestage.co.uk This paper advertises contract work where you will do gigs for 1 to 6 months at a time but is a great resource if you are looking to work! Understand that this paper is UK wide so when you audition for the gigs in it you will be going up against magicians from all over the UK and may have to travel to the auditions. It's worth it though. I went on cruises for two years and then spent 2 years in Nagoya, Japan for a major hotel chain as the resident magician. Finally I ended up in Vancouver, Canada where I now live and work as a full time magician. All of this came from The Stage. It's a great paper and I would not have done all that without it. Replace this text with the contents of your letter. |
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