Hi Laela. Welcome aboard! So lovely to have you here! ❤️ I think you’re going to really enjoy this community. One thing we’re encouraging everyone to do is not just sign up, but really GET INVOLVED! Tell us a little about yourself, where you are in your acting journey, what you’re working on, and how we can support you. And since you’ve joined us on a Tuesday, your timing couldn’t be better! Have a look at our very first Tongue Twister Tuesday Challenge and give it a go! 🎬 We want to see your face, hear your voice and get to know you! Welcome to The Actors Copilot! Claire 😀

Hi Nayel, It was honestly so lovely to have you with us last night! I noticed how focused you were throughout the whole masterclass and how much you seemed to be taking everything in. It was really great to see. I hope we get to see more young actors like you joining us, because being curious, listening and learning about the industry is such a great place to start. Really hope to see you again at the next masterclass! And in the meantime, don’t be shy: if you have a question about acting, the industry, or anything you’re working on, post it here. We’ll always do our best to help. Claire 🙌

Hi Jacek This is a tough one! I would definitely look at something self-employed and flexible that you can eventually do from home. Things like virtual assistant work, social media management, video editing, online tutoring, voice-over work, copywriting, bookkeeping, website management or other freelance skills you can do from a laptop. The important thing isn't so much what the job is, but whether you can gradually build towards having more control over your own time. If a shoot suddenly comes in for three weeks, ideally you want to be in a position where you can reorganise your workload rather than having to ask an employer for permission. I'd also look at the skills you already have rather than trying to build a completely new career. Your side job should ultimately support your acting career and give you the freedom to say yes when acting work comes in, rather than becoming another full-time career you have to fit your acting around. Having said that, we completely understand that sometimes you have to take a full-time job. Bills have to be paid! If that's where you are right now, use whatever spare time you have to keep honing your craft and, at the same time, start building a skill or freelance income stream that could eventually give you more flexibility. Tracey was in exactly this position early in her career. She went from restaurant to restaurant and regularly got herself into trouble because an acting opportunity would come along and she'd have to cancel shifts. It's one of the realities actors have been dealing with forever. You could also look at jobs where flexibility is already part of the structure: temp work, hospitality and event work, supply teaching or tutoring, freelance crew work, remote administrative work, pet or house sitting, delivery work, seasonal work, or anything where you can choose shifts rather than being tied to a rigid schedule. Bottom line: look at the skills you already have and think about how you could eventually turn one of them into something flexible and preferably self-employed. You don't necessarily have to get there tomorrow. Work towards it.