Instrument technician to followspot operator
An instrument technician already meets 66% of what the followspot operator role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
37.2/ 100
1 How much of what a followspot operator is expected to do is already part of an instrument technician’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the followspot operator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A followspot operator role treats 13 of its required skills as things an instrument technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adapt to artists' creative demands
- assemble performance equipment
- prepare personal work environment
- prevent fire in a performance environment
- set up equipment in a timely manner
- store performance equipment
What stands in the way is 6 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 16 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A followspot operator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an instrument technician background worth leading with.
- already held assemble performance equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held set up equipment in a timely manner handling and moving
- already held store performance equipment handling and moving
- already held use communication equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held prepare personal work environment management skills
- already held understand artistic concepts communication, collaboration and creativity
All 16 carried skills, including the 13 the followspot operator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 10 missing skills fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn communicate during show required
- still to learn set up follow spots required
- optional, not held adapt designers’ work to the performance venue optional
- optional, not held identify technical resources for performances optional
- still to learn follow safety precautions in work practices required
- still to learn follow safety procedures when working at heights required
- optional, not held perform first fire intervention optional
- still to learn operate follow spots required
- still to learn de-rig electronic equipment required
- optional, not held pack electronic equipment optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a followspot operator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 communicate during show practise this
- 02 operate follow spots practise this
- 03 set up follow spots practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 16 skills that carry over
- already held adapt to artists' creative demands skill
- already held assemble performance equipment skill
- already held prepare personal work environment skill
- already held prevent fire in a performance environment skill
- already held set up equipment in a timely manner skill
- already held store performance equipment skill
- already held understand artistic concepts skill
- already held use communication equipment skill
- already held use personal protection equipment skill
- already held work ergonomically skill
- already held work safely with machines skill
- already held work safely with mobile electrical systems under supervision skill
- already held work with respect for own safety skill
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held keep personal administration skill
- already held manage personal professional development skill
4 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held adapt designers’ work to the performance venue optional
- optional, not held identify technical resources for performances optional
- optional, not held pack electronic equipment optional
- optional, not held perform first fire intervention optional
22 held skills the followspot operator role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise client on technical possibilities skill
- not needed by the target role document your own practice skill
- not needed by the target role draw up instrument setup skill
- not needed by the target role maintain musical instruments skill
- not needed by the target role maintain sound equipment skill
- not needed by the target role manage consumables stock skill
- not needed by the target role organise resources for artistic production skill
- not needed by the target role perform soundchecks skill
- not needed by the target role prepare instruments for performance skill
- not needed by the target role prepare sound equipment on stage skill
- not needed by the target role prevent technical problems of musical instruments skill
- not needed by the target role prevent undesired changes to sound design skill
- not needed by the target role repair musical instruments skill
- not needed by the target role rewire electronic musical instruments skill
- not needed by the target role safeguard artistic quality of performance skill
- not needed by the target role translate artistic concepts to technical designs skill
- not needed by the target role tune instruments on stage skill
- not needed by the target role tune keyboard music instruments skill
- not needed by the target role tune stringed musical instruments skill
- not needed by the target role tune up wireless audio systems skill
- not needed by the target role use technical documentation skill
- not needed by the target role work safely with chemicals skill
Other moves recorded from instrument technician
Common questions about this move
Can an instrument technician become a followspot operator?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An instrument technician already covers 66% of what a followspot operator is expected to do: 16 skills carry over, 13 of which the followspot operator role treats as required.
What skills does an instrument technician need to become a followspot operator?
6 required skills are missing, plus 4 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is communicate during show.
How hard is the move from instrument technician to followspot operator?
Its learning distance is 37.2 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.