Scenic Metalwork Apprentice - RM191RJ in Lee

The Royal Ballet and Opera continues to lead the way in opera, ballet, music and dance both live on stage and through multiple digital platforms, from live streaming to worldwide cinema screenings. Our Covent Garden theatre has been at the heart of London and British cultural life for three centuries. We are home to two world-class Companies: The Royal Ballet and The Royal Opera.

The Scenic Construction Team are looking for a new Scenic Metalwork Apprentice. This apprenticeship is perfect for someone who enjoys making, building and working with tools. If you're interested in engineering, craftsmanship or constructing things from scratch, you'll find this hands-on workshop environment exciting and rewarding. Ideal for someone looking to develop the specialist metalworking skills used in creating stage sets.

Apprenticeship Scheme, Fixed Term Contract (2 years) starting September 2026. Salary: £28,089.10 for 42.5 hours per week. Based in: High House Production Workshop, Purfleet Essex.

We are one of the busiest theatres in the world, delivering more than 400 performances each year and our backstage teams are some of the best theatre craftspeople in the world. We want to encourage fresh, passionate new talent into the building and our apprenticeship scheme plays a big part in that! An apprenticeship gives you the practical skills and knowledge that will underpin your professional development and access to a network of people who can guide and support you during your career.

What our apprentices say: "It has taught me invaluable on-the-job experience to start my career in a unique job role." The role is on a fixed-term contract for 2 years, full-time (42.5 hours per week) and based at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. During the Apprenticeship you will work at RBO and study alongside with the College Training Provider, South Essex College. You will study for a Level 2 Engineering Operative Apprenticeship Standard.

Will I be paid? Yes! You will earn National Living Wage, after successfully completing your first year this will rise by 2.5%. Apprentices are expected to use this to pay for their own travel to work and college. College fees will also be paid by the Royal Ballet and Opera.

Am I eligible?

• You must be 18 years old or over by 7th September 2026.
• You must have work authorisation for the UK.
• You must have been ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom for at least the past three consecutive years prior to the start of the programme. This is a mandatory requirement in line with apprenticeship funding regulations.
• This is a Level 2 apprenticeship; therefore, applicants must be suitable for study at that level and NOT:
• You must not have completed a degree or equivalent level qualification in the UK or elsewhere, regardless of subject.
• You must not have experience (over six months) of working in a similar role as your skill level will be above the apprenticeship level.

How to apply: To apply, please click on 'Apply' and answer the application questions outlining how your experience demonstrates the essential criteria in the job description. Download and read the Job Description, as well as the full Job Pack, it includes some handy guidance for submitting your application. Please read these in addition to the guidance document; for example, our job pack emphasises the need for demonstrating interests/experience in the question section of the online application and the guidance document notes that the shortlisting panel is not able to view covering letters or CVs and that a CV is only used to pre-populate parts of the application form.

The Royal Ballet and Opera is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment in which everyone can thrive. We particularly welcome applications from those who are from a global majority background and/or those who are disabled, as they are under-represented within our organisation. We are a Disability Confident Employer, which means that we are actively working to ensure that candidates with disabilities and long-term health conditions feel supported, engaged and able to fulfil their potential in the workplace. We will endeavour to offer an interview to candidates who tell us they wish to participate in the scheme and who demonstrate in their application that they meet the essential criteria for the role, though sometimes due to the volume of qualified candidates with declarations this is not possible.

If you have any questions, please contact the Apprenticeships Team. You can also contact us if you have any access needs for making an application. For a list of potential reasonable adjustments, please review this guidance document. Please note we will provide questions in advance for first round apprenticeship interviews. For further information, you can also take a look at the Apprenticeship page on our website.

Date for applications: 11:59pm, Sunday 14th June 2026. The RBO is also committed to safeguarding and protecting all children, young people, and adults and we implement robust safer recruitment practices. Due to our safeguarding promise, certain roles will be subject to a DBS check before commencing employment with us, which will be indicated in the advertising. To ensure a fair process, late applications will not be considered under any circumstances.

Applicants must have work authorisation for the UK. No agencies.