Graduating from your vocational or undergraduate dance course can be daunting: how to make the transition into the working world? What to expect? Having trained in your chosen field at such a high level for three or more years, students can feel as though they have been thrown out into the abyss to cope on their own. Rather than anticipating the problems and hardships that might come your way, be excited for the new challenges!

There are many valuable information and job sources out there for new graduates: people, papers, the internet, The Stage, Arts Jobs, The Guardian, Stage Jobs Pro, Creative and Cultural Skills, LinkedIn and social media sites all list at number of jobs that could be your first step into being paid in the industry. For example, joining an association or union - if that is where your interest lies - means you will meet and network with similar people, make new connections and build your contacts of people who could offer you work or you could later work with.

Before you graduate from your course of study, make sure you make the most of the resources around you. Talk to your tutors, as they have a good idea of your strengths and weaknesses and many of them will have worked in the industry before they taught, or are still working in it. Form your own network of other graduates and support each other - you never know when it will pay off.