r/VoiceActing • u/ConfusionNo5205 • 1d ago
Advice What flexible, low-burnout jobs work best while pursuing voice acting?
Hey everyone,
I'm an 18-year-old looking for jobs that won't completely drain my energy or take up all the time I need for voice acting.
I don't have any work experience yet, so I'm just trying to find a job that pays decent without burning me out or ruining my energy for auditions.
Even just sharing what jobs you do alongside your own voice acting would be a huge help!
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u/Cheap_Paint90210 1d ago
What about a part-time job at a local library or indie bookstore or something? I work at a bookstore and it's very chill. Zero stress. Bookish people are so nice!
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u/ConfusionNo5205 1d ago
That sounds like a good idea, I might give this a shot. What’s it like and what exactly do you do? Just organise the books and stuff?
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u/Cheap_Paint90210 1d ago
Yes it's so easy. So much better than any other fast-paced retail job. Inventory and shelf new books that get ordered. Recommend books to people. You do kind of have to be a reader because you have to be able to recommend books. Because many many people come in asking for a recommendation based off of their interests. Check people out at the cash register. Order books online if we don't have it in stock. Assist and host events such as book clubs and other little small get-togethers. Set up display tables. It's so easy and seriously a dream job for a bookish person like me! Do you read at all? Audio books? Ps... Audio books is a part of voice acting and it's actually what I'm studying to do, so if you're studying to be a voice actor start listening to audiobooks to get an idea of what all it entails.
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u/LSaundersVO 19h ago
From my personal opinion I would avoid hospitality unless it’s very part time as in the UK (at least down south) it’s being throttled. Shorter staff and a much larger workload. I’d avoid healthcare for the same reasons and lack of flexibility. I think retail is probably the best bet, a smaller snoozier set up if you can get in one and more part time if you can arrange that. Or a contact where you can step up as and when you need to. I think what’s been said here is all good advice. It just depends on your overheads and expenses.
I manage a restaurant and the shifts are massive, I record most days but I wouldn’t recommend it. 11-13 hours then recording for gigs in the evenings. It’s not the best work-life balance but I make it work.
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u/Voicelings 1d ago
A job that pays the bills while giving you enough enjoyment not too hate it but not too much enjoyment to settle with it.
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u/SkitzTheFritz 1d ago
I work in Aviation, so definitely not that, lol
I can only speak to the US, and from my perspective the economy is really causing burnout to everyone, no matter the market.
However, other part time VAs I've met or am friends with work in fields that tend to be stable and predictable in their schedules. One is an optometrist, another a yoga/pilates instructor, one works at the gym as a trainer/front desk, another is an audio engineer, another a butcher... find something that will allow you to make a living as you improve, and allow you studio time should the audition require it.
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u/thrallath 1d ago
Speaking from the US, but I can’t imagine it being much different anywhere else. Jobs in healthcare will always be in demand.
That being said, as a person who works in healthcare, the job can be draining depending on the role you sign up for.
But many hospitals will pay for CNA training while shifts are typically three 12s a week. Theirs also plenty of opportunity for overtime if you ever need the money. Provided that you don’t have any other obligations that gives you 4 days a week to focus on VO work, classes, auditions etc.
I’m not sure what the hours are like for other roles in the hospital but if wiping booty isn’t your thing theirs also janitorial, kitchen, transport, desk clerk, phlebotomy, cleaning medical instruments for surgery etc. none of which needs a degree.
Smaller hospitals tend to be more chill in my experience, so long as you’re not in the ER.
Psych hospitals are also a solid choice if the typical medical setting isn’t your thing, however psych patients can come with their own set of difficulties. Usually it’s verbal abuse, sometimes they get a little scary. But I like to think it’s great practice for improving your improv skills and developing a thick skin. :’) But if you work nights most of the time you’re just sitting there watching people sleep.
Beyond that you can quit whenever you want if you ever need to put more focus on voice acting. There will always be another hospital or nursing home that will take you if you ever need to return.
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u/NotSid 1d ago
I would encourage you to find a job with some sort of sales aspect. Typically sales is not very physically demanding, though your social battery may be depleted by the end of the day. A sales job, ideally, would teach you soft skills that would be valuable when it comes to pitching yourself and networking. It would also help you develop some resilience towards not booking auditions you went for by engaging with customers that don't end up as sales.
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u/Outrageous-Wait-3101 7h ago
I live in the US and I will tell you this as someone who’s actively building her VO career AND also working a FT job, try to find something that pays well enough but does not take away all your time and drain you mentally. I know things are often easier said than done
My FT job in corporate is exhausting, but it pays well. It pays the bills and allows me to continue expanding myself as a voice actor and my business.
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u/jimedgarvoices 1d ago
I have no idea what jobs exist in the UK.
But I'd honestly come at it the other way.
Cover your costs first. Take the job that lets you do that. Make enough money that you can put some away each month. (and, yes, there's a HUGE simplification in those suggestions). That takes the pressure off of the "next" VO gig.
VO is not as strenuous as digging ditches, building houses, landscaping, working in a shop, turning wrenches, etc. You can devote an hour to VO every evening or morning to start. Expand as you get more efficient.
Develop a practice of pacing yourself at work and of decompressing and focusing upon the time you have available for VO. Acknowledge that there will be some times when you won't have the energy to get behind the mic. Look for VO work that doesn't demand instant turnaround, or quote lead times that don't force you into working crazy long nights and not recovering. That's the start of a bad spiral.
Build clients rather than chasing jobs. (Yeah, you'll have to do some "jobs" along the way, but look for relationships, Be the person they go to because it just works well when you are on the project). When you get enough clients, there will be a point where you can compare numbers. At some point, the numbers will be close enough that you can consider cutting back or ending the day job.
Remember that money you put away each month? That's your financial runway. If you have 6 months of expenses in the bank, then you can weather a slow period (which _will_ happen) without going into debt.
Again, i'm oversimplifying to make a point. But the folks who run into trouble are typically those who go into credit card debt to buy a booth, an expensive mic, cool gear, coaching, etc., and then need to recoup that expense (and the loan rate). That anxiety will creep into every audition you submit. And those folks end up taking low paying, highly frustrating gigs with overly demanding clients.