We are pleased to announce that a new search/job tag has been added, and will officially "start" on September 1, 2022: Professional Jobs.

In this case, "Professional" refers to the pay, specifically that the pay is at least equal to the prevailing full, non-tipped minimum wage in the area in which the work will be performed. We are using this benchmark because it already exists, and is something both the employer and the prospective employee can check. Going forward, we encourage all employers posting jobs that meet or exceed this threshold to use the "Professional Job" checkbox when filling out the form.

NOTE: This specifically refers to the actual paycheck payment, not the possible "value" of the pay plus any provided housing, stipend, travel, or benefits. Jobs that only pay stipends do not qualify for the Professional Job tag. Internship listings, by the nature of them being Internships and not jobs, also do not qualify even if the pay requirement is met.

Also note: this is not about quality of the work of the employer, or its "stature" in the industry. I've seen plenty of arguably "professional quality" productions at otherwise "amateur/volunteer" theatres, and some pretty amateur looking productions from otherwise "big name" theatres.

While new and edited listings can now make use of this tag, quick-search and sidebar link addition, as well as any major rule enforcement related to this new tag, will not begin until September 1, 2022. This is to allow time for listings to start using the new tag, and not be unfair to those listings that otherwise qualify but were posted before it was an option.

This is not to shame or limit the reach of our users who post jobs from smaller companies or groups, who honestly post the pay (or lack of it) they can offer. OffStageJobs has, from the beginning of its now 25 years of existence, always allowed job listings from live entertainment groups of every size. From volunteer, to local community theatre, to storefronts, to regionals, to Broadway, and beyond. This is just to give an option for those specifically not looking for those smaller groups. The default display will always be ALL jobs.

Additionally, we understand that for many, minimum wage is hardly considered "professional." In the future, we hope to add a tag for livable/industry standard wages. We're just not there yet in terms of a verification method for all possible areas (though we know there are groups working on this). After all, a livable wage in Pittsburgh, PA is very different than the livable wage in Dallas, TX, and both are different than the livable wage in Beaver, UT. But currently all three have the same rock bottom minimum wage of $7.25/hr.