What Qualifications Do You Need to Apply for AV Jobs?

Read through a few AV jobs and you’ll start to notice the same strings of letters. CTS preferred. CSCS essential. IPAF an advantage. Dante Level 2 desirable. It can feel like you need a whole collection of certificates before you’re even allowed to apply.

The good news is that you don’t. Most AV jobs don’t ask for a degree, and plenty of entry-level roles don’t ask for any formal qualifications at all. But knowing what all those letters mean, and when they actually matter, makes it much easier to apply with confidence.

Do you need a degree for AV jobs?

No. A degree isn’t a requirement for most AV jobs in the UK. The National Careers Service lists college courses and apprenticeships as the main routes in. It says qualifications in areas like sound technology or electronics may help, but they’re not essential.

If you’re going down the apprenticeship route, the entry requirements are clear. An advanced apprenticeship usually asks for five GCSEs at grades 9 to 4, including English and maths. If you’re still working out which route suits you, our guide on how to become an AV technician in the UK walks through each one.

The qualifications AV employers look for

Once you’re in the industry, the qualifications that matter tend to fall into a few groups.

Industry certifications

These show employers you know your stuff, and they come up in job adverts more than anything else.

• CTS (Certified Technology Specialist). AVIXA’s CTS is one of the best-known AV certifications. There are no formal entry requirements, but AVIXA recommends at least six months of experience first. The exam costs $490 for non-members and is taken at a Pearson VUE test centre.
• CTS-I and CTS-D. These are the specialist next steps, focusing on installation and design. To take the CTS-I, you’ll need a valid CTS first, and AVIXA recommends three to four years of experience.
• Dante Certification. Dante is the industry standard for sending audio over a network. Audinate’s three levels of Dante Certification are completely free.
• CEDIA CIT. If you’re interested in smart homes and home cinema, CEDIA’s Cabling & Infrastructure Technician certification is aimed at people in the first few years of their career. There are no prerequisites, and the exam is 120 multiple-choice questions in two hours, which you can take online.
• Manufacturer training. Many brands run their own courses on their systems. For example, Q-SYS training starts with a Level One course you can do online.

Site safety and access cards

A lot of AV work happens on construction sites or at height, so these cards often appear in job adverts for installation and live events roles.

• CSCS card. Many construction sites won’t let you on without one. To get it, you need to have passed the CITB Health, Safety and Environment test within the last two years. Apprentice cards are free.
• IPAF PAL card. The PAL card shows you’re trained to operate mobile elevating work platforms, like scissor lifts and cherry pickers. It’s valid for five years.
• PASMA Towers for Users. This one-day course covers how to safely build and use mobile access towers. You get a PASMA photo card, which usually lasts five years.

Background checks

If you work in schools or with vulnerable people, you may need a DBS check. There are different levels of DBS check, and roles working with children usually need an enhanced one. It’s not a qualification as such, but it’s worth knowing about if you’re applying for AV jobs in education.

Which qualifications matter for which AV jobs?

Different areas of AV value different things, so it helps to focus on the ones that fit the kind of work you want.

• Corporate and systems integration. CTS and Dante come up a lot here, along with manufacturer training for the systems a company uses.
• Installation. Site cards matter most, so expect to see CSCS, IPAF and PASMA in job adverts.
• Live events. Working at height is common, so IPAF and PASMA are useful, and Dante is handy for networked audio.
• Smart homes and home cinema. CEDIA CIT is the one to look at if this is where you want to work.
• Schools and universities. You’ll often need an enhanced DBS check before you can work on site.

Always check the job advert carefully. Employers usually mark qualifications as either “essential” or “desirable”, and a desirable one shouldn’t stop you from applying.

Is experience more important than qualifications?

In a lot of cases, yes. Look closely at those certifications and you’ll notice something. AVIXA recommends six months of experience before the CTS, and three to four years before the CTS-I. Even the organisations behind the qualifications expect you to have spent time on the job first.

That’s why so many people in AV build their qualifications gradually, picking up one as they need it rather than trying to collect them all upfront. Start with the free ones, like Dante, and add others as your career heads in a particular direction.

Not sure which qualifications your next role needs?

Every role is different, and job adverts don’t always make it clear what’s really needed. Our consultants work across AV every day, so we can tell you what a role actually requires and what’s just a bonus.

See the AV jobs we’re recruiting for, or register with us and we’ll help you find a role that fits the experience you already have.