Careers in the cultural sector appeal to those passionate about Arts and Culture, but also to graduates from all fields (humanities, communications, or even business) who wish to move into a sector where they can thrive. Culture and the Arts offer many careers that could suit you. Here is the key information about cultural careers:

Careers in Culture: What Are They?

Culture professions are based on exchanges and encounters. They are characterized by one main goal: defending the diversity of forms of participation and expression in the field of the arts and culture. Other goals corresponding to the different fields accompany it: educating, entertaining, exchanging, showcasing, provoking emotions, enabling escape, spreading knowledge, opening spaces for debate, raising awareness of causes and cultural development.

Culture professions touch on the field of cultural mediation. Its cultural missions include:

  • promoting an artist and their works;
  • promoting a venue, cultural institutions, a heritage site, and/or events;
  • initiating or creating educational activity workshops or programs;
  • of the distribution of an artistic work or a cultural work;
  • supporting a cultural project or an artistic project;
  • coordinating a project or event;
  • communication around a project or cultural activities or organizations with the aim of familiarizing people with culture, etc.

Cultural management professionals are notably in charge of the creation, implementation and mediation of cultural projects. They create a link between the public and the cultural object.

Culture professional

Careers in Culture: In Which Organizations?

Cultural venues: theaters, concert halls, museums, cinemas
Cultural institutions in France and abroad:

  • Cultural centers and spaces, cultural and social centers, Houses of Cultures
  • Alliances Françaises, Embassies
  • The Drac (Regional Directorates for Cultural Affairs)

Places of reception, living and entertainment:

  • vacation centers,
  • Hospitals, rest homes,
  • Youth and Cultural Centers (MJC),
  • Prisons,

Foundations and major patrons of cultureAssociations Cultural and creative industries (music labels, publishing houses, etc.)

Cultural Professions: For Whom?

Careers in culture are accessible after higher education degrees from bac+3 (Bachelor’s) to Bac+5 (Master).

People who did not come from a Culture and Arts track can specialize at a later stage in specialized, career-oriented programs such as those offered at IESA.

Graduates in Literature, History, Philosophy, Communication-Marketing, etc. and interested in careers in Culture?

You can apply to IESA programs right now; the motivation interview will let you showcase your passion for the field.

After a Bac+2?

If you hold a bac+2, you can join a Bachelor Year 3.

After a bachelor’s degree / Bac+3?

A bachelor’s degree or an equivalent title or diploma (180 ECTS) allows you to apply for admission to the Professional Master Cultural Project Management at IESA.

I download the application file

List of careers in culture

There are many careers in culture; to get an overview, here is a non-exhaustive list:

  • Cultural advisor: in an embassy, the advisor heads the cultural department. Their duties are to promote French culture and develop good cultural cooperation with other countries;
  • Cultural action director: defining cultural policy and managing a cultural institution are this professional’s main functions. They also contribute to implementing cultural and administrative policies;
  • Cultural mediator: this professional acts as an intermediary between the public and artists;
  • Audience development manager: the audience development manager’s mission is to define a policy for promoting cultural events and to develop an educational project;
  • Heritage interpreter: this professional’s mission is to coordinate activities aimed at promoting a cultural and historical heritage;
  • Culture project officer: this is the main organizer of a cultural event.
  • Cultural affairs officer: under the authority of the director of cultural affairs, this cultural professional implements a cultural mediation policy and takes part in promoting the municipality’s cultural programs.
  • Director of cultural affairs: designs a cultural policy suited to the region, advises elected officials on budgets, oversees project feasibility, coordinates cultural actions and organizes cultural events.

What Skills Are Needed to Work in Culture?

To succeed in a career in the cultural sector, students must not limit themselves to a program of study. They must also develop their personal interests and skills in order to enrich their knowledge and references. They will thus be convincing when being recruited.

Here are the qualities needed to work in culture:

  • Strong communication and negotiation skills;
  • A very good knowledge of one’s field;
  • A strong team spirit and sense of sharing;
  • An impeccable presentation;
  • Perfect ease with people;
  • A curious mind;
  • Great creativity.

What training is there for cultural professions?

To work in cultural professions, students can join top specialized schools such as IESA. IESA offers several programs: the Bachelor in Cultural Mediation and the Master in Cultural Mediation Policies are the most popular.

The Bachelor in Cultural Production is a 3-year program that lets students earn the title of Cultural Project Production Manager.

Earning theMaster in Cultural Mediation and Audience Development requires 2 years of study after the Bachelor. Once they have completed this program, the student will receive the title of cultural project administrator.

Salaries, status, pay

Cultural professions play an active role in preserving a country’s cultural heritage. A cultural professional’s pay depends mainly on the profession practiced and the scale of the project.

In Cultural Mediation

The pay of an entry-level cultural mediator starts at €1,802 gross per month. This salary can vary depending on several criteria, in particular experience, place of work (local authority, nonprofit, private organization), and status (contract worker, civil servant, or nonprofit sector employee) (Source: Onisep.fr – Career profile: Sociocultural Facilitator – Accessed 05/22/2025).

A beginning tour guide-lecturer generally earns a gross monthly salary of about €1500 (source: l’étudiant, guide-lecturer career - accessed in May 2025).

After gaining experience, cultural mediators and facilitators can move into positions with greater responsibility. In particular, they can become directors of cultural programming and earn around €47500 gross per year (source Glassdoor - Accessed in May 2025).

It is also possible to become a cultural heritage project officer and earn between €1,800 and €2,200 per month at the start of your career. The most experienced earn an average of €2,200 to €3,300 gross per month. (source Onisep - Cultural Project Manager - accessed in May 2025).

Note that positions of responsibility or posts abroad as part of diplomatic missions have different pay levels: for senior positions such as director of a major cultural venue or COCAC (cultural counselor at an embassy), monthly pay starts at €4,000 - €5,000 per month.

In the Private Cultural Sector

On the private side (foundations, cultural industries), pay varies widely and reflects the financial means of the organization. Positions may be permanent contracts for ongoing functions (communication) or assignments for a specific initiative (6 months to 1 year).

Salaries come with additional benefits: transportation coverage, meal vouchers, paid time off (RTT), health insurance, holiday vouchers, and others depending on company agreements.

IESA admission requirements

Registration goes through 4 steps:

  1. Apply via the application form or the online application;
  2. An admission interview: conducted through an individual interview or an admission session;
  3. An admissions committee deliberates to admit the student or not;
  4. An enrollment file to be submitted once the student is admitted.

Upon receipt of the application file, the admissions department contacts the candidate for an admission session or an individual appointment.

IESA’s 3-year Bachelors are intended for students holding a Baccalauréat. Students holding a validated Bac+1 or Bac+2 can join the program in the 2nd or 3rd year through lateral admission procedures.

The 2-year Masters are intended for those with a Bachelor or bachelor’s degree. It is possible to join these programs directly in the 2nd year if you hold a Bac+4.