What is a Studio Teacher?

A studio teacher is a teacher and welfare worker who sees to the education of minors in entertainment, as well as ensuring that the details of their employment do not violate child labor laws or otherwise endanger them or place them in inappropriate situations. Studio teachers are licensed by the state of California, and must hold at least two teaching credentials (a multiple-subject credential and a single-subject credential in one of the core subjects), as well as complete a twelve-hour course on the relevant laws and policies. Any film or television production shooting in California (or shooting outside California if the production company is based in California or employing Californian actors) is generally required by state law to have a studio teacher on set under the following circumstances:

• Whenever a minor under 16 is employed, whether or not school is in session. If it's a schoolday, the minor is required to have three hours of time on set dedicated to schoolwork, under the supervision of the studio teacher. (These hours need not be, and generally will not be, consecutive.) If it's not a schoolday, the minor does not need to have time devoted to schooling on set, but a studio teacher is still required in order to ensure that the production is in accordance with relevant child labor laws and isn't exposing the minor to anything inappropriate or dangerous.
• Whenever a minor of age sixteen or seventeen is employed on a day when he or she would otherwise be in school.

If there are multiple minors present, multiple studio teachers may be needed; the exact number of minors per studio teacher depends on the age of the minors and whether or not school is in session. In general, one studio teacher is required per ten students on a schoolday, or one studio teacher per twenty students if school is not in session. More details are available at the home page of the Studio Teachers Union.