As any want-to-be stuntperson will find by checking this web site's Workshops section and the Stunt School links in the Recommended Links section, there is no shortage of opportunities to train in stage combat. There is a wide range of stage combat workshops in the USA, UK, Canada, and other countries. Wait a while and there is bound to be one somewhere near you. Sure, you might have to travel a couple of hundred kilometres or miles, but it's worth it.

The stakes are much higher when it comes to choosing a stunt school. There is a far bigger commitment in money, and it may be necessary to travel a considerable distance - even to another country. It is not a decision to be made rashly.

It is important to know that completing a stunt school course does not qualify an attendee to be a stuntperson. It will not necessarily make it any easier for you to get a job doing stuntwork. There are already more stunt people in every country than are needed for the work available. Only about 1 in 10 stunt people are making a full-time living from doing stuntwork. It's a real dog eat dog world at the moment. Even with the most amazing skills in the world, you still might not get any work!

Also, if you live in England, you need to pass high qualification levels in several skill areas to be allowed to join the Stunt Register and do film/TV stuntwork as a trainee only. This is a legal requirement to be allowed to work as a stuntperson in the UK.

In New Zealand there is a similar situation. To be able to join the NZ Stunt Guild you need certain skills in four out of a choice of many areas. See the NZ Stunt Guild site for further information. You can still work as a stuntperson in NZ without being a member of the Guild - if you can get anybody to take a chance on hiring you (not very likely). I strongly recommend getting the necessary skill levels in four areas and the required film/TV work experience needed to join the NZ Stunt Guild. The Guild supports a set of minimum safety standards, work conditions, and pay rates. It is extremely important to have enforceable minimum guidelines in these areas.

In the USA there are no regulations like the UK and NZ, but good luck if you can get anybody to hire you! I do not know what the legal situation is in Australia or other countries. I welcome additional information from readers.

A stunt school course will give you limited experience at performing different types of stunts other than just fights. It should give you a good idea of what types of stunts you'd like to specialize in, and whether stuntwork is really the job for you or not.

I currently have links to schools in Europe, Australia, etc. as well as the USA. There are specialist stunt training schools for driving skills, for children, and for physically disabled people (e.g. with a missing limb). I have never attended any of the stunt schools listed. I cannot and do not make any recommendations as to what school to attend. That decision has to be made by each individual based upon where the school is located, what their course(s) cost, what types of stunts they teach, the qualifications of the instructors, etc. If you want to attend a stunt school you must make an informed decision yourself by visiting their web site, emailing them, and establishing that they are a bona fide business e.g. physical address and off line listings in phone books, etc. going back for some time (so you know they are not a con job set up on the Internet).

I welcome any information or comment about stunt schools listed here by people who have attended them or who have found articles, etc. about them. Also information about any additional stunt schools not already listed would be appreciated. It is my goal to make my workshop and stunt school listings the  most complete on the Internet in order to help people seeking training in stunt and stage combat skills.