At the end of Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan, a dying Captain Miller, aka Tom Hanks, is cradled in the arms of an anonymous US army medic. That man is Chris Bridgeman, an art teacher from Hampton, Middlesex, who earns about £3,000 a year working as a film and television extra in his spare time.

Mr Bridgeman, 31, takes advantage of the long holidays that his job offers to indulge what he sees as a paid hobby. “It’s great. I can make money doing what I love.”

The work has other advantages. Mr Bridgeman met his girlfriend, Amy Irvine, on set five years ago. Ms Irvine, 29, is a postgraduate student and regular extra, who specialises – like her boyfriend – in police roles.

Work as an extra lets nonactors see the operation of the film and television industries up close – as well as catch glimpses of themselves on the big screen.

It brings significant bragging rights too, even if much of the work is, in the words of Clive Hurst, a councillor at Equity, the trade union representing performers and artists, “about as exciting as watching paint dry”.

So, who can become an extra, and how? “You need to be reliable – and to have a good alarm clock,” says Chris Villiers, an actor and founder of 2020, a leading agency for extras. The work is best suited to the self-employed or those with flexible hours or long holidays, so teachers, students and taxi drivers are well represented.

Joining an agency is the main route in, although occasional opportunities can be found online or in newspaper ads. An agency will generally charge an initial £30 to £80 – deductible from earnings – for entry on its books, then commission of about 15 per cent on earnings.

Pay rates, set under union agreements and reviewed annually, range from £80 to £160 a day for standard film and television work, to some £1,000plus for rare work in high-profile commercials.

The big agencies all belong to the National Association of Supporting Artiste Agencies (NASAA). But you should be wary of “agencies” that host castings in hotels and charge upfront fees. “The vast majority of those who pay upfront receive no work,” says Mr Hurst, whose website www. anactor.net exposes the scammers.

Extras are contacted when work becomes available. Last year, Mr Bridgeman, who is with 2020, worked for 35 days. But Mr Villiers says that this is atypical. “If you get five days a year, you’re on track, twelve days is good.”

Certain “types” tend to be called more often. Young, attractive extras in their twenties and thirties are popular, as are males with long hair, who find work as tramps and eco-warriors, or as Cavaliers and Celts. Extras with “character” faces are in demand too.

Special skills can be as important as appearance. A background in the armed forces – or in a university Officer Training Corps (OTC) or the Territorial Army – can help to land military roles.

Service in his university’s OTC secured Mr Bridgeman work in Band of Brothersand Land Girls, as well as Saving Private Ryan. It also bagged him the part of a Roman legionary in Gladiator, which involved a “not-so-fake” battle against “barbarians” near Farnham, Surrey.

Owning a range of clothes and uniforms can also improve your employ-ability. Mr Bridgeman has invested £1,500 in police kit, which, he says, has paid for itself in commissions. Extras who wear their own costumes receive an extra payment of about £16 a day.

Production companies do not pay more if you have to wear a suit, but expect men to have one, as well as a good variety of casual clothing.

“Walk-ons” are paid about £20 a day more than other extras. Ray Knight, founder of Ray Knight Casting, another top agency, says: “As a rule, supporting artistes are part of the scenery; walk-ons are in the story. In a restaurant scene, most customers would be supporting artistes, but the waiter would be a walk-on.”

Meals, drinks and snacks are free on set, often from excellent caterers. Overtime is common, at rates of £12plus an hour. Travel expenses are also covered, but may not stretch to long-distance rail fares. Most extras drive or car-share.

Travelling hundreds of miles for a day or two’s work does not deter some extras. Mr Bridgeman regards the occasional long-distance job as a “jolly” with mates.

In fact, the camaraderie of the work is one of the main draws for most regular extras; they get to know each other over shoots and meet up for drinks after each day’s work.

But those hoping for a big break into acting will be disappointed. Mr Knight says: “It’s not a route into anything, it’s an industry in itself. Only a couple of the 10,000 extras I’ve had on my books have made it as actors.”

Extra rules

Sign up with an agency

Visit the NASAA website, www.nasaa.org.uk , for a list of contact details. Big names include 2020 (020-8746 2020), Ray Knight (020-7449 2478) and Casting Collective (020-8962 0099).

Answer calls The more often you are available, the more often you are likely to be called.

Behave Act unprofessionally and you could find yourself escorted off the set – and struck off your agency’s book.

Pay tax National insurance is often deducted at source, but you will probably have to register for self assessment for income tax.

Patience is a virtue . . . Extras spend much of their time waiting around on set, so pack your iPod and a good book. Production companies may take weeks to pay your agency, a delay that will be passed on to you.