As a recent graduate, Jean Chan secured a sought after place on the apprenticeship programme at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Her skills were further tested a year later when she applied for the Linbury Prize where her final task was to design a set for The Garbage King, directed by Rosamund Hutt. The set involved recreating a landfill site where recycled puppets, costumes and scenes would spring out of the debris and for this feat she won the coveted prize in 2009.
Jean went on to assist other designers including Katrina Lindsay and Jon Bauser with whom she worked on the Paralympics Opening Ceremony. She has created sets for The Hairy Ape and The Irish Giant at Southwark Playhouse, Hamlet YPS at the RSC and Alice by Heart at the Lyric LYC.