Jake Arnott left school at sixteen. He has since worked as a labourer, a mortuary technician, a theatrical agent's assistant, an artist's life model, an actor and a sign language interpreter.

During the eighties he lived in various squats in London. In 1989 he moved to Leeds to work for Red Ladder, the radical theatre company. After a national tour with them he began to write, supporting himself on a part time job with Leeds Social Services as resource centre worker.