I have just started my bronze and just go to lessons once a week. I hope to get along to the social nights and I practice a lot at home. As a child I did gymnastics and I also did a bit of calisthenics when I was a teenager (I'm now 22. How long will it take until I can go into competitions and does anyone have any advice?

There are competitions for all different levels, ranging from "newcomer" up to the top pros that you sometimes see on TV. There are bronze level competitions, silver level, and so on. How long it takes to get ready is really something that is best decided between you, your partner, and your coach. Or you and your teacher if you're doing Pro/Am.

Do you enter into the bronze level competitions taken after you have the bronze metal? Or can you enter them before?

as soon as you feel good dancing with your partner, you should compete

In the US you can enter any level at any time you want, so long as you haven't won too many points in that level already. There are no tests or points required to get in to a level -- the points I mentioned are just there to kick people up to the next level if they've done well enough on their current one.

I don't know how it works in other countries.

Usualy couples will only dance up one leval and even then only when they are consistenly in the final of their own leval. It would really screw up the works if someone at gold leval dance at championship leval. First they would stick out like a sore thumb and second thy would pose a risk to other dancers. It would be like a car driving at 40 mph on the highway when every one else is doing 60 mph. But the question was, how long does it take to become a competitor? Some studios and dances have prebegginer competitions. My advice would be to get your gold medal before competing as this gives you a strong foundation to start with,a foundation that will keep you dancing throughout your live.