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Modelling scams, what to look out for?

Most people entering the world of modelling are young and impressionable and full of anticipation and excitement. Unfortunately there are many illegitimate agencies and tricksters who pray on this vulnerability and give modelling a bad name. If you’re interested in embarking on a career in modelling, keep your wits about you at all times and be on the lookout for any suspicious deals or offers. Here are some tips on how to spot the scams from the genuine modelling agencies and assignments so that you don’t end up out of pocket and disillusioned – or even worse, in personal danger.

Portfolio photographs

Some photographers offer portfolio packages for people aspiring to be models, often charging several hundred or even over a thousand pounds to shoot a series of photographs to make up a portfolio for agencies. This is a waste of money and the finished portfolio that you get won’t necessarily be what the agency is looking for. The photographer will usually shoot all the photographs of you in one sitting, so they’ll all have a similar look and feel with similar backdrops and of course you won’t have much of a chance to change your style of clothing or make-up. Several photographs that all look very similar are no use to an agency as they don’t give an impression of how versatile you can be. Instead, they’ll be looking for a variety of shots taken on different days by different photographers, all in different settings and with different styles. If you’re just starting out, you won’t be expected to produce a varied portfolio like this to an agency. A few inexpensive professional shots will be fine, and you can build up your portfolio as you gain experience. Don’t pay much more than £100-£140 for some professional test shots. It’s wise to employ a professional make-up and hair artist, though, but this needn’t be expensive – no more than £30 to £50.

Contracts – the small print

As with anything, never sign on the dotted line until you’ve read all the terms and conditions of the contract and fully understand them. And no matter how eager you are, don’t just glance over it on the spot – take it home so that you can read over it fully without feeling under pressure. No genuine agency will pressure you into signing there and then. Get someone else to read over it too, as they might spot things that you hadn’t noticed. If anything seems unclear to you or you have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask the agency. If they’re legitimate, they’ll willingly give you an open and honest explanation. Some key areas to look out for are clauses detailing fees and charges – are they reasonable? Also look out for clauses that tie you into the contract for a certain period – is this acceptable to you? Another potential grey area is what will happen to any images of you taken by the agency. Check that you will not be signing away any rights, otherwise you could end up seeing your image in places that you would never have consented to.

Even legitimate agencies may try to give you a contract that isn’t very favourable to you – remember they’re in it to make money – so be on your guard and fight your corner to get a good deal for yourself.

Bogus modelling or casting agencies

Setting up a fake agency can be a real money-spinner for con artists who use flattery and glamour to prey on young and impressionable wannabe models. The ‘casting agencies’ tend to operate by hosting ‘casting sessions’ in hotels across the country, enticing people to pay an up-front fee to register with them and have photographs taken so that they can help them to find work with modelling agencies. They often offer a ‘money-back guarantee’ if they don’t manage to find you employment within a certain period. Sometimes they do find work with an agency, but the agency is just as bogus as they are and is usually run by the same people. Again, the agency asks for an up-front fee to join, so victims end up paying twice. It’s all a scam to run off with people’s fees and victims never hear from them again – and never get their money back.

A genuine modelling agency will never charge an up-front registration fee. You shouldn’t ever be charged anything until you’ve completed the first assignment they’ve arranged for you.

Model competitions

Good and reputable agencies don’t charge any entry fees for their competitions. If you come across a competition where an entry fee is required, even if they say it’s to cover the cost of photographs and administration, and even if they look slick and professional, steer clear – they’re just after your money.

Bear in mind that a model competition isn’t the same thing as a beauty pageant, which will normally – and quite legitimately – charge an entry fee to cover the costs of hosting the event.

Model training

Beware of agencies that insist upon you completing a day’s training run by themselves at your own cost in order to register and obtain work with them. No model can be trained in a day – it takes practice and experience – so any claims of turning you into a professional model in an instant are nonsense. Genuine agencies may offer to send you on training courses but they shouldn’t charge you up front. Any costs incurred will normally be charged to you after you have started earning with the agency.

Free photo shoots

Often advertised in the classified sections of newspapers and magazines, these scams offer free photo shoots for people aspiring to be models. However, as the old saying goes, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. These tricksters end up with a free set of photographs that they can use to unscrupulously sell to various publications, making a profit out of you which you don’t see a penny of. What makes it worse is that you have no control over how your photographs are used and you could find your picture in undesirable or inappropriate publications. This is especially the case where the advertised ‘free photo shoot’ is looking for potential glamour models. Worse still, you could end up putting yourself in danger as many of these shoots are conducted in hotel bedrooms or other private places. Never go anywhere without telling someone else first, and if possible take someone to accompany you. Don’t be bullied into doing anything you don’t want to do and if you smell a rat, get out as soon as possible. These criminals sometimes use the opportunity to cajole young, innocent victims into performing sexual favours for them or attempt to sexually assault them.

Very few models make it to the top echelons of the modelling world where the big money is made – as high fashion magazines and catwalk supermodels. What can you expect to earn in a career in modelling then? Read on to find out.

In reality, most models make a living as self-employed contractors, charging a fee for every assignment they work on. Often they’re registered with a modelling agency, which helps find work for them and takes a cut of their payment for each job as a fee. The average fee charged by most agencies is around one-fifth of what the model is paid.

Because modelling is essentially a freelance job, it doesn’t offer a great deal of job security and it can be difficult to remain constantly in work. The ideal situation would be to jump directly from one assignment to the next, but models often find themselves with gaps in their diaries. This is where a modelling agency can come in very handy. A professional and experienced agency will do a good job of promoting all of its models and searching for work for them. It can be a stressful and time-consuming task for a model trying to hunt for a job, especially if they’re not yet very familiar with the industry and don’t have many contacts in the field, and it also requires a great deal of self-confidence and good negotiation skills, so registering with an agency can relieve a lot of the pressure from what can already be a pressured job.

It’s crucial to check the terms and conditions of the agency’s contract before signing up, though, to understand exactly what they will charge and what the model will have to pay themselves. Models should expect to cover their own travel expenses for auditions and assignments. If they are successful in obtaining the assignment, they can claim back their expenses as part of their fee to the client. Models also normally have to pay for their own training, even if it’s organised by the agency. However, the agency may pay up front for the training and expect repayment at a later date once the model is established or completes their first assignment.

For almost every assignment, the client will hold auditions to find the model who’s right for them. This means that many models spend much of their time rushing from one audition to the next, often without success. It’s therefore important for models to take care of their body and image all the time, even when really busy, so that they look their best for prospective clients. This means creating a strict beauty regime and adhering to it religiously.

Models starting out can expect to earn as low as £50 per assignment and may need to supplement their income with other work. As they progress, modelling has the potential to earn them £100 to £500 or even £1,000 per assignment.

Career progression in modelling is based on experience of assignments, which helps the model to build up a varied portfolio as a sales pitch for potential clients and agencies as well as getting their name known. Experience also helps to build a network of contacts – it’s always easier to get work if you know the right people. As models become more experienced and more well known, they can command higher fees and more prestigious jobs.

Modelling is rarely a life-long career. As it’s based mainly on image, youth is important and many models find their careers starting to wane from as young as their mid 20s to early 30s. In fact, the prime age for female models is as young as 16 to 18. So, it helps to have a fall-back career for when the modelling work starts to dry up. Some young models get swept up in the glamour and excitement of their first few modelling assignments as teenagers and misguidedly let their education slip, leaving them with nothing to fall back on when their modelling days are over, which could be as young as their mid 20s. By this time it may be more difficult to recover their education and/or vocational training in order to change career.

In fact, for many models, their career in modelling is very short-lived as it takes a great deal of courage, commitment, stamina, self-confidence and resilience to cope with the highly pressured, extremely competitive, unpredictable and often critical environment. It’s essential to be mentally tough in order to deal with the rejection that models often face, and to cope with being frequently in and out of work. Many models become disillusioned with the industry and leave after only a few months.