Make Me A Model | Represented

Advice for the aspiring model

Don't part with money to the Scammers

 

How not to get ripped off!

Ok in all fairness it's not usually about being ripped off it's usually more about paying large amounts of money to a company who will help you to become a model. When you search the web about becoming a model there are lots of websites offering to help you get started in modelling and they are not agencies themselves, but companies that will build you a portfolio and offer you advice that will help you be accepted by an agency. That's what they say anyway. All you need to do is take your dreamer head off and read the pages with your critical head. There is always a small paragraph about being sure you have the looks to be a model, but usually they accept anyone. If you read the testimonials then you will see the person has had the wonderful styling and photoshoot and now they will take the pictures off to an agency. So they have not exactly been accepted by an agency they are going to start approaching them.



Of course the photoshoot and styling probably cost quite a few pounds and the pictures will have cost even more. We are not saying don't do it, if that's what you want then great go for it, but be realistic and remember a good agency can pick girls and boys for an interview from a mobile phone picture.



The UK law clearly states that an agency cannot charge a registration fee, so these companies get over this by not being agencies and watch out there are lot of them out there. If you are considering this ask the company what guarantees they give you. Remember if you as a UK consumer are paying out several hundred pounds you are entitled to expect a result other than nice pictures.



There are agencies that even after you have paid a fortune to have a great portfolio created will tell you they only use their own pictures which they charge you for before they put you on their books. Remember being put on their books does not mean they will find you any work.



Next there are model agencies that don't charge you for pictures or registration, but an annual admin fee and of course keep emailing you suggesting you would stand more chance if you upgraded to their pro account for your own web page etc. If you believe this you will be disappointed I promise you. As a test we joined up a professional model with one of these agencies and paid the annual fee and also upgraded to the full Star account. Although she regularly gets emails saying clients have looked at her page she has never had a job. This is a professional model who is working full time and getting lots of work from other sources.



So ask yourself this question when thinking of paying any agency. If every model on their books pays them what I'm about to pay how much money are they making from the models rather than any clients. This one question can be quite telling.



Finally there are of course villains who prey on girls and boys that want to be models. The scam is simple. They advertise in local press that they will be at such and such hotel in town (usually a good one) holding auditions for models. Naturally everyone who turns up is accepted, your credit card is swiped 4 or 5 pictures are taken by a guy with a camera who will give them to you on a disc. That's it you will never hear any more. 50 girls on a Saturday at £150 each, nice work if you can get it. £7,500 so even taking out the £200 to hire the ballroom and the £90 to advertise a nice little earner. Ignore the fact that a real model might be present she most likely has no idea what is going on, just hired for the day to look good.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

It's not all doom and gloom read the other articles and find out how YOU can get it all to work for you.

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