Lets all be honest, We’ve dreamed of living a lavish life traveling, taking pictures, wearing designer brands and having fun with no worries of money.
Sometimes we look at models, famous celebrities, popular influencers and we immediately wish to have their lifestyle and be famous. On multiple occasions I’ve told some of my friends that I wanted to be famous and rich. There is nothing wrong with being famous, I just want to make a difference and be known in the fashion world.
With so much envy to be the next big thing we forget to do our research on how to safely approach the fashion/modeling world. So I hope my experiences will help you avoid modeling agencies scams.
I recently attended a few modeling agencies in hope to become a model.
I will cover the first time they contact you, the deposit, the experience at the studio and the consultation.
The first contact
So I applied to a few modeling agencies in London Oxford street. A few days later, I received a very warm call from the agency advising me that “we all personally think that you are very beautiful and you have the face and body that we want and that is a once in a lifetime opportunity”.
At this point I am fairly content because they are telling me everything I wanted to hear. They then said to a secure my place I needed to provide a deposit. The cost of the deposit was £50.00-100.00. I chose the date I was available for the shoot and confirmed it by providing my payment information.
The Deposit
when asked why the deposit was required? They said it was a cancellation l fee that would be refunded upon attendance.
I was ecstatic at the thought of being model in less than a week.
After the payment, I was given instructions and what to bring to the shoot. Usually they will advise you to bring a change of 5-8 outfits including shoes and or anything you may want to include to accentuate your look. Also a reminder to arrive 15-20 minutes before your shoot. They also told me that if I Arrived 30-45 minutes late I would have to reschedule the shoot and pay another deposit on top of the one I had already paid and that if I did not my first deposit would be forfeit. following this, they sent me a confirmation of payment and the scheduled date.
A few days before the shoot, they get in touch to tell you to come with clean hair and no make up and to make sure that you are still going to attend the shoot. at this point I was thinking “wow, they are so professional”.
The day of the shoot
I arrived at the studio and they took my name and my bag/ bags with clothes and shoes. They had me wait in a room for the makeup artists to arrive.
Once they arrive, your hair and makeup is done and you get into your first outfit and the shoot begins. They change your makeup a couple times until the end of the shoot.
After the shoot, they will have you wait in a waiting room so you can find out if you have what it takes to be a model and if they want to work with you.
The consultation
During the consultation, you’ll be asked on how you found the experience and what your favourite shoot location was as they do take you out into the street to shoot in front of the public. They’ll also ask you why you want to be a model, tell you how you did and go through your pictures .
If you did well, they’ll ask if you want to work with them. Their portfolio usually range from basic to platinum and they are just for the website. They also have what they call a very basic portfolio and they are in a form of a CD with 10 pictures and they are the cheapest and their starting price is usually at 500 pounds.
So how do you know if the agency you’re working with is a scam? When the modeling agency starts asking you for a deposit in order to attend a photo shoot.
When should you hear all the bells going off?
If at any time a modeling agency requires money from you. A reputable modeling agency will never take money from you at any point.
I have found it very difficult not falling for the trap but likely my brain is stronger then my heart’s desire.
It is hard to have your dream in the palms of your hands and all you have to do is pay for that dream. But you have to ask yourself the smart question ” will I ever hear from these people again? Why do they want me to pay them to find me jobs? because when they find me jobs they will be taking a 20% of my pay, so why pay them even more?
I hope my story will help you avoid these scams.
Please share this post so others will be aware and save their hard earned money.