The economics of being a model

Freelance status, ageism, tax returns - all part of the model employment mix

By Tamsyn Kent
BBC News Magazine

The government is cracking down on rogue model agencies, but how viable is modelling as a job and how realistic is the prospect of earning a living out of it?

It's a familiar scenario.

A young girl dreams of catwalk stardom, of being a Moss or a Campbell or an O'Connor.

She sees an advert for an agency that claims to have a network of clients who could make her dreams of working as a model come true. But when the aspirant model turns up and meets the agency boss, it turns out she must pay an upfront fee to cover "administration" before the lucrative jobs start rolling on.

The money is paid, no work arrives, and it turns out something is wrong that means a career in modelling doesn't beckon.

The advice from the big agencies is clear. This isn't how they do business. A normal representative takes a small share of fees, not an upfront payment.

Draft regulations to ban this practice of taking upfront fees for models and extras will be presented to MPs this month and come into force in October 2010.

But of course, there's a wider question about how realistic it is to pursue a career in modelling.

Dunja Knezevic was spotted in Australia when she was 15

Equity, which represents many models, says a living can be earned but that it is a hard business.

"It can be a tough industry for everyone including the ones who are paid very well for it," says Martin Brown, from the union.

"The general public will know a handful of models paid very significantly, and actually it's not by and large a low paid area." But he says there does need to be an agreement about minimum rates of pay, and there are many other workplace problems.

Dunja Knezevic, 27, has worked as a model for eight years and is also vice-chairman of Equity's models committee.

"When you start it's not enough money to sustain you, you make enough to pay your mobile phone bills, your rent, food and then parents might help out. The agency might help out a little bit too," says Ms Knezevic, who originates from Bosnia. "It's touch and go for a bit and you also discover if it really is the career for you. Usually in the first year you decide whether you're going to do it and pursue it or whether you should go to university or finish school.

Many people will have second jobs early in their careers, says Ms Knezevic. They will do promotion work for nightclubs and bars, or take shop jobs. Abercrombie and Fitch is very popular. Studying at the same time is also common.

"Most models would be making anything between £20,000 and £70,000 a year," she says. "If you're working it's a pretty well paid job. Half of the people might drop out after a year, but once you are working hard it's not a badly paid job."

If you join a local agency you're only going to get local work which is very minimal Sarah Leon Next Crackdown on model agency fees

Those who dream of fronting Chanel campaigns and being on magazine front covers should be aware that that is the sort of work done by a small echelon of top models.

"I've been really lucky, commercial and editorial work, depending on which country I'm in", says Ms Knezevic. "For the vast majority of models you spend your time going to a lot of hair castings. You model your hair for hair salons especially in London."

There is no professional body that collates figures for the numbers of models and average earnings, but it is clear that only a tiny minority earn the really big money.

"A tiny tiny percentage of models are those that the public would know," says Karen Diamond, director of agency Models 1.

"It's just a handful, it's people like Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Yasmin le Bon, those are the names that the public know, but the girls who are top models would be people like Natasha Poly or Karen Elson. If you're not in the business you don't know who those people are."

The bread-and-butter work is High Street retailers' websites and mail order catalogues, she says.

"The high fashion beauty and ad campaigns are the cherry on the top and then you have magazine work which is very poorly paid, but that's what builds a model's portfolio for her to get the big advertising jobs."

But away from the elite end of the business there is still a living to be made.

You may know their faces, if not their names - Karen Elson and Natasha Poly

"A good working commercial girl will make between £30,000 and £50,000 a year for a period of time. Now that's great when you're 19 and 20, but it doesn't last very long and obviously you're a freelancer. It's quite difficult to budget or to ever feel that you're very financially secure."

And the aspirant model should bear in mind the structure of the business, says Sarah Leon a scout and director of Next models.

"I scout people on the street all over the country regularly - there are still so many common misconceptions. If you want to be part of what people see as the fashion business - which people see as Vogue, Prada, Gucci, Marks & Spencer's - then really you have to be with an agency in London, New York, Paris or Milan of a certain calibre.

"If you want to be with an agency, be honest with them and say, I've heard of some dodgy agencies could I speak to one of your models, because if they're genuine then they won't mind. That's a fool-proof way of checking.

"There are some local reputable agencies, but if you join a local agency you're only going to get local work which is very minimal."

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Below is a selection of your comments.

I did this for about four years and hated every moment. It was fickle and you never knew when you were going to work and when not. I would have a very busy week then nothing, I had to build a relationship with the bookers but if for some reason I could not do a job, I knew I would pay for it in the next few weeks. I did get to work abroad which was a great character building experience but I was happy to give it up - it is the least glamorous existence on the planet. My daughter is now very keen but I have been honest with her, she is not tall enough and too commercial for editorial work which is what attracts her. My advice is unless you are approached by a very big London-based agency and they are VERY excited about you - walk away.
Emma, Staffs

I'm a photographer and started out doing studio shoots as a hobby with friends and family acting as models. One got offered work based on a photo that I had taken. The story got out and now I get calls and e-mails, at least once a day, from girls wanting to be models. The amount of them that come saying they have paid huge sums of money to "register" with an angency is shocking. One girl even told me that she had paid £200 to register, £200 for a photo photo shoot that would apparently be used as her portfolio, and then £200 for 5 of those photos to be printed and put into a folder. That was six months ago and she hasn't had a single call about work yet!
Gaz, Birmingham

When I was 15 I joined a local agency which I had to pay to do. They only got me three jobs over the five or so years I was with them. A complete rip off. I modelled in London for four years and I got loads of work. Some paid well and others not so good. I didn't have to pay to join these agencies and they organised free test shoots to help me build my portfolio up. Modelling is extremely hard work and stressful. Some weeks you can be working every day and others there is nothing on. You have to be careful how much you spend of it each month as you never know what the next pay packet will be. It can take up to three months to get paid for some jobs and you have to pay your own travelling expenses because they expect you to live in London.
Natalie, Bournemouth

I am 20 and have been modelling for two years now. I always knew it would never be a sustainable career so that is why I always favoured college and university over the industry. Parents of young aspiring models need to be aware that there are extremely dodgy agencies out there, and if possible should go to meetings and castings with them too. However, something younger girls need to remember that the shelf-life of a model is not long. By the time you're 30 you will more than likely be thrown on the scrap heap, so it is important to get an education along side modelling.
Helena Kidacka, London

My daughter (13) was with a friend (14) in Brent Cross when someone approached them with the "You could be a model" line. He told the girls that this was their regular place to look for models and gave them a business card to take home. I'm sure they were such an agency, not just a lone pervert. But what sort of agency approaches under-age girls like that?
TerryB, London, England

My grandson found an advert for models on the internet from an organization called Diesel which he thought was the well-known fashion house. They offered him a photo session over the phone, provided he paid £50 up front supposedly "in case he didn't turn up for the session". When we found they had nothing to do with the well-known fashion house, were not a model agency and others had also been misled. We told them we were cancelling and it took me three weeks to get my money back even after contacting the credit card company. Your warning is a much needed one.
Peter Wareham, Coventry, England

I do have an issue with the procurement of models as "spotted". It conveys as normal a possibility of recruitment which is casual yet plucks the ordinary girl effortlessly from the rest of the crowd and selects her as a beauty. The entire approach trivialises the occupation and nature of the fashion model whilst making a model to seem as some ethereal being exempt from human constraint. Artists' models are not "spotted", although I was once myself approached in this way and left well alone, being an experienced model, unwilling to meet some bloke with a mobile number at an address of his choice. Until these female occupations are grounded in economic practice they will appear "easy" and beyond the boundaries of common pursuit.
JL, London UK

I am the mother of four daughters, three of them do local photography, they pose for about 15 photographers who are on a workshop. I have been advised that they all have the potential to model, and yes you might think every mum thinks their kids are model material, but they are pretty girls. My 19-yr-old is studying dance in London, she was approached the other day by a woman saying she should be modelling - this terrified me because I'm so far away and can't research this agency that has approached her.
Jane Tomlinson, Cumbria

Although these new legislations are a long time coming, they fall short in many areas. We at the Institute of Modelling are calling for tighter regulations and a approved register of agencies and scouts.
Lisa, London, UK

It's so refreshing to her the real truth about modelling as most of the public think if you are a model you are rich. I was a model in London for five years and I never made enough money and had loads of other part-time jobs. Luckily I went to uni and realized there is no future for me in modelling. It was a sad and hard choice but it was the best choice I made. But I'm left with many good memories.
Beth, Oxford, England