Perhaps you’ve been wondering for a while now whether your teenager might enjoy modelling?
Or maybe they have been questioning you about it, asking you whether you think it’s a good idea.
Teen modelling can be a great pastime for young people and there is an abundance of work out there for those who have the right attitude, approach and level of dedication.
But it’s vital to ensure your teen signs up with a genuine and reputable agency, so you know they are in safe hands.
Unlike many of the individuals and organisations advertising themselves online as “agencies” when in fact they are not, Models Direct is fully accredited and regulated.
As an authentic, government-registered employment agency, we are inspected regularly, and our activities are scrutinised stringently.
We have been operating successfully for more than 30 years now and our clients and models know they can trust us.
So, here is the advice we always give parents of youngsters who might be considering teen or child modelling:
1. Do your research. Make sure you and your teenager choose a reputable and genuine agency. Read reviews from other teenagers who have worked with that agency.
2. Consider the kind of work that is being offered and discuss with your teen whether you think it might suit them. At Models Direct we work with a range of clients, from small, local companies to major national and international brands.
3. Sit down with your teen and look at some of the other young models on our website. You will see we work with young people of all sizes and shapes. We love to have a mixture of models of different ethnic backgrounds and people who present very different looks. We are also great supporters of body positivity and, in everything we do, celebrate the fact that no two of us is the same.
4. As a reputable agency, we insist that all our models under the age of 18 are chaperoned to assignments by a responsible adult. Likewise, we always discuss any teen model application with a parent or carer before processing it. You need to be comfortable with this in order for your youngster to sign up with Models Direct.
5. If you and your teenager are still keen on pursuing the possibility of stepping into teen modelling, then take a few photos for us to see. These do not have to be professionally taken but do follow our guidelines.
6. Fill-in our online application form and send us the images.
7. If you’re accepted by Models Direct you will be asked to create an online e-portfolio. You can rest assured that all the information and images here are stored safely and only accessed by our professional team, with relevant information sent to prospective clients.
8. From this point on it is important to ensure the e-portfolio is updated regularly and that you respond quickly to us if we contact you about a particular booking.
9. Remember, once with us you are free to turn down any assignment your teenager may be offered.
10. Enjoy it! Many of our parents enjoy taking their young models along to assignments as much as the youngsters enjoy it themselves. And maybe you will even find you have a taste for it yourself. If so, you could consider signing up with us yourself –or perhaps putting yourselves forward as a group for modelling jobs as a family!
