Many girls dream of becoming the next Naomi Campbell or Kate Moss. But, for every supermodel, there are hundreds of hopefuls that have no chance of making it, because they don’t have the necessary requirements. With so many young women wanting to enter the world of modelling, there is an endless supply of unscrupulous model and casting agencies more than willing to register them. Recent scare stories in the newspapers have highlighted this problem.

Katie Froud, an ex-model, has made it her mission to protect wannabe models from being exploited by the agency sharks. She explains, ‘I set up the Alba Modelling Information Centre to warn young wannabe’s about bogus and unregistered model and casting agencies.’ The centre offers free modelling advice and help via telephone to those who want to model part-time or as a career. Katie only deals with agencies that are registered with the AMA (Association of Modelling Agencies) or FIMA (Federation of International Model Agents). She continues, ‘I’ve received numerous calls from parents whose children have been talent scouted, or have answered adverts in newspapers, and have found that when they have applied, they have been asked for a fee up front.’

Fee paying
A genuine agency get its income through commission fee, once a model has completed an assignment. Agencies never ask for money up front to join, to register, or as an administration fee, or charge models for a portfolio. Money only ever changes hands once the model has acquired work.
Katie has also received calls from people who have attended hotel conferences, along with hundreds of other hopefuls, and have been charged varying sums from £100 for a child, to £180 for a teenager or adult, to join casting agencies. The casting agencies purport to put them in touch with top model agencies, but unfortunately, when they are finally contacted, it is all too often by another unregistered agency who is also looking for money up front to register them.
Says Katie, ‘More often than not, many of these hopefuls should never have been told that they would be suitable for modelling. It’s a sad fact of life that lots of young girls dream of becoming a famous model, but sadly, not everyone meets the minimum height requirement, or has the right type of look.’
In these situations the police can do nothing to help people get their money back, unless they make a formal complaint, either to Alba, or through the The Trading Standards Office. Only then can a complaints file be opened, and compiled about the agency.

Unfortunately these so called model agencies are not registered with model agency registration boards, so no action can be taken against them, as they are not governed by the board of registrations rule.
So, always check that the agency you’ve chosen to sign up with is either AMA or FIMA registered. Also, be careful as some bogus agencies deliberately mix the letters up to dupe people into believing that the agency is legitimate.

Talking portfolios
A professional model’s portfolio is built-up over time, and is not shot by one photographer. It consists of test shots, working shots and tear sheets, and a good agency will never try to sell you a portfolio package as it isn’t required.
When it comes to photography, a good agency will send you to different photographers to have test shots done. And to achieve different looks, this will be organised over a number of different days. Test shots are paid for by the model direct to the photographer.
A recent case was highlighted where people were invited to take part in a modelling competition, then asked to pay between £10 and £40 to have their photographs entered for the competition. Genuine agencies do run competitions in consumer magazines such as: Black Beauty & Hair or Sugar, but never charge an entry fee. All that is required is to provide a snapshot, along with statistical details, such as: height, bust, waist and hip size.
If you feel that you have been wrongfully charged a fee by an agency, or asked for sexual favours to join an agency, then contact Alba: Tel: 01980 595099 or your local Trading Standards Office, to register your complaint. Or check out Alba’s website on www.fashion-modelling.com

It’s a sad fact that although many young girls would love to be a famous model, not everyone meets the minimum height requirement, or has the right look.

Things to remember Never attend an interview advertised as being held in hotels or conference rooms, and never go without an adult, whatever your age. Because genuine agencies have nothing to hide, they never object to parental guidance, and even welcome it. However, unregistered agencies do not want a parent attending, in case they see through the scam. Never put yourself in the situation where you feel pressured into complying with the ‘casting couch’ to get a modelling job. Remember, there are plenty of genuine registered agencies which would never put you in that position, even if your interview was for glamour modelling as opposed to fashion modelling. You do not need to pay out for professional photography. A genuine agency will only need snapshot photographs of head and shoulders, and full length. Avoid wearing too much make-up when visiting an agency, as they will want to see you looking as natural as possible.