Can I earn money from my son modelling?

[Littleeggycustard]

I have a 14 month old son who has just been signed up to a good modelling agency in London. I have read that they can only pay money into a bank account in the child’s name - does that mean that I can’t access any of it?
My son and I live at my Mum and Dads and I want to save money so that we can move out. I would like to use some of his modelling money for this, but is there any way I can access it?
Thanks :)

I think it's fine for you to use any money you make from modelling for family housing expenses- I don't think it's stealing from your child at all.

One of my DCs did some modelling between the age of 6 and 12. Photographic work for high street brands like M&S, Next etc pay a fairly standard rate for the actual photoshoot but if your DS books more editorial style jobs - even for something like Vogue - he may 'only' be paid £50-100. It's the TV adverts that make the most money in my experience. From one TVC they filmed a few years ago, my DC received a lot of money from repeated, worldwide buyout fees over about five years. The basic shoot fee was approx. £300 and there was no promise of any extra money but DC had an amazing experience and I still meet up regularly with one of the other parents whose child was in the shoot with mine.

My DC's favourite shoots have been the editorial ones which have paid less well but have been at a much slower pace than the high street ones. The money from every shoot, buyout etc has gone into their bank account although they'd sometimes use a bit to buy a toy or, as they got older, expensive equipment for their hobby/sport. It's been great for the hobby-related costs as we're not in a position to fund those items and it has given now-teenaged DC an opportunity to be fully engaged as a buyer but also as seller when it comes to selling on one item to fund the purchase of the next.

All in all, for my DC the modelling was an occasional bit of fun which resulted in some lovely friendships and gorgeous photographs, with the buyout money an amazing bonus. If I needed DC's money to help fund better accommodation for us, I fear every casting and job could feel hugely pressured and any fun would be lost.

You want to put your baby to work then steal from them? Can’t be a real post.

Disagree with this. It would be like you earning money and your father using it to pay for somewhere to live

Nah

Unless you sign up as his agent and he signs contract with you and declares to pay you fee, I think it's illegal? What does your son think about all this?

SAHM with husbands or partners have access to financial support. It’s not acceptable to have a baby and then say oh gosh I can’t work because it’s too expensive and make the state pay for you. That’s just not fair.

If you live with your parents I expect they would prefer to help you by helping with childcare so you can earn your own money, than see you benefiting from selling your infant child's modelling services. Bit silly to say you're not "forcing" him to do the modelling if he's 14 months old: he's hardly got a choice, has he?

Oh my, I thought he's 14 years old, not months. Sorry, ignore my question then.

It's not about what you think, or what OP thinks. It is about the law, it is illegal to steal your child's earnings and quite rightly so.

No, that wasn't what you were talking about though. You said LAZY. Either being a SAHM is lazy, or it isn't.

And no matter what your personal thoughts are, OP can choose to stay at home until her child is 3. Doesn't matter whether you feel it's "fair" or not. You don't make the rules, DWP does.

As long as you stop the modelling before he hits 4, he probably won’t remember a thing, op!

And while we're on the subject, OP is probably working a lot harder than a married SAHM, because it sounds like she is not getting much help from her child's father. Doing it all alone, with nobody else to share the childcare, that's not fair either. But always the vitriol at the mum, rather than the absent father.

Vitriol because she wants to profit off her baby working when she isn’t. That makes her lazy. She can work.

I'm pretty sure she lives with her parents.

So? That doesn't mean they help out with childcare. My mum never did, she worked full time.

Nah. You know what you meant.

The OP was looking for evening work a couple of months ago.

Being a SAHM who lives off of the state but has access to the internet and enough free time to be posting on MN is incredibly lazy and a very poor role model for a child.

Oh, try harder. This is shit.

😂😂😂😂

You havent got any money yet...millions of kids are with model agencies and earn zero....most of it is a scam !!

I had a post office account which my mother had opened for me to keep gifts of birthday and Christmas money safe, as no-one else could access it, so I had savings when I grew up. She explained it all to me when I was old enough. I could not touch it either until I was seven and could sign for it.
My father found the savings book when I was eleven and bullied me until I signed to let him steal my money.
I never made an issue of it, but it was only one of the many things I despise him for.

Why would you exploit your baby like this?

Get a job of your own?

I’ve been “properly poor”, but I’ve never considered pimping out my children… if OP wants to give her son a better life she should work for it rather than exploiting him. I’d be upset with my mum if she’d sold photos that could come back to haunt me without my consent, livid if I then found that she’d spent the money I earned!

I know lots of people are saying its the sons money and all that but the mom will be doing a lot of running around,preparing and attendinh auditions,taking professional photos for submission and waitiny for hours duriny audition all the while making sure baby is ok and relaxed for photo session.So definitely you as a mom are his manager and as i recall managers do get paid so surely mom can be entitled to some part of the money