Child modelling

[hayesgirl]

Just wanted opinions really. My DS is 7months old and on a whim really I have applied to a child modelling agency. Obviously I think he's a gorgeous little boy but I often get stopped by people in the supermarket telling me how lovely he is too. We recently had a professional family photo shoot and the pics were amazing, he photographs really well! I figure if he gets some jobs fine the money will be good for him when he's older (help with uni fees or deposit for a hues etc) along with all the money we are saving for him. If he doesn't get any jobs or he turns out not to enjoy it, it's no biggy!

Interested to know what peoples thought are on child modelling and any experiences people may have had with it x

I looked into this for DD1, applied to a few agencies and she got accepted at a reputable one, BizzyKids I think. However they wanted money upfront for her portfolio. Apparently this is normal for child modelling. There was only one agency I could find that didn't charge a fee- Elisabeth something (Smith maybe?) and they do all the big name brands. So I decided if she got accepted there we would do it, if not we wouldn't bother. And she didn't get accepted so we left it.

I would say it's probably only worth it if you live in London as that's where all the castings are. And don't get ripped off! There is one agency which is renowned for being a rip off, Models something (Models One maybe?)

Just did a quick search, models direct is the one to avoid.

elizabeth smith do charge - quite a lot its about 170 quid if i remember correctly?
think kids london are free, cant think who else.
bizzykidz are a pain the amount of hoops they want the parents to jump through, expect the parents to be sooo loyal to them and almost seem to expect the parents to love their leader its a bit strange! they do get work but the atmosphere from them is a bit weird
my 3 yr old is with kitsch kids (50 quid for 3 yrs) he has done a couple of jobs and the ladies who run it are friendly and helpful, so am happy with that.
generally i would say go for it! its just annoying when you have to send in so many update pics and check the heights often, but i like kitsch kids cos they still submitted him and got him a job even with me being really behind on those things. bk kicked out my 2nd son because i didnt keep up to date (they are really strict on the updates schedule, its too much!)
tbh it is fair for them to want you to update of course, but i just found they are very rigid no flexibility at all! im not sure how the other agencies are like kids london etc, in regards to flexibility of updates

i would say if you have only one baby ds then go for it, as you will be able to put the time and effort in. i found it too much work really, although of course its nice when they do a job, but i have not bothered to sign my ds2 elsewhere or even apply for my ds3 cos its too much hasle for me now!
also the other downside just to mention, is sometimes they do a job then you cant find the pics on the website, they might not get used in the end, or whatever else and its extremely annoying if that happens! but when they do get used that is great. u get paid either way but still its disapointing when you wanna see them on the catalogue or website