Maximise your relationship with us

We’re here to always help and support you which is why we encourage you to approach our Models Direct specialist coordinators any time. It’s our job as a modelling agency to provide our models and clients with comprehensively led, tried and tested services. Our goal is to satisfy your representation needs but it doesn’t stop there. We encourage you to communicate with us actively. We’ll never get bored or tired of listening to you. That’s our promise.

It’s important to us to know your expectations as a model and client. It’s not just about us. You play a big role in building our agency, so talk to us. Goals, new skills, your interests in modelling divisions and clients and models you’d like to work with – let us know. For models, we ask for your feedback after working on your assignment, but you can request our clients’ feedback about you too. It can be a bit nerve-wracking to learn how our clients feel towards your modelling skills but it’ll help shape your progression into your modelling career. Constructive feedback is a good learning curve across all professions and as a Models Direct model, it’ll benefit you moving towards more assignments.

Expand your skills

As you already know, modelling doesn’t just rest at being in front of a camera, it stretches beyond that with promotional modelling. Other interesting skills our agency is on the lookout for are acting, dancing and singing to name but a few. Our “Feature Me” section includes a spotlight on our models’ online profiles for clients to see. If you’re looking for January to look differently from your previous years, then set a goal for learning a new skill to help your self-development. From anything like football skills to learning a new language, start setting something up so you can stand out from the crowd.

Are you interested in taking a worthy cause to the next level?

We’re all passionate about something [or several things in life]. Whether it’s promoting charitable causes for the planet or people or both, there’s something we can all do to help. If you haven’t been able to explore ways you can participate, perhaps this January is your chance to do just that. Not only will this help you grow as a person, giving you the opportunity to be hands-on and proactive, but network with others and learn more about what you can do and where you can help. It’s a rewarding investment.

There’s a lot you can do this January and we say that once you’ve established your goals and what you’re hoping to achieve, start setting it up in the first month so you can start as you mean to go on. You can make it a productive 2025 so dive into different areas to elevate not only your personal growth but as a model too!

Firstly, we always respond to our models and would-be models, telling them that they WILL get paid.

This is in a marked difference to many of the so-called agencies who either expect you to work for nothing, claiming “this will give you valuable experience” or never actually getting around to paying you.

Yes, we hear about this happening time and time again…

Models Direct is a fully government-registered employment agency.

We operate within the law at all times – and we are experienced, professional and reliable.

This is why we are always happy to be inspected by the government; why our clients return to us time and time again and why our models stay with us.

If you join us as a model, we will be your agent.

We will negotiate your fee on your behalf, discuss it with you before you accept any job and then ensure you are paid swiftly after completing any assignment with us.

How does that sound?

Well, now to the exact amount you are likely to be paid…

Well, this depends on a variety of different factors from how experienced a model is to the amount of time they will be required in front of the camera.

You may be taking part in a day’s shoot where you are needed for one hour or a five-day shoot where you are required for every shot.

Your role may be a simple walk-on part or much more acting may be required and there may be lines to say.

You may have to travel to the shoot (all expenses paid) or it may be right on your doorstep in your home town.

All these factors will be taken into account when we negotiate the fee with the client – and then you can decide whether you are prepared to carry out the assignment for that sum.

Read reviews from our models to see if they feel happy with both the work we offer and the fee negotiated on their behalf.

Here are just a few of them…

Terry said:

“I have just finished a fun photo shoot for the Salisbury group. The views across London were amazing and the crew were even better.

“I always know when I get an assignment from Models Direct that it will run smoothly and we will get paid on time!

“I am a massive fan. Bring on the next job!”

And Beau said:

“My two children loved their first paid photoshoot yesterday.

“All staff were professional, friendly, approachable and thoughtful.

“The communication we received from Models Direct prior to the shoot was faultless.

“The studio and staff exceeded my expectations – toys, snacks and drinks were provided for the children, and the atmosphere was so relaxed.

“They really enjoyed themselves and earned money in the process!

“We are really hopeful for more bookings to follow.

“Thank you Models Direct.”

Tapuwa also felt the work was fairly rewarded:

“I had my first shoot with Models Direct yesterday and I had so much fun.

“It was an all-day shoot for a pretty exclusive client and I’m glad I was part of it.

“I even made a new friend and it’s well paid too!”

To find out more about modelling with us, including the kinds of assignments you might be offered and how we will pay you, fill in our form and we will call you for a chat.

We work with some of the most recognisable brands in the world – McDonald’s, Sky, Sony, Amazon, BMW to name just a few – and we send models to assignments right across the UK and beyond.

Models Direct is as professional an agency as you will find and is justly proud of the reputation it has earned for its professional and efficient service.

Unlike many other organisations (and even individuals) claiming to be agencies, we are government-verified and registered.

We are an inspected and accredited employment agency that focuses on finding paid part-time work for its models.

And we are there to respond swiftly and effectively to source just the right model (or models) for our clients.

You only have to read our many blogs and the wealth of feedback we receive to see just how successful we are at doing this.

Yet there is so much more to Models Direct than simply being a proficient, fast-paced business.

We are also a team of real people, genuine agents who love their jobs and work tirelessly to match models with clients and assignments.

Our team members have all worked with us for years; they know the business inside out and they take pride in the exceptional care and high-quality service they offer everyone.

This includes, of course, our clients, our models and all those other people we liaise with on a daily basis.

Our team members all love the variety of what they do…

One day they could be sending a family along to a local supermarket for a photo shoot – the next they could be discussing flights for male and female models who are jetting off abroad.

As you peruse the reviews our models leave after each assignment, you will gain an understanding of just how much pride our individual team members take in each model and every booking.

Once someone has been offered and accepted a job, our agents will be in touch every time they have additional information to convey and they will be available on the end of the phone if needed.

They will also check in afterwards to make sure the job has gone well and will ensure our model receives the agreed fee within days of completing the assignment.

Models Direct has been a key part of the British modelling agency for more than 30 years now – and we hope to be here, working with you, for another 30 to come.

And what teenager doesn’t like having fun – isn’t that what this period of our lives is all about?

Here at Models Direct, our teen models are aged between 12 and 17 and can be of any background, size, body shape and appearance.

Our clients approach us for teen models in all their wonderful variety – after all, they want real-looking models who reflect our young people as they truly are.

Our teen models might be asked to model teen clothing or other products aimed at their age group or they may be required to form part of a modelling family for a shoot.

Here at Models Direct, we have vast experience of working with babies, toddlers, children and teenagers.

We are fully vetted and accredited by the UK government and are a genuine, registered employment agency.

We understand all the safeguarding issues around working with youngsters and we investigate each and every new client and assignment thoroughly.

We also require our teen models to be accompanied on each modelling job by a parent or guardian.

So, what should you do if you are a teenager or the parent of a teenager who is interested in modelling?

Firstly, we would ask both parents and potential models to read the reviews left for us by our existing teen models and their parents.

This will give you all a good insight into the kind of work we offer and what our models and their families think of it.

Then, if you are interested, fill in our form and wait for us to get in touch.

Please note down any questions you might have to be sure you feel our friendly agent has answered all of your queries during the discussion.

If we decide your teenager is suitable – and you decide we are the agency you are looking for – then we will give you an e-portfolio.

This completely secure portal is where you or your teen can regularly upload images so we can see exactly what they look like at any given time.

This is vital – especially with teenagers who change so often – as we can only put young people forward for work if we can see their photographs are recent.

If this is the case, then when clients approach us for a teen model meeting your younger’s description we will include them in a selection for the client to choose from.

Our teen models love having new experiences with us.

After his very first assignment, Rashan told us:

“As this was my first modelling assignment I didn’t know what to expect but Models Direct put me at ease from start to finish.

“I was given all the information I needed to understand what was expected of me and what I could expect on the day.

“Everyone was very friendly and it was a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.

“I really enjoyed the whole experience and can’t wait for my next shoot!”

And Rianna said:

“I was a bit nervous to be working with other people who were older than me, however, once I got there and met everyone, it was so fun.

“It was so exciting and I had lots of fun meeting new people.

“It is something that I would be very happy to do again and again.

“The most enjoyable part of the assignment was getting to meet other models like me who were doing their first job as well.”

To find out more about teen modelling, fill in our form.

Many models love to model because of the sense of accomplishment. Some adore modelling because it breaks up their routine; many model with us as a part-time activity, which suits some people perfectly. Being the star of the shoot appeals to several models, who enjoy being in the limelight amongst the photographers or filmmakers under studio lights. All these are understandable, but we know not many people would model without a nice pay cheque at the end of the day.

So, we appreciate that earning money is important. After all, as the largest modelling agency in the country, we earn money from our duties. The burning question for models everywhere is: “How much money could I earn?”

It’s a question that we can easily answer, but with lots of answers. That’s because different modelling jobs come from different clients, all with different budgets. Remember – we collect our client’s payment before each and every job, so it means we have, in effect, collected our model’s fees before they’ve even started their assignments. That fee is largely dependant on the type of job (simple photoshoot, acting role, film etc) but – most crucially – the client.

It stands to reason that a model can expect to earn slightly more working for a larger client than a smaller one with a limited budget. Whatever the amount a model will earn, we always have it “in the bank”, so that means we can pay our models very promptly, unlike some agencies who might pay their employees after one or two weeks.

Getting down to the brass tacks – but how much? It could range from £70 – £100 for just an hour’s work, or up to £300 for a day’s work. For a family booking, it could be as much as £500 for a day’s work. That figure is possible for some our Starpets, too. For more pet fees, please click here. The key is the client.

To give precise examples, our wonderful model Neri collected a £700+ fee for her work with Ideal World TV way back in 2018; she’s since earned thousands of pounds in her starring role.

Ever since our wonderful Friend family had been our books they’ve earned over £6,000 over 7 assignments – quite an achievement and a pretty good fee per job.

We’re very open in revealing our model’s fees – providing we get their permission, of course. Readers can view some more modelling fees to give some idea of how fees can vary from model to model, client to client.

Just a note on why we take photos of models with cheques. Simply, we like to revel in their success, and showing people the reward of their success is more effective than saying we paid directly them into their bank accounts. Our models seem to like posing with cheques, too!

Booking inquiries land in our Models Direct inbox from clients based locally, nationally and internationally every day. We have clients ranging from entrepreneurs to industry giants. Our extensive client list speaks for itself!

Our team understands that time is an asset most of us are chasing after as there’s always so much to do but so little time to do it within. Models Direct takes the hassle out of finding models, negotiating fees, and briefing models to help clients’ marketing vision seamlessly come to fruition. The following steps are what our booking team does daily:

Step 1

Clients make an online request and ideally provide a brief of what they need from us. Our booking team then gets to work by meticulously searching our modelling pool according to their requirements.

Step 2

Once we’ve shortlisted a selection of our talent, we send our clients a link to access their portfolios, showreels, body measurements and extra talents so they can see who we’ve selected for them.

Step 3

Clients get to choose who they would like to hire along with a second and third option in case of unavailability. This info then sources back to our booking coordinator.

Step 4

Our coordinator contacts selected models to brief them about the assignment and whether they’re happy to go ahead. If they are, the following steps are actioned.

Step 5

Documents officially finalise the agreement between our models and clients.

Step 6

Models turn up for their assigned jobs and can indulge in behind-the-scenes fun.

Step 7

We complete our happiness checks and initiate model payment within five working days of the work being completed.

The day in the life of our MD booking agents is very hectic. There’s perseverance, consistency and quality support alive and kicking in our booking team’s HQ. Thanks for reading!

Life is unpredictable no matter how much we strive to abide by a schedule. Things can pop up and switch events around taking us by surprise. This can happen with modelling assignments our models have committed to. However, as life is life, sometimes they can’t make it and inform us quite close to the arranged day(s) or even time of the modelling gig.

Models Direct stays dedicated to our models where we don’t penalise our talent for pulling out. However, we do request that they try to give us as much advance notice as possible if they feel they’re unable to attend. Our specialist modelling coordinators explain this along with how their day will look when they accept the booking.

Our team always encourages our selected models to be open about their availability and if they think they can’t make it or perhaps they don’t want to take on the work but feel obliged to, then it’s best to pass the assignment on to someone else (unless they’re certain they can and want to do it).

MD’s job is to connect the most fitting talent to a client’s brief and we won’t let anything compromise that even if it means that our talent has declined the assignment. We will continue to match our models and clients to create spectacular campaigns as we have always done for the past thirty years.

So how does Models Direct prepare for last-minute dropouts?

With all the assignments that we host between our models and clients, we plan and prepare ahead particularly for these sorts of unlikely events to reduce pressure and keep our comprehensive services flowing to the highest of standards.

For each assignment, our expert team arrange for extras to be on standby. We inform our extra selected models that they’ll be contacted should an existing model need to be substituted. If they can commit to the flexibility and availability of these circumstances, then it works harmoniously.

We had a booking where three out of fifteen of our adult models had to be replaced for a Nottingham photoshoot during January this year. Luckily the replacement trio were happy to climb on board and take on the work at short notice. They were awesome! Adele (TRYP-9488), Zoe (HBHV-6467) and Jeremiah (TSST-6634) stepped in and worked to make the big campaign outstanding!

As a takeaway, Models Direct doesn’t penalise models for pulling out at the last minute. We only request that we’re notified as quickly as possible if this might be the case so we can get our standby talent to step in. We also encourage our models to let us know if they’re happy with their upcoming assignment, but if they’re not, then to tell us promptly.

We’ll continue to look for wonderful opportunities for our models to try so watch this space if you’re already an MD talent.

No gimmicks, thanks!

Sounds even harsher but we’ll explain what we mean. Apps are no doubt brilliant pocket-sized tools for everything you can think of but in the modelling world, they work a bit differently. The concept of booking models via an app sounds like it’ll make life easier for clients but honestly speaking, it’s often seen as a gimmick rather than being helpful.

From our 30 years of experience, we’ve worked directly with clients and what we’ve learnt is that they prefer a direct, personalised and bespoke experience that our MD team aims to successfully provide.

Our clients value human interaction by not relying on an app. Instead, they know they can turn to our team for support and that their models haven’t been shortlisted by a bot. All our models are selected through our team’s meticulous handcrafted selection process, and our clients appreciate that.

Investing in our team and website

Our focus is to invest in our wonderful team and continually maintain and improve our website. Our MD specialists are the backbone of our agency and work tirelessly to onboard, represent and connect talent to clients so that they all have a premium experience. This beats having an app, hands down because it simply cannot replicate the personalised experience we offer.

As for our website, we had a recent overhaul to improve our users’ experience. It’s at moments like this when we step back and look at the bigger picture, and investing in a new and improved website is always worth it to make the booking process easy, accessing the Feature Me talent, latest news, blogs and social platforms! We aim to continue making our models and clients’ journey one to remember!

Rapidly outdated tech? Again – no thanks!

Apps go out of date, quickly, and we’d rather focus on what matters to us more – our team, our website, our socials, and most of all our models and clients’ experience. We’re not experiencing FOMO and intend to keep it this way so by not having an app, we can focus more on what matters the most – you!

The takeaway

While the idea of having an app might seem appealing at first, the reality is that for our UK modelling agency, the cons outweigh the pros. We want to continue providing our bespoke services for clients and models and continue investing in our team, website and socials.

OK, my guess is you thought of Kate Moss or maybe Naomi Campbell or Kylie Jenner?

Or perhaps the image that sprang to mind was a male model – perhaps David Gandy or Sean O’Pry?

Of course, we think of all these famous faces whenever modelling is discussed or imagined – but the reality is that we could not be further from the truth.

The vast majority of those who model are everyday models – people just like you and me.

They may be everyday male or female and they may be babies, children or teenagers.

They may also be petite, tall or plus-size – they may be mature models, models that put themselves forward as a family group and they may even be pet models.

Yes, the modelling industry is truly keeping it real these days.

We need real people to play the parts of other real people because we are all ultimately the very real consumers that our clients are hoping to appeal.

Why don’t you spend a little time watching advertising or campaigns to see for yourself?

Yes, of course, the high fashion houses and beauty brands employ celebrities and super-models to help them promote their superior products.

But those adverts do not reflect the very real ways in which most of us spend our money – at supermarkets and high street shops, buying services from banks and insurance companies, and booking holidays, train tickets and days out.

Most of the ads you see every day will feature the smiling faces of parents, grandparents, children and people going about their daily jobs and pastimes.

These are the faces of everyday models playing the parts of everyday people.

And, of course, there may also be a cuddly kitten or bouncing baby featured too – just for that little bit of ahh factor!

Our everyday models don’t have to have modelled before.

In fact, many of our models don’t have any previous experience when they sign up to join us.

We receive a steady stream of requests for everyday models from our very varied clients and we supply them with a selection to match their requirements.

They then choose who they would like for the assignment.

At Models Direct, we don’t represent the Kate Mosses and David Gandys of this world – no, we have our feet firmly on the ground.

We represent everyday models seeking fun, paid, part-time work.

We represent people just like you!

To find out more about joining us, read the reviews from our other everyday models, then fill in our form, send us a photo and one of our agents will be in touch to explain more.

Being prepared will help you feel more confident and at ease and as a result you are sure to enjoy the whole experience much more.

This means having a clear understanding of where you need to be on the day, when and whether you need to dress in a certain way or bring anything.

Our highly experienced Models Direct agents will ensure you know all of this but do ask them any questions and heed their advice.

Furthermore, it is also worth preparing for the specific character role if possible as this will also help you to feel more relaxed.

Here are some of our tips for getting into character:

• Find out as much as you can about the role. This isn’t always possible but our team members may have an idea of the part you will be playing in the film or photo shoot. Are you a member of a family, someone at work or a passerby, for example? Will you be posing for still photographs or acting in a film – how big will your part be? And, if you are being filmed, will you have anything to say?

• Once you know more about your role, then do your research. Spend time browsing the internet, finding images and watching video clips of people doing what you will be doing. Even if you will be doing something as simple as walking down a street pretending to be a shopper, keep your eye out for people playing the same part on television.

• Get out and about too. Watch real people doing the things you will be doing. Look carefully at the expressions on their faces as well as the way they move. Perhaps you are going to be a builder on a construction site or an assistant in a supermarket. How do they concentrate on what they are doing? What are their facial expressions?

• Do you know anyone who in real life does what you are going to do? Or have they done so in the past? If you are going to play the part of a groom in a wedding ceremony but have never been married, then ask a friend how they felt when they tied the knot. Are you going to model as a mother with three children in the park but don’t have youngsters yourself, again, talk to someone who does.

• Take time out to practise in front of the mirror. Practice facial and body poses if you are taking part in a still photography shoot or move about, act and speak if you are to be in a film. Pretend you are that person and emulate the expressions and mannerisms of the people you have seen on screen or about you.

• Finally, ask a family member or friend to take some pictures of you or to film you while you are in character – or use a tripod and do it yourself. Then spend time looking at the photos or final video and think about how you could improve or enhance the character you are playing.

Remember, however, not to get too anxious about your role as there will be plenty of people there on the day to help and support you.

Other models will be playing their parts, which will help you to play yours.

The director, photographer or lead crew member will give you lots of instruction and you may have a costume or make-up that will also help you to get into character.

Contact your agent at Models Direct too if you are worried as they are there to help you.

Read the reviews from our other models – hearing how much they enjoyed their experience of taking on another character, will help you to ease into your more.

And most of all, remember to have fun!

This is what Maria told us after an assignment through Models Direct:

“When I was shortlisted to take part in this assignment to be an extra on Doritos Christmas commercial, I was really excited as I didn’t know what to expect.

“When I arrived on set I was quite nervous to find out what my role was. My role was to take a selfie at a Christmas party.

“Once I got into character I really enjoyed it and started having fun with it.

“It was a great atmosphere and the best part for me was the final part of the party where everyone was dancing and rocking to the live band performing.

“I would definitely recommend signing up to Models Direct even if it’s just for the experience of being part of a great production.”