It’s estimated that there are between 29,000 – 36,000 recruitment agencies in the UK alone. These are general recruitment agencies, not specialising in modelling. Some of them don’t actively put a great deal of effort into finding job seekers work.

We’re different. We are a modelling employment agency, fully vetted and regulated by the government. We have thousands of clients contacting us for models. The very fact they come to us directly means the demand for models remains high. Great news for models.

More good news: not all agencies operate in the same way. So, when it comes to our payment process, again we like to think we do it slightly differently to others – and it favours our models. That’s because we secure the fee from our clients even before the assignment begins, meaning we always have the money for our models. No chasing up, no fuss. The fee amount is negotiated between us and the client, and it can depend on several factors: job duration, location, and experience of the model. These are minor factors – the main one is the client themselves, as they all have different budgets. It stands to reason that larger clients such as banks, supermarkets and global travel companies have, on average, larger budgets, so working for them usually demands higher fees.

We pay our models within 5 working days from completion of their assignments. We think this is fair and reflects the dedication our models put into every shoot. It’s counter-productive to have an inefficient payment system, with models waiting an eternity for their well-earned fees. Delaying payment also shows a ruthless lack of respect – something that other agencies might be ambivalent about. Not us – our models and clients are well respected, and we continue to have great relationships with them; it’s only right that all finances are accurate and released in good time.

To recap: we always have the client’s fees ahead of each modelling assignment, which enables us to pay our models within 5 working days. We’ve always been clear about our procedure, and models are quick to praise the speed of payment.

Another bonus is that we’ll inform models of the fee before the job. This means there are no nasty surprises upon completion of the shoot. Everything is open and upfront – just the way we like it.

Let’s talk about cold hard cash. We pay our models by cheque. We could pay by bank transfer, but opt for cheques for three main reasons:

1. A physical payment is like a reward or trophy for a job well done.

2. We print a short congratulatory note with each cheque.

3. Our models love to showcase their efforts in our payment selfie page. Readers can see a range of fees earned by our models here.

Our payment system has been in place since 1990, so why change a winning formula?

If you’re itching to star in modelling photo shoots and short marketing films with some of the most renowned brands around, register with us and we’ll be in touch. Your crowning glory for the year could be joining thousands of our models with selfie cheques. What an achievement!

We know that happy models make successful models. That means keeping them informed with any last-minute changes to their bookings (which is rare), and making sure they’re prepared with everything they need before and during their assignments. We also read and respond to all their reviews, and take pride in learning about their enjoyable experiences after their modelling work. Without happy models, we wouldn’t be at the forefront of the commercial modelling industry.

Whilst some models don’t accept work purely for money, it’s equally important to pay all our models fairly and promptly. It’s irrelevant whether the work is a part-time hobby for some, or whether they want to be put forward for as much work as possible to gain more experience on the rungs on the modelling ladder. Either way, every model gets paid within 5 working days from completion of their assignment.

Why don’t we issue payment at the end of the month? It’s quite simple, and the process has worked for over 30 years. We ask for payment by our clients before the assignment takes place. We take this “advance” so we can guarantee quick payment to our models. By obtaining our client’s payment, in effect we have already secured a model’s fee before a model has started their assignment. Then, all it takes is for us to pay a model swiftly for the great work they’ve done. There are no obstacles, and no chasing clients. It’s a fool-proof system that suits us, our models and our clients.

Our portfolio of models – from toddlers to mature individuals and pets – is vast, and our client list represents multinational corporations and smaller enterprises. We treat all models and all clients similarly. It would be unfair to deny a model our promised payment just because paperwork got lost in a company’s office, or if a smaller client couldn’t afford payment until they got paid by a customer. An up-front payment eliminates any inconveniences or embarrassment.  

We’ve all heard horror stories of photographers and agencies promising payment, only to dupe models by refusing to pay – probably because they never had a model’s fee in the first instance. We’ve been fighting this for years.

It’s our responsibility to pay models on time, and to obtain the best fees going. Clients know we can provide the models they need from all over the UK. They trust us to help their campaigns by recommending real people with the talent to make their marketing campaigns appeal to the right audience. It’s one of the reasons why they appreciate prior payment is necessary.

Our models look forward to working with us, as we do giving them their fees. As an industry leader, we wouldn’t have it any other way.