wednesday FAQ time.

heyo

so its my second day, already feels like a lifetime. i've had a good chat with everyone here, and all the people i live with are great! There are 4 brazillians, a bulgarian and myself, and the house is a great layout for us all to mingle n hang or just chill seperately. today its been raining, so its not as humid but the drizzle is annoying....especially when you have to travel miles to castings in short clothes haha.

but as promised ill be answering FAQS for you all so you never have to ask me a question again!! my life is really not so hard to understand....


So heres how it works. You are employed by an AGENCY, but unlike other companies, its a balance between you working for them and them working for you. At a normal day job, you get employed you go to work, they pay you your money-you work for THEM. At an agency, you get employed you go to work, you get paid, but ALSO it works for you cause you get pictures and experience which (for you game nerds out there) "levels you up" so you can get more work and more jobs-opening up more opportunities. You start at the bottom to work your way up in theory....i bet your already confused.


So there are 2 ways you can get jobs, you can get 'direct bookings' which means a client who is looking for a model just books you straight off, from seeing your cards or a show reel on your agencies website. but what is more common is gettting booked after going to a casting...or for you 'next top model' fans a 'go-see'.
a casting is like an audition, and interview, so the client can see you in person to see what you look like naturally as well as looking at your folio to see what kind of looks you have and your ability to pose. they will usually take measurements, some snapshots and ask you to walk if it for a catwalk show.
If they like you after this they will call the agency and book you for their job.

Simple right???
so then i still get asked how it works in other countries.....EXACTLY the same. the only thing different is the location and probably a language, and maybe the ethnicity of the models.
You go to another city, you live in a model apartment, each day they send you a schedule for which castings or jobs you have for that day, then its esactly the same. you go to each casting, if they like you you will get booked for the job!

So i get asked still:
do they have jobs for you when you get there?
..you never know, but probably not unless you've been directly booked. otherwise you get sent to castings, get booked and go to jobs.

What if you get no work?
impossible, well near impossible, you cant be that ugly or unfit not to get booked, if the agency is going to spend +$1000 bringing you over from your chosen country they are not going to make the mistake of bringing a model who cant work. they judge the same way as other clients, a show reel, folio photos and a walk.
PLUS if you dont make money-they dont make money. they take commission and rent and bills out of your pay, so if your not making them money they are going bankrupt paying for you to be there....they must get you jobs for their own reasons!
If you are sooo unlucky you dont get any work, then they will probably get you as close to paying them off as they can so they dont lose money then they send you home. so you'll go home with a loss but they still make their money back...cause you do owe them.

and no...i dont get 'excited' as such so go places, i look forward to it, but the initial stress and planning of packing my life for 3 months in a suitcase and booking tickets and gettin g through customs is so overwhelming, that you just look forward to finally gettin into a bed at the other end and pray for decent housemates and a decent room and bathroom. the settling in and excitement comes later, when you look forward to meeting new people and discovering a whole new culture....its not a holiday, its still work. i dont live in a nice hotel, i dont get to eat what i want, i travel the city of foot or train not by a nice taxi or hotel service, i have to do my hair and makeup everday, work, exercise, food shop, etc. its all work. sure you look forward to work/uni but at the end of the day you come home and chill yes? this is my life exactly just in a different location. a holiday is when you get a break, you go to a new country to experience things, to chill, eat good food, see the sights, have fun with family and friends, one permanent day off....this is not exactly my life. Of course the perk of being in another country is that on your day off if you get one you can experience the life there and you learn to live in another culture to really experience LIFE in another country. you become asian almost. you pick up that way of life.

ok so im fresh out of remember all the quesitons i get asked...if you have anything to add just ask.

just realised that could have sounded negative, but im just really tired right now! life is great really, its the easiest and most fun job in the world, the best and cheapest way to travel and experience the world and meet new people, you break even or make a profit to support yourself, cause its not about being rich, its about enjoying yourself and hopefully making your way up the ladder so one day you are good enough with enough experience to go to somewhere BIG like milan or new york or paris. im really very lucky. most people save up money to go on holidays and in actual fact you dont come home any richer, just more refreshed and happy. in my life i get both...i make a living, i make a profit and i get to live a working holiday.
nuff said.

xoxo tahlia