It’s fair for people to assume that modelling is glamorous and well paid when catwalks are scattered with celebrity models such as Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner and Winnie Harlow. Supermodels models earn upwards of $2million per year and leave the impression to most that models can make a living off their work. Modelling does pay more than other jobs per hour, and there’s the potential to make a lot. But with the changing times, and the over-saturation of models in the industry, booking jobs is harder than ever. Who constitutes as a model has also changed drastically and ‘traditional’ catwalk models usually make a lot less than a model who is also an ‘influencer’ or active on social media.

That being said, if you’re hard-working and can persevere, modelling can be an incredibly well paid and fulfilling job. Here’s a breakdown of everything I wish I knew about money when I started in the industry!

The first thing to know about payment and modelling is it takes a long time to get paid. Every agency has a different pay date expectation in their contract; some may take 30 days, some maybe take 6 months or more. This is because the payment is reliant on the client paying your agency and then the agency transferring the money to you. When you start modelling you might book three paid jobs in the first week that can pay your rent and living expenses, but you won’t see that payment for a while. It’s advisable to have a part-time job or savings, at least while you’re starting.

Agencies also have different model fees and contracts. Many agencies charge the model for their cards for fashion week, hosting the model’s portfolio on the website and in their book. Agencies also often take a cut from the model’s paid jobs, this could be anywhere between 20% or 45%, with mother agencies sometimes taking more off on top. Depending on a specific contract, a new face could be working off their debt to their agency for portfolio fees and not taking home any money from their first jobs.

How much will I earn? “Ooh, you’re in Vogue! How much did that pay?”

All jobs pay differently, and some not at all. Editorials - including those in Vogue - are usually unpaid and are used for exposure. You’ll book editorials throughout your career and most will be unpaid. Obviously, you can’t earn a living through shooting editorials but they do introduce you to important teams in casting, photography, styling and makeup.

The casting directors for editorials are also those casting the biggest shows at fashion week’s worldwide, while we think this needs to change, it does pay off in other ways. There are also misconceptions about the fee for Fashion Week. Again, it completely depends on the designer and whether it's a catwalk, presentation or showroom. Most young designers' fee will be around £100- £300 for a show or presentation, whilst more established designers can pay anything from £1000 to £20,000. Showrooms can go up to £2000 a day, and you might be there a whole week. Fashion Week is also totally dependent on the ‘look’ that season, you might spend money attending 30 + castings and book nothing one season, and the next you attend three castings and book them all.

Jobs that happen all year round are usually lookbooks, social media and campaigns. All these pay well for one or two days' work. They’re also fun as they often involve travelling abroad and staying in a hotel somewhere in Europe! Again, budgets depend on the brand but the average pay for a day is £1000. It’s always in your right to ask your booker of the breakdown of job payment so you can see what you’re being paid for before accepting a job. The breakdown should tell you the usage, fee and whether it includes travel/hotels.

It’s important to remember that you’re not employed by your agency, and money you make needs to be declared to HMRC as you’re now self-employed. You’ll need to register as self-employed or speak to someone from gov.uk if you’re unsure. Many people use an accountant and some do it themselves, just make sure you’re saving all your receipts so you can claim expenses!

Modelling is hard work and when starting out you do often do lots of work for ‘exposure’ and no pay. However, it’s a career that can be very rewarding and fulfilling when you’re completely dedicated to the job. Getting paid to travel and meet loads of new people every job is a dream. If successful, the money you can make from modelling is unmatched to many other jobs you’ll have as a young adult. The pay you make from modelling can be used to pay off university fees, fund a gap year and even quickly work towards a deposit for a house. It just takes a lot of dedication and a bit of luck.

ABOUT CONTACT: At Contact, we don’t take a cut of the model fee and make our money from booking fees and collaborations. We also don’t charge models to be hosted on the website. Furthermore, we believe in empowering models in as many ways as possible, including financially. Our team recognises that the industry needs to change across the board, and all share in the belief that we need to work towards an environment where ALL jobs are paid.