The Cost and Fees to Be a Model

You may have heard it over and over again as it relates to the fashion industry, "never pay to become a model."

While it should be noted that models should never pay as a means to receive a modeling CONTRACT from an agency, there are legitimate fees that should be expected as you pursue a career in the modeling industry.

Depending on which agency a model signs with, their market (region of work) and the types of jobs that they will book, fees may slightly range. However, the following are the fees that are generally standard and should be expected either on a monthly, yearly or 1-time basis as you progress through your modeling career.

Website Fees

I'm sure that you are well aware that by visiting agency websites, that you can quickly browse through the thumbnails of all the models in which the agency currently represents. This allows clients to be able to sort through model images, select some of their favorites and request for said models to meet the client at a casting or even to direct book the model from their photos.

As a result of the benefits of being on an agency website, not all, but a large percentage of agencies will therefore charge a web fee in order to host your modeling portfolio on their site.

This is a one-time, yearly fee that is generally taken out of the 1st paycheck that the model earns through the agency. Therefore, it is not typical for the model to have to come out of pocket for this fee if they have not booked any work.

Yearly fees for agency websites tend to range from $150-$300 on average but some agencies do not charge any web fees.

In addition, some modeling agencies require their models to upload their portfolio to sites such as CastingNetworks.com for use in submitting the model to castings. These sites are typically on a monthly basis subscription or the model can pay annually. Generally speaking, the