Okay let’s start with the basics.
What is a modeling contract?
Is an agreement that both parties, the model and the agency must agree on before marketing the model. There are many terms and conditions included in the agreement such as:
- How the model’s income will be split between the model and the agency.
- Duration of contract (auto renew or not)
- Exclusivity of the contract
- Model’s behavior and etiquette
- Occasionally taxes, model expenses.
Mainly there are 4 different types of contract that are being offer to models by almost any agencies and that includes:
- Exclusive contract
- You’ll be exclusively managed by your agency and you will not be grant freedom to work with any other agencies for as long as your contract is due. Therefore, it is crucial for models to clarify every single information on the contract before signing on the dotted line and ensure that it is a legit agency that you’re signing to.
- Non-exclusive contract
- With this contract, you’re allowed to search your own jobs without the need to go through your agency and all profits earned are solely entitled to you. Furthermore, you’re also allowed to sign non-exclusive contracts with other agencies as well as long as you inform your agencies. This is the contract we would highly recommend to models as it allows freedom for models to look for their own jobs and also a great opportunity for them to engage and build relationships with many, expanding their connections.
- One time contract
- This contract is highly recommended for those models who can’t commit to long term contracts or be managed by any agencies due to busy schedules or heavy responsibilities. This contract is only signed for one job only. Once the model have completed its job and fulfill all responsibilities on the contract, the model will be paid. If you do not receive any paychecks after completing a job, you’re allowed to file a lawsuit against the company for breaching of contract.
- Mother agency contract
- This contract enables one’s mother agency to draw commissions from the model even if the he or she is signed to consecutive agencies. A mother modeling agency is the first agency which you first began with as a model. Mother agencies work as your shield, they promote you to international market. Hence, any agreement regarding the model’s career with international agencies will be made between both parties, your mother agency and the subsequent agency. A small percentage of your earnings will then be deducted by your mother agency for their efforts. Although you won’t be earning as much as certain models, but you can rest assure that you are well protected by your agency while still gain a lot of exposure in the industry.
To close this, it is important to know every single detail of contract(s) offered to you as you do not want to simply commit your career into the wrong hands. All the best!