A legitimate modelling agency earns commission when it books you work — it does not charge you to join, test shoot or “secure a spot”, does not guarantee work or pay, does not insist on its own photographer and does not rush you to sign. Verify any scout on the agency’s own website before sending photos or personal details.
Real agencies don’t charge for a test shoot, your photographs or to “secure your spot”. They’re paid after the client pays, and the contract states their percentage.
02
They guarantee work
Bookings are irregular even for successful models. No legitimate agency can promise jobs.
03
They promise big pay
Earnings vary widely. A guaranteed salary is a reason to walk away.
04
You must use their photographer
Some agencies have photographers they work with, but using them should never be a condition of getting work.
05
They rush you to sign
Take time to check the company before giving money or personal details. A genuine offer will still stand tomorrow.
06
Big claims, no track record
An established agency can show the models and clients it works with. No website, or no verifiable clients, is a red flag.
Verify before you send anything
What do real agencies say about scouts and payments?
In the agencies’ own words, from their application and warning pages. Always reach an agency through the website you found yourself, not a link in a message.
Jakarta · Indonesia
JIM Models
Its terms say an application does not create an agency relationship; representation begins only with a signed agreement. It runs a modelling school separately from the application. Source ↗
Says its scouts and agents will never request payment for representation or ask for nude or lingerie photos, and warns that impostors use the Elite name. Under-18s contacted by anyone claiming to be from Elite should tell a trusted adult and contact Elite directly. Source ↗
Says only shortlisted applicants are contacted and all official communication comes from an @scoopmanagement.com email address or its verified social accounts. Source ↗
Verify a scout
Official contact comes only from an @scoopmanagement.com address or its verified social accounts, as stated on its application page.
Says it never requests nude or lingerie photos or any payment, does not interview over Skype, and that you should check the identity of anyone claiming to be from JOY and tell a parent or guardian if contacted. Source ↗
Verify a scout
Check through the contacts on its website; staff emails use @joymgmt.com and the São Paulo office is +55 11 2592-8747.
Warns about impersonators: do not respond to anyone asking for an online interview, personal information or payment in Folio’s name without verifying first. Source ↗
Verify a scout
Folio agents’ emails follow the format name@foliomanagement.com; verify on 514-288-8080 or info@foliomanagement.com.
A child may work to develop their talents and interests only under the direct supervision of a parent or guardian, for no more than three hours a day, and in conditions that do not disturb their development or school time (Article 71). JDIH BPK — UU No. 13 Tahun 2003, Article 71 ↗
Ministerial Decree KEP.115/MEN/VII/2004 adds that, for children under 15, the employer needs a written agreement with the parent or guardian, work must be outside school hours and capped at three hours a day and 12 a week, and a parent or guardian must be on site. Any employer using children for this kind of work must notify the local manpower office at least 14 days beforehand. The decree does not name modelling specifically. JDIH Kemnaker — KEP.115/MEN/VII/2004 ↗
We found no Indonesian rule written specifically for modelling agency fees. The Manpower Act lets licensed private job-placement agencies charge placement fees only to employers and to workers in categories set by ministerial decree (Article 38). Whether an agency counts as a placement agency depends on how it operates. JDIH BPK — UU No. 13 Tahun 2003, Article 38 ↗
An employer hiring foreign workers must have a foreign-worker plan approved by central government, and individuals may not employ foreign workers (Article 42 of the Manpower Act, as amended by Law 6 of 2023). JDIH BPK — UU No. 6 Tahun 2023 (Cipta Kerja) ↗
NSW’s Entertainment Industry Act 2013 defines performers to include models, and regulates the performer representatives who find them work. Entertainment Industry Act 2013 (NSW) ↗
In NSW you cannot be charged a fee merely for joining, auditioning to join or signing with a performer representative, and fees for film, television or media work are capped at 10 per cent unless agreed in a managerial agreement. NSW Government — information for performers ↗
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre advises never to send deposits or pay fees for a job, and to verify a company through its official website and phone number. Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre — job scams ↗
The Labour Law bars employers from recruiting anyone under 16. Arts, sports and special-craft units that recruit under-16s must follow state rules and protect the child’s right to compulsory education (Article 15). MOHRSS — Labour Law of the PRC ↗
Workers aged 16 and 17 are “juvenile workers” with special protection: they may not be given mining, toxic or other prohibited heavy work, and employers must give them regular health checks (Articles 58, 64 and 65). MOHRSS — Labour Law of the PRC ↗
The Provisions on the Prohibition of Using Child Labour (State Council Decree 364) bar any organisation or individual from finding work for under-16s. The fine is 5,000 yuan per child, and a job agency that does so loses its licence (Articles 2 and 7). MOHRSS — Provisions on the Prohibition of Using Child Labour ↗
Arts and sports units may recruit under-16 professional performers and athletes with a parent’s or guardian’s consent, and must protect their health and compulsory education (Article 13). The provisions do not mention modelling, so it is unclear whether modelling falls within this exception. MOHRSS — Provisions on the Prohibition of Using Child Labour ↗
Under the Minors Protection Law (2020 revision), no one may recruit under-16s unless state rules allow it. Children may take part in performances and programme production only with a parent’s or guardian’s consent, and organisers must protect their rights (Article 61). Ministry of Justice — Minors Protection Law of the PRC ↗
We found no national rule written specifically for modelling agency fees. Licensed job intermediaries may not give false job information, hold workers’ identity documents or take deposits from them (Employment Promotion Law, Articles 40 and 41). It is unclear whether a given modelling agency counts as a job intermediary. MOHRSS — Employment Promotion Law of the PRC ↗
Children under 13 may take part commercially in cultural and similar activities, including advertising-film recordings, only with permission from the Director of the Working Environment Authority, given case by case on application; the permit sets the hours. Bekendtgørelse om unges arbejde (BEK nr 1713 af 18/12/2025), §§ 37–39 ↗
Anyone established in France who places models for a fee must hold a modelling-agency licence (licence d’agence de mannequins). Code du travail, art. L7123-11 ↗
Working as a model is conditional on a medical certificate showing that your overall health, assessed in particular by BMI, is compatible with the work. Code du travail, art. L7123-2-1 ↗
A child under 16 may not be engaged as a model without prior individual authorisation from the administrative authority. Code du travail, art. L7124-1 ↗
That individual authorisation is not needed when the child is engaged by a licensed modelling agency holding an approval (agrément) to engage children. Code du travail, art. L7124-4 ↗
Employing children — under 15, or still in full-time compulsory schooling — is prohibited, except where the supervisory authority grants an exception for events. Jugendarbeitsschutzgesetz § 5 ↗
On application, the authority may allow children to take part in advertising events and film and photo shoots for limited hours (up to two hours a day for ages 3–6, three hours for older children), with written parental consent and a medical certificate no more than three months old. Jugendarbeitsschutzgesetz § 6 ↗
A private placement agent may charge a jobseeker only if a job actually results, must agree the fee in writing, and may not demand or accept advance payments. SGB III § 296 ↗
For placing photo models, advertising models and mannequins in employment, the agent’s fee is capped at 14 per cent of the model’s pay including VAT, or 18 per cent for jobs of up to seven days. Vermittler-Vergütungsverordnung § 2 ↗
Under Section 3(2)(b) of the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986, as amended in 2016 (in force from 1 September 2016), a child under 14 may work as an artist in the audio-visual entertainment industry, including advertisements, subject to prescribed conditions and safety measures and provided the work does not affect the child’s school education. NCPCR — Guidelines for Child and Adolescent Participation in the Entertainment Industry (PDF) ↗
Rule 2C of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Rules 2017 requires a producer to obtain permission from the District Magistrate of the district where the work takes place before involving a child, and to file an undertaking in Form C with the list of child participants, parental consent and the name of the person responsible for the child’s safety. NCPCR — Guidelines for Child and Adolescent Participation in the Entertainment Industry (PDF) ↗
Under the same rules a child may not work more than five hours a day or more than three hours without rest, may not work more than 27 consecutive days, and at least 20% of the child’s earnings from a production or event must go into a fixed deposit in a nationalised bank in the child’s name, credited on reaching majority. NCPCR — Guidelines for Child and Adolescent Participation in the Entertainment Industry (PDF) ↗
NCPCR’s guidelines define the entertainment industry to include modelling and photography, apply the 20% fixed-deposit rule to adolescents aged 14 to 17 as well as children, and note that the Act limits an adolescent to three hours’ work before a rest of at least an hour, spread over no more than six hours a day. NCPCR — Guidelines for Child and Adolescent Participation in the Entertainment Industry (PDF) ↗
We found no national licensing scheme for model or talent agencies in India and no rule specific to fees charged to aspiring models. General consumer complaints can be raised with the Department of Consumer Affairs’ National Consumer Helpline (toll-free 1915). Department of Consumer Affairs — National Consumer Helpline ↗
Employing children — under 15, or still in compulsory schooling — is prohibited, but the labour inspectorate may authorise them to work in cultural, artistic, sporting, advertising or entertainment activities, with the parents’ prior written consent, if it does not harm their safety, development or schooling. Legge 17 ottobre 1967 n. 977, art. 4 (Normattiva) ↗
The ministry’s guidance lists “model” (someone who appears in fashion shows or other events, or is photographed for newspapers, magazines and the like) among the few occupations for which a licensed placement business may charge the job-seeker, under a fee table it must disclose, plus for now an application fee of up to ¥710 per application. It may take no other fee in connection with placement. We could not confirm from the agencies’ own pages whether any agency listed here operates as a licensed placement business. MHLW — 職業紹介事業の業務運営要領 第6 手数料 (placement business guidelines, Chapter 6: fees) ↗
The Labour Standards Act bars employing a child until the end of the first 31 March after their 15th birthday. With permission from the relevant government office, children of 13 and over may do light work outside school hours, and younger children may work in film production and theatre; the employer must keep a school head’s certificate and a parent’s or guardian’s consent, and these children may not work between 8pm and 5am (Articles 56, 57 and 61). The Act does not mention modelling and applies only where a child is employed. Japanese Law Translation — Labor Standards Act (Act No. 49 of 1947) ↗
The National Consumer Affairs Center warns of talent and model contract problems, mostly among women in their teens and twenties, now often starting from online auditions and social media ads. It advises checking what the work involves and whether you must pay, avoiding contracts on the spot, and calling the 188 consumer hotline; cooling-off may be possible in some cases. National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan — タレント・モデル契約のトラブルにご注意！ (updated 12 December 2023) ↗
The Japan Modeling Agencies Association, an industry body rather than a regulator, says its members’ scouts show a company business card and a JMAA ID card, explain lesson and photo costs and cooling-off rights, never sign contracts on the spot, never push beauty devices, cosmetics or salons, and never charge high registration fees on a promise of fame. A minor’s contract needs a guardian’s consent form. JMAA — モデルスカウトに関して (On model scouting) ↗
Anyone who acts as an intermediary to find work for a job seeker must be licensed under the Private Employment Agencies Act 1981; recruiting without a licence carries a fine of up to RM200,000, up to three years in prison, or both. JTKSM’s guidance does not say whether modelling agencies fall within the Act. JTKSM — Private employment agency FAQ ↗
A licensed agency may charge a job seeker a registration fee of no more than RM30 for work in Malaysia, and a placement fee of no more than 25% of the first month’s basic wage once a job offer is accepted. If the employer pays the placement fee, the agency cannot also claim it from the job seeker. Private Employment Agencies Act 1981 (Act 246), ss. 14A–14B and First Schedule ↗
Charging more than these fees, or knowingly deceiving a job seeker with false information, is an offence carrying a fine of up to RM50,000, up to one year in prison, or both. JTKSM — Private employment agency FAQ ↗
No one under 18 may take part in any public entertainment (the Act’s definition covers exhibitions and performances open to the public, and performances filmed for public exhibition) unless the Director General of Labour has issued a licence to the person employing them. The Act does not mention modelling by name. Children and Young Persons (Employment) Act 1966 (Act 350), s. 7 ↗
Anyone who places job seekers with employers in Singapore needs an employment agency licence from the Ministry of Manpower. MOM’s guidance does not mention modelling agencies, so it is unclear whether an agency that books models for freelance jobs is covered. Ministry of Manpower — Who needs an employment agency licence ↗
A licensed employment agency may charge a job seeker no more than one month’s salary for each year of the employment contract, capped at two months’ salary, and must issue an itemised receipt for any fee. Employment Agencies Rules 2011, rule 12 ↗
If the employer fails to employ you, or ends the job within six months for reasons other than those the rules list, a licensed agency must refund at least half of the fees you paid. Employment Agencies Rules 2011, rule 13 ↗
You can check whether an employment agency is licensed, and see agencies under revocation, suspension or surveillance, on MOM’s EA Directory. Ministry of Manpower — EA Directory ↗
Children aged 13 to under 15 may only do light work in non-industrial settings; young persons aged 15 to under 16 may work in non-industrial settings. MOM’s page does not refer to modelling specifically. Ministry of Manpower — Employing young persons and children ↗
The Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act protects consumers against unfair trade practices such as misleading representations or false claims, and CASE is the first point of contact for consumer complaints. CCS — About fair trading practices ↗
Employers apply to the Department of Employment and Labour for a permit to involve children under 15 in advertising, artistic and cultural activities — the form lists modelling — attaching the parent’s or guardian’s consent and proof of age. Department of Employment and Labour — Form SD10.1 ↗
Planning businesses and their staff must not give false information or make false promises when recruiting artists, and registered academies that train would-be artists must not make false claims about agency services when recruiting students. Breaches carry fines of up to 10 million won (Articles 15 and 41). Korea Law Information Center — Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act, Articles 15 and 41 ↗
The Act treats anyone under 19 as a youth. Under-15s may work on productions for no more than 35 hours a week and not between 10pm and 6am, except until midnight before a school holiday with their own and a parent’s or guardian’s consent. Those aged 15 and over are capped at 40 hours a week (extendable by up to one hour a day and six a week by agreement) and need their own and a parent’s or guardian’s consent to work between 10pm and 6am. The weekly caps do not apply to justified cases such as travel for overseas work (Articles 2, 22 and 23). Korea Law Information Center — Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act, Articles 22 and 23 ↗
Contracts for artists’ services must be in writing and signed by both sides, covering the term, each side’s rights, the scope of work, revenue sharing, dispute resolution and protection of child and youth artists. The ministry prepares standard contracts in consultation with the Fair Trade Commission (Articles 7 and 8). We found no Korean rule written specifically about agencies charging aspiring models to apply. Korea Law Information Center — Popular Culture and Arts Industry Development Act, Articles 7 and 8 ↗
Under-16s may not be employed, and their participation in public shows may be authorised by the labour authority only in exceptional cases, in writing and for specific events, where it does not endanger their health or development. Estatuto de los Trabajadores, art. 6 (BOE) ↗
Employers may not let children under 13 work, except very light work or with a permit from the Swedish Work Environment Authority to perform in cultural or artistic activities or at sports or advertising events. Arbetsmiljöverket — AFS 2023:2, chapter 8 ↗
Employers hiring children under 13 for such work must apply for a permit, and the authority asks for applications at least eight weeks before work starts. No permit is needed for 13- to 17-year-olds working as performers or extras, though the authority can rule on their hours. Arbetsmiljöverket — permits for minors’ performances ↗
Employees under 18 may not work between 10pm and 6am without written permission from the Director-General, but an employer may let a child who performs in film, drama or similar performances work in those hours with adequate rest. Under-18s may not work overtime or on holidays. Office of the Council of State — Labour Protection Act B.E. 2541, ss. 47–48 (Thai text) ↗
Under the Employment and Job-Seekers Protection Act B.E. 2528 (1985), placing job seekers in work in Thailand requires a licence. A licensed placement agent may charge job seekers only a service fee and expenses within ministerial limits, and nothing before the employer has hired the job seeker and paid the first wage. The Act does not mention modelling, so it is unclear whether modelling agencies fall under it. We found no rule specific to modelling agency fees. Office of the Council of State — Employment and Job-Seekers Protection Act B.E. 2528, ss. 4, 8, 26–27 (Thai text) ↗
The Child Protection Act B.E. 2546 (2003) defines a child as under 18. Whether or not the child consents, it bars using, hiring or asking a child to work or act in ways that may harm their body or mind or hinder their development, and bars inducing or allowing a child to perform obscene acts, paid or not. Office of the Council of State — Child Protection Act B.E. 2546, ss. 4, 26 (Thai text) ↗
The UAE Labour Law prohibits employing anyone under 15, and the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation does not issue work permits below that age (Article 5 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, as summarised by the government portal). UAE Government portal — Employment and training of minors ↗
Juveniles aged 15 to 18 may work only under a ministry work permit. The permit needs written consent signed by a parent or guardian, a medical certificate of fitness for the work and a ministry-approved contract. Juveniles may not work at night or in dangerous or harmful jobs. The page does not mention modelling specifically. UAE Government portal — Employment and training of minors ↗
The government portal says charging recruitment fees to prospective employees is illegal, and that recruitment, travel and residence-permit costs are borne by the employer. We found no rule written specifically for modelling agency fees, and the page does not say how this applies to agencies representing freelance models. UAE Government portal — Protection of workers’ rights ↗
Federal Law No. 3 of 2016 on child rights (Wadeema’s Law) protects children against all forms of negligence, exploitation and physical and psychological abuse. The government’s summary does not mention modelling. UAE Government portal — Children’s safety ↗
New York’s Fashion Workers Act (Labor Law, Article 36) has applied since 19 June 2025; since 21 December 2025, model management companies and groups must register with the State Department of Labor. NYS Department of Labor — Fashion Workers Act ↗
New York model management companies may not require a deposit or charge a fee for signing, take more than 20 per cent commission, or create or use a model’s digital replica without separate written approval. NYS DOL — responsibilities of fashion management and clients ↗
In New York, print and runway models under 18 need a Child Performer Permit from the Department of Labor, and employers must put at least 15 per cent of their earnings into a trust account. NYS DOL — child model FAQs ↗
California talent agencies must hold a licence from the Labor Commissioner and quote the licence number in their advertising; the law’s definition of artists includes models. California Labor Code § 1700.5 ↗
In California, employing a minor under 16 as an advertising or photographic model requires a permit from the Labor Commissioner. California Labor Code § 1308.5 ↗
Florida talent agencies may not charge a registration fee, or make you buy photography services, classes or workshops as a condition of registering or finding work. Florida Statutes § 468.410 ↗
The Federal Trade Commission says never to pay an agency up front: any agency asking for money to represent you is a scam, and agencies shouldn’t make using their photographer a condition of getting work. FTC Consumer Advice — modeling scams ↗
If it has already happened
What should I do if I paid a fake agency?
Contact your bank or payment provider immediately and keep every message, receipt and profile link.
UK: complain about a recruitment agency to the Fair Work Agency. GOV.UK guidance ↗
Do real modelling agencies charge a fee to sign you?
No. The US Federal Trade Commission says real agencies will not ask you to pay for a test shoot, photographs or to secure a job, and are paid after the client pays. In the UK, agencies cannot charge fashion and photographic models an upfront fee for finding work.
How do I check a modelling scout is real?
Find the agency’s own website independently, then contact the agency through the details published there. Several agencies publish their official email domain or office numbers and say they never ask for payment or nude or lingerie photos.
Is it a scam if an agency says I must use their photographer?
It is a warning sign. The FTC says agencies should not make using their photographers a condition of getting work.
What should I do if I paid a fake modelling agency?
Contact your bank or payment provider straight away, keep every message and receipt, and report it — in the UK to the Fair Work Agency about recruitment agencies, and in the US to the FTC.
