1. They pester you to come back.

2. They verbally abuse you or other students.

3. They punish you unfairly (especially for things like going to the bathroom)

4. They use bribes to keep you in class.

5. They never give you constructive criticism or clear criticism, even after you ask them to clarify.

6. They ask you to sign a contract that auto-renews. 

It’s class, not an agency.

7. They don’t want to let you go, or quit their class.

8. They force you to do things you’re uncomfortable with. 

My Acting Teacher in college forced me to kiss my scene partner… after our scene had ended… in front of the  entire class. 

9. They flirts with students.

10. They ask students to appropriate an ethnicity, or make a fake identity.

11. They consistently misgender students.

12. They make students cry.

13. Classes are too large. 

10, maybe 12, is the max in my book. I want there to be enough to for me to get individual attention/critiques.

14. They aggressively mock or single out one student. 

A teacher reprimanding a student who’s late or doesn’t do their work without a valid excuse is normal. What isn’t is them raising their voice or insulting a student without good reason. Actors shouldn’t be mocked for their accents or physical attributes. And teachers shouldn’t be harder on their non-white students than their caucasian ones etc…

15. They rant more than they teach. 

16. They force you to reveal personal traumas like sexual or physical abuse to the entire class, or even just to them.

17. There’s no time for individual training.

18. Class is cancelled without sufficient notice and no replacement is provided… and Actors still have to pay for that class day.

19. They gaslight you.

I had a teacher who’d constantly gaslight me. For example, I’d say we scheduled class for this day, then they’d say that never happened. And they always blamed my poor memory… Despite me writing everything down…

(check out this link to learn what gaslighting is and how to address it)

20. There’s group feedback

You’re paying to have the teacher instruct you, not the students who are all of varying skill and experience levels, and who may or may not give you good feedback. Some students can even give bad feedback. It’s also overwhelming to get 10 critiques on 1 scene, all with different directions. It leaves the Actor unsure of where to start repairs.

21. They talk badly about other teachers and name them.

Google every Acting teacher, class, and studio before working with them. And ask other Actors who’ve taken their class how their experience was before signing up. 

CHECK REDDIT!!!

A good Acting coach can really make a huge difference in your Acting career and development. 

But in the words of a Voiceover coach I once had, “some coaches never want to let you go”. 

It is important to choose someone who is more interested in your development and willing to part without issue instead of someone who wants to keep you as a cash-cow. 

Before choosing an Acting coach ask yourself the following questions:

1) Do they have a plan over the next number of weeks, or do they have no plan with no concrete end?

2) Is working with this person going to help me develop my reel, self-tapes, or skills?

3) Am I being led by their low prices or by what they have to offer me?

4) Do I ever feel gaslit when speaking to them?

5) Are they willing to do a trial session?

6) What skills do they have and what skills do they not?

7) How can their skills help me?

8) Do they have any negative Google or Reddit reviews?

9) What do others who’ve studied under them say?

10) Am I being led by their popularity or by our chemistry?

11) How do they accept payment?

MOTHER AGENCIES

• Ethos
• Liz J
• DMM Management
• Jones Model Management 
• Spirit
• Yanii Models
• Zodiac Management
  
• Ursula Weidmann

MODELING AGENCIES

• Long Island Models
• Ef Model Management
• Bella Agency
• Ursula Weidmann
• CESD Talent Agency
• Abbey Lynn BK
• The Btwn
• Maggie Agency (MA)
• New Icon
• No Agency
• Dreamland
• Fenton Models

• IPM
• Women 360
• WeSpeak
• Heroes
• Vie Agency
• JMB
• Dot Models
• IPM
• Dorothy Combs
• APM
• Role Models

• LA Model Management
• Mavrick Artists Agency
• Rage Models
• Natural Models
• Firm Model & Talent
• Photogenics
• DTO Models
• Storm LA
• Locke LA
• Freedom Models
• Brand Models
• Dragon Fly
• Lovestone
• Two Management 
• Minelli
• Off Shore
• Stetts
• Q Models

• Louisa 
• DNA
• Off Shore
• Fenton
• Women Mgmt

The reason Models don’t publish their rates is because they change quickly as the Model becomes more developed/experienced. And they change greatly depending on the client. There is also a fair amount of negotiating that goes into the rates of individual jobs.

But this doesn’t help new freelance Models figure out how much they should charge and it contributes to the outbreak of Models, Instagram Models, and Brand Ambassadors being low-balled today.

I remember on my 1st go-see with a major denim brand -that I procured on my own- I was just starting out and was signed to a scam agency and wasn’t taught what my rates should be. When I told the designer I charged $150 flat rate an hour her exact response was, “you can charge more”. My lack of experience was made evident then and in the end it contributed to why I didn’t book the job.

There is a recent phenomenon of Brand Ambassadors, Models, and Instagram Models charging too little as a result of brands low-balling them due to the creation of Brand Ambassadors.

Even though Models and Brand Ambassadors are different professions; which overlap within the profession of Instagram modeling, they all are being low-balled. And they all deserve to be paid more.

Many Models complain that because Brand Ambassadors will work for less, they flooded the market and made brands uninterested in paying high rates for Models when they can save basically their entire budget on Brand Ambassadors. And this happened because it is a profession that the public can quickly get into. And the general public is unaware of Model rates. 

I propose a solution of teaching Brand Ambassadors, Instagram Models, and Models to charge more! If they can’t afford you, that’s it. Move on. This is the only way to reset the market and to get everyone paid what they deserve!

So to help, here are some EXAMPLE rates for a NEW (has worked for less than a year) FREELANCE Model working in NEW YORK. 

(These rates are not definite and should be viewed as a general example rather than an end all be all)

☆ When figuring out your rates you need to take into account your…

1. Years of Experience

2. Whether your signed or freelance

3. Location

These are example rates I found through a YouTube video. Do your research and Google more example Model rates. There’s hella stuff on YouTube!

(These rates are not definite and should be viewed as a general example rather than an end all be all)

An influencer told me this is how much she charges per post and I derived this formula for how much to charge a brand per feed post through her rates.

(These rates are not definite and should be viewed as a general example rather than an end all be all)

Image available in The Modeling Guide for Every Body by Model Stephanie Rosa

*I highly recommend checking out her book as well as other written by Models. The best and most useful information on the Modeling industry that isn’t typically talked about on the internet is usually in books written by Models!