Frequently Asked Questions

Q:Are Kidshak Reputable?

Q:Is there a joining fee?

Q:Why do I need to pay a representation fee to an Agency?

Q:What other methods do Kidshak use to promote their children?

Q:Can I use snapshots for my child?

Q:Do Kidshak accept everyone who applies to the agency?

Q:Does Kidshak assess, or interview applicants?

Q:What fees can my child expect to earn?

Q:Can you guarantee my child work?

Q:How many assignments/castings am I likely to expect in a year?

Q:Does the Agency update me on client interest?

Q:Will I have to travel?

Q:Can I apply if I my child is already with another Agency?

Are Kidshak Reputable?
Kidshak are a member of the NNCEE (National Network for Child Employment) and as members, abide by their regulations to provide safe practise. As the older agency attached to Babyshak, which began as a part of Bizzykidz Agency, Kidshak works within all DTI regulations fully.

Our website is password protected to give parents peace of mind and access is only ever given to clients once thoroughly checked.

Is there a joining fee?

Kidshak do not charge a joining fee, however, as with all child agencies, you will be expected to pay a small fee to cover the cost of your child’s online portfolio and subsequent advertising methods. This representation fee is currently £90, which covers a 2-year period and includes creating an individual web page for your child, updating the website as and when necessary and advertising your child to our clients.

Why do I need to pay a representation fee to an Agency?
As with any busy and reputable agency, Kidshak are an Agency and do not have the facility, or time, to carry out their own IT work and printing. We therefore employ an independent company to do this work on our behalf and so it is they that charge this fee for their services.  A child can only be selected by a client for work once they are available to view on the website, or via our model cards, which are circulated, and no work will be commenced by the IT company without payment first. For this reason, we are unable at present to deduct the representation cost from future earnings of any child.

Contrary to some suggestions, child agencies, unlike their adult equivalent, will recoup the cost of advertising their children from the applicant (parent), especially when it includes hard copy printing, distribution and web inclusion.

Adult agencies work in a totally different way to child agencies, their models often have to travel around visiting clients daily for 'go sees', all at their own expense and with absolutely no clue if they are right for the job or not. Children's agents such as Kidshak however, organise set auditions with our clients where they will always specifically select which children they wish to see for a casting.

What other methods do Kidshak use to promote their children?
Kidshak advertise in all the major publications used by the Industry. We also spend a huge amount on postal advertising and IT, whilst working together with several other agencies when needed.

Any successful child, once up and running with the Agency, will need to be included in our Agency Face Book, which is used by the majority of our Photographic clients. This is circulated to our clients yearly, with updated pages being sent out for inclusion as and when new children join the Agency. Children will be invited to our own in-house studio for an assessment and photographic sitting once up and running with the agency. This is for us to assess children and then select photographs for our Agency Face Book. Kidshak do not charge for inclusion in our Face Book.

Assessment will establish whether a child is deemed more suitable for either Commercial, or Photographic assignments, or indeed both. Clients approach our Agency for every type of child with regards to Commercial assignments, so the photographic sitting would be more important for the Photographic side of the Industry. Any child that is found to not be suitable, or enjoying the camera, will be offered a full and immediate refund of the representation fee. The Agencies decision is final. The purpose of this is to see how your child performs in front of camera and to judge their character. This eliminates future issues that may arise when attending assignments for the parent, the agency and most importantly the child. Those that cannot attend our studio are welcome to use their own appointed photographer, however, we will need to send them an assessment letter, which they must complete on our behalf at the time of your appointment with them. Our in-house photographic rates are currently £50 per child, which includes Face Book inclusion.

Can I use snapshots for my child?
Snapshots are fine for an application and can also be used in the initial stages of joining the agency and producing your child’s website portfolio. Once the website is up and running, however, parents will be expected to provide professional photo’s for our Face Book and New Faces Cards, and these photo’s will also be used for their website pages to replace the original snapshots provided. We will update the website free of charge for you with these photo’s. Snapshots can therefore only be used until professional ones are provided. Website and Face Book photographs should be updated annually, unless a child’s appearance has changed considerably (hair cut/style/added fringe/colour/wearing braces/glasses/scars etc). Parents should send in snapshots for our files until new professional photographs can be provided. Height, clothing and shoe size should be checked regularly, with updates sent to the Agency when necessary.

Representation is for 2 years, after which time you are welcome to renew with the mutual agreement of the Agency.

The photographs taken at the studio will be used for web inclusion, our On-line Face Book and New Faces Cards (posted to clients), with copy of the photograph selected being emailed to the parents. There is no fee for photographic sittings when joining, however, there is a £50 for all sittings thereafter.

Kidshak’s Agency fee is 20%, which is deducted from all child and chaperone earnings (excluding travel).

Do Kidshak accept everyone who applies to the agency? We receive over 100 new applications a week to join the Agency. In line with DTI rulings, we can only ever consider a child that is a strong candidate for inclusion on our books. We have a strict policy of holding only a small selection of each type of child to offer our clients, whilst also ensuring that numbers are kept in line with the amount of client work received by the agency.

Does Kidshak assess, or interview applicants?
In line with DTI rulings again, it is not permitted by law to charge assessment fees to any applicant. Due to the amount of applications we receive on a daily basis, we do not have the time to assess each one individually and would have to employ staff to do this at a huge cost to the agency. We avoid such costs as we would then need to relay the amount to the parents in the form of a joining fee, which we do not wish to do. Our clients select from photo’s and so do we. We do, however, assess all children after joining and those that are not deemed suitable, for whatever reason, will be offered a full and immediate refund. This assessment will take place within a month of joining. Please be aware, however, that we do not wish to waste yours or our precious time, taking on children which when we come to meet them in the studio, are totally not suitable for modelling work in terms of their attitude, behaviour and confidence. We therefore ask that you do of course ensure that your child meets the criteria detailed in the how to apply section before sending an application. We are, however, asked for every kind of model in terms of look and experience, but very rude or naughty children are of course never tolerated! Your child should display a clear desire to model.


What fees can my child expect to earn?

Rates vary, depending upon age and what assignment a child is undertaking. Photographic rates start at £50 per hour (minimum 2hr booking), with Commercial (moving camera) rates being anything up to £30,000. All details will be told to the parent at the time of the agency calling and this is verified in writing also, as per Department Of Trade & Industry regulations. Kidshak will only ever email a parent regarding work if they are unable to contact them by phone.

Can you guarantee my child work?
No Model Agency can guarantee any child work. Those that do should be avoided at all costs! The duty of any Agency is to produce a varied portfolio of children for clients to select from and to then advertise to their clients adequately. Selection for any casting/assignment is entirely up to the client and not the Agency. What Kidshak do guarantee is to only consider children and teenagers that we feel will be successful candidates for our clients. Our decision would only ever be based upon the client queries we receive and the child’s individual criteria. A reputable Agency that does not charge yearly fees will be just as keen for a child to be working as the parent! It would be totally non productive to have children on our books that are not working and subsequently earning the Agency it’s commission, as well as taking up the space of another child who could be more successful.

How many assignments/castings am I likely to expect in a year?
That is an almost impossible question to answer, as this is dependant upon many different factors. No agency can anticipate what work is likely to arrive on their desk the following day, without foreseeing a whole 12-month period, so any agency that claims to guarantee a number of assignments, or castings for your child, should again be avoided. It should be remembered that with any Agency, some children can be very lucky and secure every assignment they are submitted for, whilst others can be slower at starting. Likewise, some children may also be extremely busy for a long period of time, before then falling into a ‘slow’ period. It is all depending on the requirements of the client at the time. 

Does the Agency update me on client interest?
If a client is ‘interested’ in a child, the Agency simply negotiates with them directly after submitting all up to date details of that child to them. Kidshak submit anything up to 200 children a day to clients, so it would prove impossible to let each parent know if there is only ‘interest’ in their child, or if the Agency had simply submitted them to a client for an assignment. Unless a client requests additional information to that which the Agency already holds on a particular child, the agency will only ever need contact a parent once the child has been confirmed for an assignment, or casting.

Will I have to travel?
Yes, our work is mostly in and around the London area, although we do receive queries from all over England, particularly in the other larger cities including Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and Liverpool. With assignments, clients will sometimes cover cost of travel (depending on the client and budget). Some clients may reimburse travel costs, escort you to and from your home to the shoot or simply ask you to make your own way. however, with auditions, a small payment towards cost of travel will be made on most occasions, but not always (see our rates page).

Can I apply if I my child is already with another Agency?

Yes. Kidshak are not a Sole Agency, however, it is courteous to let either Agency know, as we do sometimes work together and this can avoid confliction, or double bookings.
 
If your question is not answered here, then please email us at agency@kidshak.com,
or call 01322 554667, when we will be pleased to assist.

 

Due to the volume of queries we receive and the workload of our bookers, we regret that we are unable to individually answer general modelling questions which are already answered above. Please ensure you thoroughly read the above before contacting us with any queries, and if your query is not covered, then we may of course wish to add it for future applicants.

Thank you for your co-operation.