I know that a lot of parents have inevitably gone through the torment of balancing school with working. Some of you may have chosen one or the other.
I know for those of you who think it would be best to stick with school, this is a heartbreaking descision for you and your dd/ds. It can often feel as though (especially to the dd/ds) that if you dont get started NOW then your chances are ruined forever! You may have just got with an agent, and come to realise that the amount of traveling to and from auitions, is tough enough on your school life, and then actually getting the part makes keeeping up with school all the more difficult. This is when a lot of parents pull the plug, and the kids feel betrayed/ dreams shattered, etc.
I was one of those kids. I have been accepted by different agencies 3 TIMES, each time having to pull out because of the threat it posed to my education. The first time was waiting for my GCSE's to finish, then thinking that i would have all the time in the world in my first year of 6th form, then realising that A levels are hard and pulling out again.
What i am trying to say is, is that it really is not the end of the world, if this happens. And you can get back on the road after school has finished, and you have achieved your qualifications. Presumably, a lot of dd/ds's will have had experience, making it a hell of a lot easier to get with an agent later on. 18 year olds, are extremely popular with agents. They are more likely to take risk for an 18 year old, and you are more likely to get a more competent agent when you re 17/18 than when you are 12. (SOMETIMES)
I have dedicated myself to my A levels, whilst managing to ask my current agent to wait until i'd finished my exams. I now have an agent waiting for me.
I am so, so happy that my mother stopped me from leaving school at 16, or concentrating on auditions from age 13, and making me stay in school and do it properly, because now i feel far more in control of my own life, and far more confident to face 'the real world'
I just wanted to assure parents who decide to take this route, that they will be grateful to you, and they will understand, even though they may be broken hearted for a small time
I am not in anyway condemning those who have children who work/audition simultaneously to attending school, but for some parents that isn't an option, and the choice can be a hard thing to swallow.
I wanted to make this post because i joined this site when I was 13, and i am now 18, and NAPM helped me to make good contacts, get experience and helped me and my mother make the choice that lead to where I am today.
Good luck to everyone.
