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Low pay/no pay vs you have to start somewhere

Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2018 10:58 am
by Katymac
DD keeps seeing jobs - £50 for 8 hrs/full day for exposure/really good experience/for your showreel

Now despite 4 yrs at college she doesn't have an acting showreel so If she doesn't have paying work or a solid audition or a Doctors appt she's decided to have a go at that.

But for dance/choreo she is only doing paid, well paid and it getting 'some' work and it's increasing

But the assumption is that low pay/no pay is perfectly acceptable......

Re: Low pay/no pay vs you have to start somewhere

Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2018 2:22 pm
by jennifer1972
This is the other end of the whole process, isn't it? We, and they make so many sacrifices to get into a performing arts college, knowing full well that no matter how talented they are, the well-paid jobs are few and far between once they leave. My DD, who has just finished her first year is already worrying about how they are expected to keep up their level of training once they leave, to make sure that they are in tiptop conditions if any big auditions do come up. What happened after her final year showcase Katy? Did she get any offers from agents? I wish her and you all the best!

Re: Low pay/no pay vs you have to start somewhere

Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2018 8:47 pm
by Katymac
Yes but 6 months work 6 days a week for less than £25 a day is pretty horrific I think

No-one got an agent as far as I am aware - DD just got a commercials agent and she is doing some extra work

She has done 10 paid jobs and has 2 lined up (ranging from a few hours to 2 weeks work) she has been very lucky and averaged a good rate a week....butit comes in clumps and often she waits for payment

Edited to add no-one "announced" they got an agent rather than no-one got an agent

Re: Low pay/no pay vs you have to start somewhere

Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2018 9:56 pm
by 2dancersmum
unfortunately there will always be the low paid/for experience jobs - certainly as long as there are people willing to do them.

Rather than the rates of pay you mention your DD would perhaps be better doing some promo work - tell her to join Promo Fos on facebook or similar - that will be a minimum of £10 per hour. You tend to be able to join a promo agency by initially filling a last minute vacancy but when you are on the books can get more work - can include dance, skin and character work eventually although more mundane jobs initially. DD also has friends who do 'princess parties' or similar - kids or adults character birthday parties, hen parties and similar events. For a dancer there are also 'events companies' who provide dancers for corporate events - I think Jammy Productions might be based out your way for corporate events but there are literally hundreds of companies out there giving regular work for their dancers.
And don't forget she can still audition for agents - they all tend to open their books at times.
It is early days though - your DD has not done badly to have 10 paid jobs already - number and frequency will increase as she continues to network and gains more experience. Good luck

Re: Low pay/no pay vs you have to start somewhere

Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2018 8:50 pm
by Katymac
Oh yes I'm pleased with how she is doing - I was more horrified at how much upaid work there was out there

Re: Low pay/no pay vs you have to start somewhere

Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2018 5:37 pm
by jennifer1972
I absolutely agree! In which other industry would a graduate be expected to work for free? A friend of mine has a DD starting at Performers in September but now she is panicking thinking that no-one comes out with any representation. I know via Facebook that a few graduates from there have been picked up by cruise ships but what about the rest? What happens at the showcase? Is there even one? Are they all expected to find their own way into the industry? I said I would ask on her behalf as after the initial delight on getting a place, she is seriously worried. :shock:

Re: Low pay/no pay vs you have to start somewhere

Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2018 7:13 am
by Katymac
You have to understand you don't get to know exactly what everyone does, so my impressions are put together by hearsay/fb/gossip and conjecture


I seemed to me that this year more students had jobs by showcase (may) than had jobs by the end of year (july) for the last 2 years put together!!

And good West end type jobs and some of them into named roles or understudy of main roles. Huge numbers of DD's year have gone on to cruises and there have been quite a few foreign jobs too.

DD hasn't along with quite a few others - and of course i concentrate of her!! But even without an agents, 10 jobs- proper, paid, performing jobs (in mid august when she left in mid july) is nothing to sneeze at.

And I think I have said how concerned I've been for DD for quite a while as she didn't 'fit' and we have planned, to some extent, a portfolio career

And each job is a little better - better pay or better conditions or one she likes better

Performers certainly prepared them for the physicality of working - the looking for jobs/housekeeping of working less so (look at equity rules now, year 1 - start thinking about spotlight at the start of year 3 not the end of the year so you go on the graduate scheme)

But the sheer numbers of her year with actual jobs is incredible imo

Re: Low pay/no pay vs you have to start somewhere

Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2018 10:25 am
by riverdancefan
Katymac wrote:You have to understand you don't get to know exactly what everyone does, so my impressions are put together by hearsay/fb/gossip and conjecture


I seemed to me that this year more students had jobs by showcase (may) than had jobs by the end of year (july) for the last 2 years put together!!

And good West end type jobs and some of them into named roles or understudy of main roles. Huge numbers of DD's year have gone on to cruises and there have been quite a few foreign jobs too.

DD hasn't along with quite a few others - and of course i concentrate of her!! But even without an agents, 10 jobs- proper, paid, performing jobs (in mid august when she left in mid july) is nothing to sneeze at.

And I think I have said how concerned I've been for DD for quite a while as she didn't 'fit' and we have planned, to some extent, a portfolio career

And each job is a little better - better pay or better conditions or one she likes better

Performers certainly prepared them for the physicality of working - the looking for jobs/housekeeping of working less so (look at equity rules now, year 1 - start thinking about spotlight at the start of year 3 not the end of the year so you go on the graduate scheme)

But the sheer numbers of her year with actual jobs is incredible imo
and that's just Performers....

Re: Low pay/no pay vs you have to start somewhere

Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2018 10:50 am
by jennifer1972
Thanks for clearing that up Katy. I suppose a lot of people assume that getting representation is a ticket to the big time but probably it´s the ones (like your DD), who forge their own way will be the ones resilient enough to succeed. I think my friend is also worried about the extra numbers of students at Performers from now on, but as we've seen, most colleges are taking on more and more students and more courses are popping up every year. It is a worry that after so much hard work and effort, some of our DCs will struggle to have their dream career but it´s got to help them, having us not so pushy parents behind them!! :lol: Maybe if we have a thread for post-college auditions, we can all help them get as many opportunities as possible. I often see auditions on various pages but don't think twice about them, as DD isn't ready to audition yet, but if we all pass the word around, who knows?

Re: Low pay/no pay vs you have to start somewhere

Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2018 11:03 am
by jennifer1972
Just an example of what I was saying! :D




AUDITIONS...Female dancers required for our forthcoming theatre tour “Rolling Back The Years”. There is a minimum height restriction of 5’4”. For more information please email info@timelesstheatre.co.uk or sonya@timelesstheatre.co.ukAuditions this Friday in Leeds for more information email sonya@timelesstheatre.co.uk orAUDITIONS...Female dancers required for our forthcoming theatre tour “Rolling Back The Years”. There is a minimum height restriction of 5’4”. For more information please email info@timelesstheatre.co.uk or sonya@timelesstheatre.co.uk info@timelesstheatre.co.uk

Re: Low pay/no pay vs you have to start somewhere

Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2018 11:53 am
by Katymac
Good idea - will you set one up?

Mind you there are hundreds of jobs out there!!

Re: Low pay/no pay vs you have to start somewhere

Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2018 5:32 pm
by Katymac
OK I checked she has had 12 paying jobs since showcase and booked another paying job for Saturday this afternoon.

& one of the 12 is on-going - another 5 dates over 3 weeks - 3 of them have promised extra work, she has been invoted to audition for another project with one of them

So it looks like networking is the way to go!

Re: Low pay/no pay vs you have to start somewhere

Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2018 7:05 pm
by Katymac
It's not quite a spreadsheet but......

1/9/18

Applied for
120 jobs on Starnow (since 27th July),
25 on TalentTalks (since 19th June),
25 on Spotlight (Since mid-May),
20 on Backstage (since mid-May),
77 emails have gone out of her inbox with her CV attached which cover jobs from Pineapple, Casting Weekly, Article 19; plus word of mouth jobs and then there is Facebook (The Hustle, London Auditions and Castings, Actors UK & BAME Actors)

So 267 jobs applied for (plus FB jobs) in 8 weeks or so & 15 actual jobs and 16 auditions attended

Job sources:
StarNow/Word of mouth 4 each
Facebook 3
Article 19 2
Backstage 1
Talent talks 1

Re: Low pay/no pay vs you have to start somewhere

Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2018 9:20 am
by lotsolaffs
How do you think she feels? Does she think she has done well? I think she has ,I have nothing to go on but it seems productive to me.

Re: Low pay/no pay vs you have to start somewhere

Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2018 10:44 am
by Katymac
I think she has done well - she has certainly stuck at it! For 8 weeks....

She won't apply for as many again as she is starting to work out which ads are worth applying for - some we have got a fair way in before realising they are unpaid or a bit of a can - she'll avoid that type if she sees similar!

It's interesting which website have produced work - none from the stage either version (so we won't renew) and most of the auditions were on other sites

Article 19 has been pleasant surprise

Starnow we have been consistently warned against...not sure why?

We joined Mandy and unless it's the time of year there is little on there for a dancer!

Word of mouth is setting up to be the best work getter! So it is all about who you know...