When it comes to looking into child modelling agencies to sign your child up to, it can sometimes be difficult to see clearly what modelling really involves. Junior models are in demand, which is good news for any parents who are looking to get their little ones into the modelling industry from a young age. Many high-street and household brands are constantly searching for young talent, from children’s clothing to TV commercials.

A lot of the time, modelling and acting is a completely new experience for children which can sometimes be daunting. When it comes to applying for child modelling agencies, many parents have a lot of questions that they may want to ask an agency before committing to signing their child up. We thought that it would be helpful to put together a few questions that we are regularly asked by parents who are considering getting their child into modelling or acting...

How can my child join Sandra Reynolds?

Sandra Reynolds Juniors is one of the leading child modelling agencies in the UK, our books are always open for lovely new children to apply. We don’t accept walk-in appointments or hold open castings, but to be considered for representation, please fill out our online application which can be found on our website under the ‘join our agency’ section HERE. Under 16s applying for themselves should have their parent or guardian’s permission before proceeding with their application.

If you would like to find out more information on how you can apply to our agency, read our short blog about how to apply HERE. We are always on the lookout for brand new talent to join our agency and we often scout for new talent using social media. If you think that your child has what it takes to become a model or actor, follow our Instagram account @sandrareynoldsjuniors and @sandrareynoldsmodels, making sure to use our hashtag #ScoutMeSRJ alongside your photos.

Can my child be with other agencies as well as Sandra Reynolds?

We are a non-exclusive agency, which means our models and actors can be with one or two other selective child modelling agencies. We do not represent children who are signed to lots of different agencies as this can lead to clients “shopping around” to get the best/lowest price. Also, they may be going forward for the same brief multiple times which clients are not fond of.

How will I know if my child has been successful or not?

If our new faces team feels like your child could be a good fit for our agency and briefs, then we will ask for a self-tape. This tape will require your child to introduce themselves and talk about their hobbies so that the team can see that they are confident in front of the camera. If they are successful, the new faces team will invite you and your child to one of our casting days either in London or Norwich.

It’s important to not feel disheartened should you not hear back from us, your child's look may just not have been right for the type of briefs that we receive at this time. Although we would love to reply to everyone, we receive hundreds of applications on a weekly basis and therefore we can only contact you if we are interested in taking your child's application further. It’s important to please allow 3-4 weeks for applications to be processed.

Child Modelling at Sandra Reynolds Juniors

Joel for Joules, Milly for Startrite and the Aaron Family for Deichmann

View our junior models here

Is there a fee to join Sandra Reynolds Juniors?

There are no upfront fees to join our agency. There is a yearly publicity fee of £60+VAT (£72) which is added to your child's account on 1^st January each year. This fee covers the cost of producing and updating their SRJ publicity material including photographs, website profile, cards, and update shots when they need them. You do not pay this upfront, it is deducted from your child's first job each year. Should you not book any jobs, this fee would not be payable.

What is licensing and how does it work?

Whenever a child is still of compulsory school age and is being considered for a job, their local authority needs to issue a Child Performance Licence in order for them to participate. Part of the licence is to receive consent from the child’s school for their absence should the shoot fall during term time and require them to have time off. This is a Government requirement that is put in place to ensure the safety of the child is a priority as well as protecting them by limiting the number of hours they are on set, and the number of breaks they have during this time. It also requires the client or production company running the shoot to ensure that there is a suitable chaperone on set, per child, at all times. This can be either a parent/guardian or an outsourced chaperone licenced by the local authority.

Children who have reached the end of their statutory education do not require a licence. You can read more about licencing on our website HERE.

Does my child need to have professional pictures to apply?

No, these are not necessary as we will take these here if your child is offered an appointment. If you have professional shots of them that's fine, however, in the initial stages of the application process, snapshots taken on a phone in natural light are perfect for us to see your child clearly and assess their suitability for the agency.

Try to take these against a plain background – a white wall or door is perfect. One headshot, one full-length shot and a smiley shot, showing their teeth are all we need. Please note these images should be low resolution (under 500kb) in order for the application to submit. To find out more about the application process and for more hints, visit this blog post where you can watch our helpful recruitment video.

On the casting day, our photographers will take a selection of different photographs of your child, such as headshots, natural shots and full-length shots which will be used on the website to promote them if they are offered a place on the books. You will be given advice in advance on what clothes are suitable for your child to wear and what outfits to bring with you.

Should I be paying money for a modelling portfolio?

You do not need professional photographs to apply for Sandra Reynolds - we just want to see recent clear images that are taken in good lighting and against a plain background at home. These can be taken on a camera or a phone – whatever you have.  We are not ‘affiliated’ with any other child modelling agencies, studios, photographers, or anyone else who may tell you they are recruiting for us (normally then asking you to pay for images they need to take to enable them to put you forward to us). These are scams so please be aware, and use your common sense.

Paying money for a portfolio is something that you need to be very wary of as there is a very thin line between companies scamming people out of hundreds of pounds for a few unsuitable photos, and legit photographers who have taken lovely images and simply require some kind of payment for their time (understandably).

Doing your homework, reading online reviews and using your common sense before proceeding with these photoshoots is highly recommended. Once we have met you, should we feel that your child is suited to the agency then we will then start to work on building their portfolio, by taking the images ourselves at one of our casting days and receiving images back from jobs they have booked.

Will castings and shoots be on weekends only?

In an ideal world, all castings and shoots would take place on a weekend, during half term or the school holidays. Unfortunately, this is not the case for the majority of jobs as, understandably, the producers, crew and others organising and working on the shoot do not normally want to work on their days off. Although this can sometimes be frustrating for parents as having time off school isn’t always ideal or easy to get, this is certainly something to consider before applying to child modelling agencies. Whilst it’s not compulsory for you to attend every single casting that you are put forward for (although this would be ideal) there is a certain amount of commitment we will need to have from you.

As you can imagine, a lot of groundwork is put in by the bookers even before the casting stage, so having good availability is key. We will always try to give you as much notice as possible prior to a shoot or casting, however, please understand that sometimes this isn’t always possible, the industry itself is very fast-paced and consequently sometimes quite last minute!

Child Modelling at Sandra Reynolds Juniors

Alana for Opro, Lailee for Tu Clothing and the Henry for Frog Bikes

View our junior models here

Which brands do you work with and how much will my child be paid?

Sandra Reynolds Juniors works on all kinds of amazing filming and photography briefs for many different industries, so our clients vary massively on a daily basis. One day we could be working on a fantastic commercial which pays a few thousand pounds, the next, a very lovely shoot for a local brand with a much smaller budget.  We can never predict how our days will pan out, and that’s what we love most about the industry! We are fortunate enough to work with some lovely clients; TUI, Nintendo, Orchard Toys, Sainsbury’s, Start Rite & Ford to name just a few.

To discover more clients that we have worked with, please click HERE.

The payment that you receive will completely depend on the client's budget and various other things such as where the pictures will be used and for how long. At SRJ, we always go above and beyond to accommodate both ends of the scale, and our friendly model bookers will always keep you informed and make the fee clear to you prior to you confirming your availability for the job.

Do I need to live in London?

Whilst around 70-80% of the jobs and castings that we send our child and family models to are in London, it isn’t compulsory for you to live there as long as you are willing to travel. The UK modelling industry has talent across the UK, not just in London.

If you think that your child has what it takes to be a model then you can apply for your child to be represented HERE.

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