Answering a Reader Question #554

Russel Wrote:

 I'm russel 19 years old 6"1 skinny
I really want to be a male model but I'm currently living here in the Philippines
and I seriously think there is not much opportunity here for male model wannabes like me, I'm dreaming to be a international model specially new York . So here is my question ,if example I submited an application online and they really do like me what can I expect from them? would they help me get to new York? or would they just tell me to fly to new York? well I'm asking this cause I know it's hard to just fly to new York i know it's expensive but I can sure do if they promise me a contract but it's not just about the money how bout visa? would they help me with that? take ford for an example
and what's the real deal when it comes to applicants outside USA?

thanks in advance , I love your blog cause you help a lot of people

Hi there, Russel!

Thank you so much for the kind words, I really appreciate it!

If you submitted an application online to an agency in New York and they wanted to invite you for an interview, you would have to pay for the costs related to travel, transportation and lodging/accommodations. Unfortunately, agencies do not cover these expenses, nor will they offer if it's just for the interview.

Agencies can't promise a contract to anybody, especially if they haven't met the model in person before, hence the request for an interview. It would be too much of a business risk for them to pay for a model to fly from another country without knowing 100% if they want to sign them. If they end up not wanting to offer a contract, then they would be out a lot of money.

So if you really are committed to wanting agency representation in another country, you'll have to find some way to get there if invited for an interview. Once you've been offered a contract, then they'll guide you through the process of acquiring a visa and what steps should be taken to allow you to model legally in the U.S.

When it comes to applying to U.S. agencies (for models that live in other countries), the reality is that the odds aren't very high, especially if money to get to the agency is an issue. Most times, models in these situations have better luck getting signed to top agencies within their home country (or the closest country they're able to travel to) and start their careers there. It's ideal to get signed to an agency that also has an office location in the U.S., which means a direct connection that could lead a model to be sent to work overseas. The travel expenses in such a situation would be covered, as would the visa and other legal paperwork required.

Definitely feel free to submit yourself to agencies in New York but only if you know you could realistically get to them if they are interested in you. Otherwise it will end up being a waste of their time and they won't be very happy.

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