Hi,

Has anyone ever been to London School of Modeling or to Diesel Models .. both based in London.?

I applied to them both online and received phonecalls from both saying they would love me to go for a shoot with them.

Both want a 'refundable' booking fee, or I could put it towards buying the images.

A few people on other forums have told me stay clear and others have told me try it out.

Can anyone give me some advice, have you been? What was your experience like? What was the cost? etc etc....

Thanks, Nicky :) xx

STAY WELL CLEAR!!!!
Check out the 'named & shamed' list on Alba models, they're rogues.
From beginning of November it will, at last, be illegal to ask for any fees up-front.
The Sun  did this expos£ of Diesel too:-


Diesel ModelsFees from £350
NATASHA also took Zak to a Diesel Models photoshoot.
Natasha says: ?Diesel say they are not a model agency but the UK’s largest ‘model forum’ who can help potential child models break into the industry.
All top agencies agree that you should never shell out for professional pictures before they take you on.?
With growing children, photos are likely to be out of date in weeks so approaching them with a snapshot is fine.
Then if your child has potential they will ask you to go in and see them.?
But Diesel told me top agencies will all expect Zak to have a portfolio.
At their London studio I was told to allow three hours for Zak’s shoot but even after starting an hour late, it took just 20 minutes.
"The rest of the time was used to hit me with hard sales tactics.?The salesman said I should really buy at least 16 snaps to have a proper portfolio. Then he told me the cost: A jaw-dropping £850 for 16 – and I have to buy today because otherwise they will be deleted. I asked if I could buy just one snap but I’m told model agencies will need more so there’s no point. Oh, and the Diesel bosses wouldn’t allow it anyway because the minimum spend is £350.?
He then suggested I pay in instalments or even phone a friend to try to borrow some cash. He then phoned his boss who said I could have four pictures for £200.
Leaving the shoot, I felt extremely angry.?I can see how easy it would be to be bullied into handing over £850 when all a good agency really needs for a first assessment of your child is a home snapshot.?
When Live It later approached Diesel they said: ?The model industry has more than its fair share of bogus agencies and scams. We refuse to participate in such practices. We are not a modelling agency, we are a photographic studio.?We do not and will not find models or potential models work and we make our terms of business quite clear when we are engaged by our clients.?

Not 100% sure but I am convinced that a similar scam was exposed not so long ago on the telly and the model had come down from the midlands to London for the day and recieved the same treatment as explained in the previuos post.  My best advice is that if in anyway you think it could be a scam then stay well clear.  Ask other models who they use and why they use that company.  There are plenty of agencies out there you just gotta make sure you choose one that doesnt ask you for money up front - if they are good at what they do then they should not need to !!  

  

Hello

I agree with the other comments.  Any agency worth its weight would not be asking for your to pay for your portfolio shots.

Other agencies you could contact are:

www.swpp.co.uk/model_agencies/
Best Wishes
Alaina

Alaina

BA (Hons) PhotoMedia; LBIPP; LMPA.

Stay well clear of them hunni, i applied to a few online and got the phone call saying exactly what i wanted to hear so i booked but they were hounding me for a deposit which i didnt have till payday! Then my gut feeling made me realise it was a scam. Then they got quite nasty saying if i didnt pay the cancellation fee they would blacklist my name to every other agency and i would probably never get work!

My advice is trust your instincts they are usually right!  Good Luck xx

T.

AND I've just found this re "London School of Modelling":-

LONDON SCHOOL OF MODELLING SCAM
Have you paid money to:.The London School of Modelling? 
..If you have I would like to hear from you!.This work finding service states:..."The London School of Modellingis the UK's exclusive trainning acadamy for apsiring models"..Since when???.The company was only set up on11th October 2009.....Click: 

http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk/bed6ad5f4242961a5055aaa0872efe08/compdetails 
..www.londonschoolofmodelling.com.....www.debbieking.co.uk 


Debbie King set up London School of Modelling. 
Debbie King, star of OK! Magazine and daytime TV 
YOU have long way toFALL! 

The SECRET is out... 

.They claim to be an advisory service, but want to charge you a fee...!.What a surprise!.......Are they really just after your money for a portfolio? Of course they can put you in touch with their recommended photographers - Isn't that a coincidence?.They claim:."WHAT IT COSTS". 
"Model Assessment Days simply click on the link below and fill in an application form. Due to the high demand and limited space you will need to pay a £30 refundable* booking fee to secure your place. This is to guarantee that you will be attending. The London School of Modelling cover the entire cost of the day which includes several photographers, a professional stylist, wardrobe, several makeup artists, hair stylists, your model & catwalk coach, refreshments and the consultation itself."...Isn't it strange that when it comes down to telling you what it actually costs - they don'tactually tell you!!!.But they do reassure you that thecosts are covered?.Who is fooling who! 

London School of Modelling = Debbie King = Internet Scam 
.Contact me......See my website for further details......Click: www.anactor.net 


Click: 

Minty Mission! - Radio Voice Over 

My Video & Audio ShowreelsContact me:Mob: 07885 525995E-mail: ***

Thank you for all the replies guys .... I think it's safe to say I'll stay well clear of them then.

It's such a shame that companies would do that to people who really want to make thier dream real becoming a model, and all they are doing is scamming people and making money.

It was Debbie King who contacted me from London School of Modeling, and as for Diesel Models, they have rang me on numerous occasions asking me to pay, but I just made excuses until I had looked into it a bit more. Now I know not to bother.

Feel silly really as I thought that maybe could of been my chance to start getting paid work like they re-assured me, well I was definately wrong.

Is there any more that I need to be weary of do you think ?? I'm sure there is loads.

Nicky.xx

Quoting post from Nickyj1987
Thank you for all the replies guys .... I think it's safe to say I'll stay well clear of them then.

It's such a shame that companies would do that to people who really want to make thier dream real becoming a model, and all they are doing is scamming people and making money.

It was Debbie King who contacted me from London School of Modeling, and as for Diesel Models, they have rang me on numerous occasions asking me to pay, but I just made excuses until I had looked into it a bit more. Now I know not to bother.

Feel silly really as I thought that maybe could of been my chance to start getting paid work like they re-assured me, well I was definately wrong.

Is there any more that I need to be weary of do you think ?? I'm sure there is loads.

Nicky.xx

I don't know if you are familiar with the AlbaModel website - albamodelinformation.com, but there's some really good impartial advice on there plus warnings of main scams etc. 
I used to be a licenced model agent and have just appraised your folio on here.
I love the pic of you in the black dress & with a height of 5'9" you do have potential, but most good agencies recruit models of 15 nowadays - sounds silly to say you could be too old at 23! 
But keep pushing and you'll hopefully get some work off this forum & I'm sure you'll enjoy it when you do.
Afraid the only paid work I can offer you though is as an artists model sitting for my life group in Spain.
Good luck 

Quoting post from martinrobinson

I don't know if you are familiar with the AlbaModel website - albamodelinformation.com, but there's some really good impartial advice on there plus warnings of main scams etc. 
I used to be a licenced model agent and have just appraised your folio on here.
I love the pic of you in the black dress & with a height of 5'9" you do have potential, but most good agencies recruit models of 15 nowadays - sounds silly to say you could be too old at 23! 
But keep pushing and you'll hopefully get some work off this forum & I'm sure you'll enjoy it when you do.
Afraid the only paid work I can offer you though is as an artists model sitting for my life group in Spain.
Good luck 

Thank you for that about Alba Model, I'll definately look on that site, not heard of it before.

I really appreciate your comments about my portfolio it means alot to hear that !

I am a bit worried that being 23, is TOO OLD !! Sounds silly, but to start out modeling I guess it could be, but I'm going to keep at it,  and give it my best ...

You never know, something good may come my way if I try hard enough x

Hi Nicky

I noticed your comment on Net Portfolio and felt compelled to reply for myself, being the Director of the London School of Modelling.

A lot of the replies to your question have no truth in them whatsoever and I need to put this matter straight. I cannot speak for Diesel Models however all I can do is tell you straight how we operate ourschool and be totally honest with you myself.

Nicky we are a school and we do not give false promises or scam ANYONE out of money.

We provide an honest service for anyone looking to get into the world of modelling. I must point out straight away that you say in your post we asked for a “refundable booking fee which you can also put towards buying images.” I don’t know who told you this about the London School of Modelling but I can assure you this is NOT how we operate our school.

We ARE NOT a photographic studio just trying to charge fortunes for professional photographs. We are a school offering advice and training in the form of our 2 day Model Boot Camp or a one day Model AssessmentDay. The booking fee for the Model Assessment Day is £30. This covers EVERYTHING from studio hire, to makeup and hair artists, stylists, use of our fantastic costumes, photos shoots and the assessment.  It’s not about coming to us to get some photos; it’s about coming to us to get some advice and for an amazing experience. My staff will bend over backwards for you to ensure this.  The booking fee is not refundable against photos as selling photos is not our focus whatsoever!

We do not do ANY hard sell at all but offer a fair andrelaxed advice service.  We certainly do not push people into buying photos and totally agree that any new model does not necessarily need a portfolio to launch a modelling career. We tell everyone this when they come to us.  Often top agencies will take on a new model with a simple snapshot. We are well aware of this.

However, some models may want a portfolio and we get many emails every day from models asking us to create one for them. We tell them first that it may not be something they need however if they are going to try and find themselves modelling work by creating profiles on modelling websites, then they will find that having a selection of professional shots will get them noticed by casting agents. If that’s the case then we can create a portfolio at a very competitive price, but only if that model really wants one.

Many people ask the question “Do I need to attend a modelling school in order to become a model?”

Of course you don’t.  If you have the raw talent, looks and ambition you can try and make it on your own OR if you want you can do it with our help. What we offer on our 2 day Boot Camp course is help and guidance from our experts.

We teach aspiring models how to walk on the catwalk, how to pose for different types of modelling (e.g. commercial, high fashion, editorial), how to find your best angles, how to become a versatile model and not just give the same pose in everyshot. We teach you how to network as a new model, how to get work for yourself,how to find the right agent for you, health and beauty tips, interview techniques and often most importantly how to build your self confidence, which so many aspiring models don’t have.  We do huge photo shoots with elaborate themes and amazing costumes.  Every student that attends one of our Boot Camp courses has the time of their lives. Although many people argue you can’t “learn” to model, we can state from pure experience that any student attending our 2 day Boot Camp is a much better model at the end of the 2 days then when they walked first through the door. When that student goes on to do their first job they will be far better equipped to deal with directors and photographers on set and do a far better job than many others with no experience whatsoever. 

If you watch any popular modelling show like Britain’s Next Top Model, it’s obvious to see that if you take someone with raw beauty you can teach them to model. Many of the contestants on those shows start off being unable to achieve a good photo but by the end of the series they have learnt to model.

Many others simply come to our school for a fun packed, fantastic, out of this world experience, with no real desire to model but just an interest in what the modelling world.

We also have fantastic contacts within the modelling world that we can put our students in touch with. We don’t represent models but we are constantly inundated by clients asking to use our students for modelling jobs from fashion shows to photographic shoots. 95% of our studentshave booked jobs through us!!!  We have had students appear in Heat magazine (in fact we are in Heat magazine this week for the third time this year), Football punk magazine, on the GMTV Website, invideo’s for Lycra Swimwear, The Ideal Home Exhibition, Men’s Health website and many many more.  See the JOBS section of our website to find out more.

I feel very strongly about any one claiming that we have hounded them for money or threatened to get them blacklisted from agencies books.  We have NEVER got nasty with anyone, never hounded anyone for money, and would NEVER blacklist anyone’s name. Who are we to do that anyway?  We are a friendly, welcoming company which anyone will see for themselves, if they come and visit us. We don't chase people for booking fees, in fact we allow people to pay on the day!

As for the ridiculous blog supposedly written about my school by Clive Hurst, this blog is fake and was in fact never written by Clive Hurst, but by someone else trying to defame my company. I have been in talks with Clive Hurst for months and he absolutely did not write this blog. Clive wrote an identical blog about another modelling company and this was simply copied from his official website and pasted on the web. If you click on the links (to my website) they do not even go to my school website but to the other company. Clive Hurst puts all his blogs on his official website and the one about my school is not there. If you would like proof of this please contact Clive Hurst yourself.
www.anactor.net

We are in the process of taking legal action against the person who has clearly impersonated Clive Hurst. We did start the school a year ago and I am proud of this fact. All my prices are very clear on my website and we do not have ANY hidden costs.

I hope I have managed to explain how the London School of Modelling works and that we are NOT a scam. Of course any aspiring model can make it on their own without our help and many do,however every single one of the students who has attended my school has loved every second of it and thanked me for the fantastic experience. There is no pressure to come to us. If you want to then great, if not then we wish you the best of luck, it’s as simple as that.

Lastly, we are NOT on any list of companies to avoid on the Alba model website.

If you would like any more information please email me and I will be happy to answer any of your questions.