Artists' models may belong to models' unions, co-ops, or guilds which schedule jobs and negotiate fees. The following information is from the California Projections of Employment published by the Labor Market Information Division. This information is for the broad occupational group, Demonstrators, Promoters, and Models, of which Models are a part. Models work in a relatively small occupation. Because of the glamour associated with modeling, there are far more job seekers than available modeling jobs.
Competition is intense and success is rare.
Most job opportunities come from the need to replace models who leave the occupation, as well as from the constant demand for new faces. This is because they have to pay modeling agency commissions that average between 10 and 20 percent of their gross pay. Beginners work only a few hours each week, but they spend a great deal of time auditioning and trying to build a reputation. In fact, most models don't get enough assignments to fully support themselves. This means being attractive and well proportioned.