Are you ever too young?

[suzynsoph]

Are you ever too young to take paying clients? - Today, 12:01 PM



My daughter is currently doing her NVQ in media make up and also learning skin care, etc. She is also undertaking a course in nails and her work is actually remarkably good.

She is constantly being told by her friends that their mums etc wouldn't mind a set but she is concerned that at almost 17 she might not be taken seriously if she were to advertise her services in a few weeks to make extra money. Her course is only 3 days per week and she is desperately trying to earn more money to put back into further training.

Do you think she is right or do you think her work is good that age doesn't matter?

Suzy

 

[Bev Rose]

If she is still in training, she will not be able to get insurance as she has 'no qualification' at this time. Therefore, she cannot perform a service on the 'paying public'.
Some insurance companies will insure her as a student (I think), but her cover will be limited.
However, lots of students have people they practise on and only charge them for the use of the products, to enable them to buy more. I see no reason why she would not be able to do this. She must point out to her 'models' that they are exactly that - 'models', and she is using their hands to practise on. In other words, if there are problems, she may then not be liable, as they have agreed to let her practise on them. She would need them to fill out a consultation card & get them to sign it.

I'm not saying that she should start her own business up - she's not qualified as yet, to do so. But if she's practising on people and using her products on them, then least ways she can get new products this way.

I did this with family and friends until I qualified & felt confident to go out into the great unknown.

The last thing she wants to do, is to start off on the wrong foot & end up with major problems, due to her not being properly & fully trained & qualified & insured.

I hope this makes sense.

 

[g5m_sh]

I think some insurance company's now cover students that are not qualified but are studying/training.

I think some times if you don't charge (even if you are just training) people don't respect or take you seriously.

x

 

[suzynsoph]

Thanks for the advice. Can you recommend any good insurance companies. Also I agree about charging to cover the cost of materials but I believe, rightly or wrongly, that she should charge a little more than just covering her costs as it is her time and she really is quite good. She is not entertaining the idea of taking paying clients at the moment as she feels she wants more practice after which many of her college friends studying her course with her have all agreed to model for each other. Even her brothers have offered their hands providing she gets them off immediately afterwards!!

Suzy

 

[loubylou]

The guild are good for insurance,
don't forget she must also register with the inland revenue if she is charging, even if it is only to cover her costs hth

 

[suzie49]

When I was studtent I got insurance thru the Guild, you could only work on friends and family, under £40 if I remember right..xx

 

[Lil Linz]

I was 19 when I officially set my business up (previous to that I practiced on others but didn't charge, which i regret now I wish i'd charged), and I have found it is difficult for some people to trust those younger than themselves. Even now I get the odd look when people answer the door, but when they see the quality of work I produce, they are reasurred.

I'd advise your daughter to add a section to her record cards saying something like 'I grant (daughter's name) the right to use and publish photographs taken of me for advertising purposes. Copyright of the photograph will belong to myself only.' and have a separate signature for that statement. This will allow your daughter to take photo's of her work and create a portfolio out of them (this can just be a photo album) so that clients can see her work.

(As she is doing a media makeup course, she should already have been told about the photo release forms. Usually it is the photographer that has these, but when taking the photo's yourself, you become the photographer)

hth's a little and i've not waffled on too much lol