AUTHOR Sunita Thind, 40, from Derby, has a side hustle modelling and acting as an extra in commercials.
The former drama teacher says it’s a great way to boost her income.
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The work is sporadic, sometimes just a couple of gigs a month, but she can earn as much as £750 for a day’s shooting.
More often it’s around £200-£300 for a job.
She said: “It’s also really good fun, so it doesn’t feel like work.
“A lot of people think you can only earn money from modelling if you look a certain way but that’s mainly for fashion.
“There’s another side of the business called ‘real cast’ where they are looking for people who look normal.
“Lots of companies who need ordinary-looking people for their adverts or to show their products in use.
“It’s a lot more accessible than people think it is.
“I’ve done everything from modelling lingerie, which was quite intimidating, to acting as a football fan for Leicester City.
“I’ve recently filmed an advert with my dog Ghost for Pets at Home.
“I had to feed him treats all day.
“In another ad I got paid £750 for a day pretending to be a customer at a coffee shop chatting to a barista.
“I got to meet interesting people and I enjoy watching everything that takes place on set. Plus there was lovely free food.
“In another commercial for Microsoft Teams I didn’t even have to leave the house.
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“It was all about remote meetings so I was filmed via the camera on my laptop.
Sunita says that there are various agencies you can join if you’re looking to get into this type of work, but some of them charge a fee.
She has got work through Face Model and Casting Agency, Mentor Model Agency in Sheffield and StarNow.
What exactly is an extra and do I have to be good-looking?
An extra is someone in the background of a scene or with a minor part within a film, TV show or commercial.
They are there to make the scene seem realistic.
You don’t have to look like Cara Delevingne or Bella Hadid to land work as an extra or commercial model.
Even in the world of fashion, more shops are now using people with more realistic body-types to model their clothes on their websites.
But you still have to have the right “look” for whatever message a particular company is trying to get across, so it’s very hit and miss.
A thick skin is probably one of the most important qualities you need to be successful, say those in the business.
How much will I get paid?
As Sunita says, the prices for jobs can vary dramatically depending on the budget of the company paying you and the type of work involved.
Sometimes you will have to pay your own travel expenses and at other times these are covered.
You might get a free lunch and it’s possible you might even get some free products to take away.
But according to MoneySavingExpert.com the typical pay is around £50 a day plus £10 an hour for overtime.
Don’t forget that you will need to declare any income you make to HM Revenue & Customs by completing a self-assessment tax return.
If your side hustle takes you over your personal tax allowance of £12,570 this year, you’ll also have to pay income tax.
How to get started and scams to watch out for
You’ll need some professional-looking photos and to register with some agencies if you want to find work.
But watch out as there are scams out there which will try to get you to pay a fortune for photos and agency fees with no intention of finding you anywork.
Stick to agencies with a good reputation and do a careful search for online reviews of any that seem at all suspicious.
According to MoneyMagpie.com these four agencies have made a good name for themselves and charge the following fees:
Uni-versalEXTRAS – Has an annual sign up fee which starts from £25 (or free for students), and on top of this it takes 16% commission on every job.
The Casting Collective – No upfront joining fee but an annual admin charge of £20-£75 depending on where you live and deducted from your first paid job, then 15% commission plus VAT.
Extra People – Free to join, but charges a larger 20% commission for every job.
Mad Dog Casting – A one-off fee of £32.50 (£61.25 in London) + VAT is deducted from your first job with them. On top of that it deducts a 15% commission from every booking.
