Your rights as an agency worker
Entertainment agencies
Entertainment agencies can charge you a fee:
- for finding you work, for example taking a commission (percentage fee) from your earnings
- to publish your details online or in a publication
They must tell you in writing if a fee is involved.
If they’re publishing your details
Once you receive the contract, you have a 30-day ‘cooling off’ period when you:
- can cancel or withdraw from it without getting a penalty
- do not have to pay
The agency must show you what it plans to publish about you before it’s published.
You then have up to 7 days after the cooling off period to say if you do not want the information to be published. If you’re happy, you must pay after the 7 days.
Example
You’ve paid to be promoted on a casting agency’s website. The agency shows you the photos 29 days after you signed the contract and you’re not happy with them. You have 8 days to demand a refund.
If the agency charged you but did not publish your name, you have the right to a refund for up to 60 days.
Contact the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) for advice if you believe you’ve been charged unfairly.