They are interesting to say the least! Crammed little apartments that smell of cigs and filled with bunk beds. The goal with the model apartment is to charge us girls as much as possible and have as many girls stay in it as physically possible. Even if they have to sleep on couches or make-shift beds, they will fit 9 girls in a tiny one bedroom apartment if need be. Maximum possible profit!!
So here in Turkey our apartment is actually on the same floor as the modeling agency and the only thing that separates us from the agents is a bathroom. Talk about watching over us; they can just walk in and make sure we are here and not doing anything bad. But the apartment isn't too bad. It's two bedrooms, one full bath, one half bath, cozy kitchen, and a main space with a tv and video library. The kicker: there's 4 sets of bunk bed and a single bed all crammed in here. Plus, every girls suitcase. The lucky ones who got here first were able to hang their clothes in the whopping two wardrobes per room and as for the rest, well it's still in my suitcase. There is quite a lot of shelf space and a fridge in our room but my space has become my lil top bunk with baby ladder. Yes, I am currently on the top of a bunk bed from the 90's. That is a models apartment for you. Crammed, suitcases everywhere, and expensive!!
The amount they charge us for rent is unbelievable! It equals about $500 a month and times that by 7, and they own it, so this is all profit for them. The sucky thing is is that we had no choice. We don't know anyone in Turkey so where the hell are we suppose to stay. And I learned yesterday that apartments here are so freaking cheap; I would say this one rents out for around $400 maybe. So do the math.
It would be a dream come true if there was an agency out there that actually gave us fair prices for everything. We have to get comp cards, books, prints, put on the website, have to have a driver here, and other miscellaneous expenses that show up on our accounts. This is the part of the modeling world that people are trying to change, but honestly, you can really change the power of control here because there are way too many models and not enough are going to actually stand up. There are always going to be those ones that will work for cheaper so everyone has to work for cheaper. It's a dog eat dog world and luckily I'm American!! Us American girls get a little bit better rates (or atleast use to) and once we are done over here, we get to go back home to a great country with all the comforts and our rates raise when we come back. The more traveling you have under your belt along with the more tears and foreign photo shoots, the more your rate goes up which means more money for you and for the agent. But the country you go to has to do its job too, if they are getting you those shoots then boom out of there. Also, being American means we don't have to worry about visas as much. Now I did end up having to get one here but to get into America is so incredibly difficult for foreigners. They usually have to pay hundreds just to get into the country and plus the ticket over so I am sooo sooo happy I'm an American.
Well anywho that was just a snippit into what a model deals with when overseas. Small apartments and crazy expensives. Why do it? Because if it works out, then you can land some major money and shots that will benefit you in the American market. It seems crazy but what isn't crazy in this industry.
Talk soon! Spill more about Turkey some other day!
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