Model
Models present clothing, accessories and products for photographers, brands and live audiences, and the work is to make the item look right on camera and on the runway.
- Median salary*
- $57,200
4.2%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 610
1.7%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +4.6%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Moderate
- 4 out of 10
- Average hours
- 32/wk
−8h vs all jobs
- Shortage status*
- Not in shortage
national
- Models work in photographers' studios, at brand showrooms, on location and on runways, and bookings often arrive with a day's notice.
- A model is hired to present a specific product under a client's direction, which is different from content creation, where you build and own your own audience.
- Almost all paid work comes through an agency and is freelance, so you juggle fittings, castings and shoot days for several clients at once.
How much do models earn?
The median full-time salary for a model is $57,200 per annum, before tax, up $12,000 since 2018.
Day rates vary with the client, the campaign and how the images will be used, and agency commission usually comes out of your fee before you are paid. Ask on the booking whether the fee covers a set usage period or a full buyout, since the same shoot day can be worth very different amounts. Weekly pay also hides the gaps between jobs, so judge a year of bookings instead of one good month.
What does a model do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Posing for photographers and videographers on editorial, e-commerce and campaign shoots
- Walking in runway shows and showroom presentations, often in garments you tried on once at the fitting
- Attending castings, self-tapes and agency meetings, most of which are unpaid and arranged at short notice
- Standing through hair, makeup and styling, sometimes for hours before a shoot begins
- Promoting brands at launches and trade events, and posting agreed content on your own channels
What skills do models need?
Employers look for performance and stagecraft, backed by Adobe Lightroom fluency and strong physical stamina and dexterity.
Specialist skills
- Performance and stagecraft
Software and tools
- Adobe Lightroom
- Adobe Photoshop
- TikTok
- Canva
General skills
- Physical stamina and dexterity
- Attention to detail
- Written communication
- Customer service
Is the job growing?
About 610 people work as models in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 4.6% over the decade to 2035. That's modest growth: demand is steady rather than booming.
How do you become a model?
Here's the path most models take, step by step.
- 1Know your measurements and get honest photographs
Agencies ask for exact measurements and unedited images. Photos taken by a friend in good light with a plain background are enough to start, and they cost nothing.
- 2Approach agencies in your city
No formal qualification is required to begin. A legitimate agency earns commission from the bookings it finds you and should not ask for money upfront, so walk away from anyone who does.
- 3Build a book and learn to take direction
Shoot with different photographers, practise self-tapes for commercial castings, and take a movement or posing class. About 47% of models in the job finished school at Year 12 or below, so the portfolio does more work than the certificate.
- 4Set up as a sole trader
You need an ABN, invoices for each booking and records of expenses such as travel, grooming and test shoots when you lodge your tax return.
- 5Widen the bookings you go for
Showroom work, e-commerce, television commercials and branded content all pay differently and suit different ages and looks, which keeps income steadier across a year.
Ready to apply as a model?
Whether you're working toward becoming a model or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a model move to?
Moving into Actor typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $30,800 a year more on average.
- ActorRecorded move$88,000+$30,800
- Makeup ArtistSuggested move$49,400−$7,800
Thick lines are moves people were recorded making in Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility (income tax records, 2011-12 to 2020-21). Thin lines are moves we suggest from skill overlap and entry requirements.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
Actor Performance presence and comfort before a camera carry into acting, though formal training builds character and script technique.Known move | +$30,800 | 44% | reskill |
Makeup Artist A model's styling awareness, camera experience and client-facing poise transfer to makeup work, with a short course covering products and application. | −$7,800 | 18% | reskill |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a model?
The typical model is 26 years old; 81% are women, 17% work full-time, and full-timers average 32 hours a week.
- 26
- Median age
- 81%
- Female share
- 17%
- Full-time
- −8h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a model?
A week might hold two castings, a fitting and one shoot day, and the shoot itself is usually the shortest part of it. You spend a lot of time being looked at and assessed, and most castings go to someone else, so the work rewards people who can take rejection and keep going. Early call times and location shoots mean carrying bags between trains, venues and studios, often with a change of clothes for the trip home. If you like being directed and watching a look come together with a hair, makeup and styling team, the days themselves are absorbing; if you need predictable income and a fixed schedule, the freelance rhythm is hard to live with.
What people like
- No two jobs look the same. One week is a catalogue shoot against a white wall, the next is a runway or a campaign on location, each with a new brief and a new crew to read.
- You see the finished work in public. The images end up in a magazine, on a website or on a billboard, and a shoot that felt slow on the day can read as something worth having done.
- The teams are good company. Hair, makeup, stylists and photographers are often the same people across a season, and a long day passes quickly when the group works well together.
- Some bookings travel. Campaigns and trade events occasionally take you interstate or overseas, and launch work has a social side that studio days do not.
What people find hard
- Rejection is constant. Most castings come to nothing, and feedback rarely arrives, so a quiet run of weeks can feel personal even when nothing about you has changed.
- Income arrives in bursts. A strong month can be followed by a month with no bookings at all, which makes rent, travel and grooming costs difficult to plan around.
- Physical discomfort is normal. High heels, cold outdoor locations, sample garments in one size and hours of standing are part of many shoot days and showroom shifts.
- You are booked on your look. A client may want exactly your measurements and hair this season and pass on you the next, and there is little you can do about the brief.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ models?
Arts and Recreation Services employs the largest share of models, followed by Administrative and Support Services.
Top employing industries
- 1Arts and Recreation Services
- 2Administrative and Support Services
- 3Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Year 12 or below | 47.2% | |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor degree | 20.6% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 12.3% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 10% | |
| Postgraduate | 6.9% |
Will AI replace models?
Moderate exposure. Not replaced, but changed. AI is taking on some tasks and the rest of the job shifts around them.
AI has taken a real share of e-commerce and catalogue work, where a brand can now generate a product shot on a virtual figure instead of booking a day with a model. Runway shows, live events and anything that needs a garment moving on a real body stay with people, and the client relationship does too. For someone entering the job now, the bookings that hold up are the ones built on movement, camera presence and a client who knows your work.
How a typical week splits
None of the main tasks in this job.
- E-commerce and catalogue shoots35% of the week
Brands can generate product images on a virtual figure, so the simplest catalogue days are the first to go, and the shoots that remain often come with a shorter usage window.
- Test shoots, self-tapes and social content20% of the week
Lightroom and Photoshop tidy up images in minutes, and casting platforms now filter submissions before a person looks at them.
- Runway shows and live events25% of the week
A show needs someone who can walk, turn and handle a garment in front of a room, which a generated image cannot do.
- Fittings, castings and client meetings20% of the week
How a garment hangs, whether the sizing works and how you take direction are all judged in the room, in person.
How we work this out
We break each job into its main tasks, estimate the share of a typical week each one takes, and judge how far current AI and automation tools reach into it. The score out of 10 starts from the job's overall rating (low is 1 to 3, moderate 4 to 6, high 7 to 10) and the task split places it within that range. Source: Career Tips analysis of each role's main tasks.
Moves least exposed to AI
These career moves from model work are rated low for AI exposure:
- Makeup Artist
Some skill overlap (18%), reskill to get there, and a low automation-risk profile.
- Actor
Solid skill overlap (44%), reskill to get there, and a low automation-risk profile.
Common questions about becoming a model
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do models earn?
Models earn $57,200 per year before tax at the middle of the range. What moves that figure most is the kind of booking, since a national campaign day is worth far more than a showroom shift, and agency commission comes out first. Ask what the rate covers: the shoot day, the period the client can use the images, or both.
How do I become a model?
Start with a small set of unedited photographs and your exact measurements, then approach the agencies that book work in your city. No qualification is required, and the people who keep getting booked tend to be reliable, punctual and good at taking direction in front of a client.
Are models in demand?
Models are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to grow 4.6% over the decade to 2035. Only a few hundred people work as models around the country, so openings come through a handful of agencies and production companies in each city. Ask an agency how many castings it has sent people your type on in the past month; that tells you more about current demand than a national figure.
Will AI replace models?
AI has already changed catalogue and e-commerce work, because brands can generate a product image on a virtual figure and virtual try-on lets shoppers see garments without a shoot. Runway shows, live events and anything needing real fabric moving on a real body are much harder to automate. If you are entering the field now, focus your training on movement, camera presence and the client relationships that keep you booked.
What can models move into?
Makeup artist is a close move, because you already know how a shoot day runs and how products read on camera, with pay at $7,800 less and a short course covering application and kit. Acting is the bigger jump, paying $30,800 more at the median and needing formal training for character and script work. Performers also move into modelling, though they have to learn fashion posing and portfolio presentation.
Do you need an agency to get work?
No, and some commercial and content bookings come directly from clients who find you on social media. An agency earns its commission by putting you forward for castings you would not otherwise hear about, so treat the contract as a business decision and read the terms on commission, notice periods and what happens if you leave.
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Career advice
- How to change careers, and which moves are realisticData on 1,573 career moves across 350 Australian occupations shows 63.3% need no more than a short course, though skill overlap alone won't tell you which ones. Six worked examples, and how to check your own move.
- Skills to put on your resume (with skills finder)A resume skills section built for the job you're applying for. Search your occupation to see the specialist skills, tools and general skills it calls for, with worked examples and what to write if you have no work history yet.
- How to prepare for a job interviewWhat to work through before a job interview: a prep sheet built from the job ad, the stories that cover most questions, and the questions an interviewer can't lawfully ask in Australia.