Frequently Asked Questions
We all love a FAQ!... if there are any specific questions, please contact our team who can help guide you.

SHiELDS does not charge any audition, joining or admin fees. If you are also represented by our Agency, you will never pay any fees to be part of this. Like all agencies, we charge commission on all jobs booked by our clients. Our commission rate is in line with the industry standard and is reviewed regularly. For more information on these rates, please contact our office. Our Academy training currently offers two options for students. Our 'Online only' option which is available to students worldwide, includes two 1 hour 30 minute coaching is currently £68.00 per calendar month. This includes additional extras such as access to our 'monthly self tape challenge' which is reviewed by our team. Our 'Hybrid Training' option is available to students in the UK and includes one online coaching session and one in person class. The cost of this is £68.00 per calendar month. This includes additional extras such as access to our 'monthly self tape challenge' which is reviewed by our team. If you decide to take this option and aren't based near one of our classes, you are responsible for travelling to this session yourself. If this isn't accessible for you, you may be suggested to take up our online only option. Our 'Plus' option, gives you access to all our classes each month, both in person and online. This is currently £79.00 per calendar month and includes access to our 'monthly self tape challenge' which is reviewed by our team. With regards to our Agency clients, there are some costs which all actors should expect to pay in order to have a good chance of gaining work. Spotlight is a casting website which allows your child to be submitted to casting directors for upcoming auditions. It's an incredibly competitive market and casting offices often find the talent they need exclusively on Spotlight without needing to look any further. For that reason, recommend that all our clients pay for a listing in Spotlight. This currently costs £121.50 per year and this fee is paid directly to Spotlight. Agency clients also require professional headshots. We have special rates with our trusted photographers as we appreciate the start up costs can be difficult to navigate in the beginning. Our agents are involved both at the shoot and when selecting the final images - this ensures your headshots show an honest representation of you as an actor.

We feel very passionate about providing opportunities and professional training to all areas, regardless of your location! Our head office is based in South Shields (hence our name!) in the North East of England in the UK. For our Academy... any location, it doesn't matter to us. If you have the talent, we would love to hear from you. For our Agency, we only take on clients from our Academy. Due to visa working regulations, we can only represent you if you have the right to work in the UK.

Our talent is carefully reviewed by our SHiELDS team during the audition process, whether that is via a virtual audition or at one of our audition days. You expect to hear back within 10 working days on the process of your application. We are a real champion of raw talent and aren't looking for a polished and perfect performance... we look for passion for the arts, team players and a desire to learn! If you are offered a place on our Academy, you will be given a rules and regulations contract to read and sign. This will explain the terms of training and payment with SHiELDS Academy. If you are offered additional representation on our Agency, you will also receive an agency contract with commission rates. Although not enforced, students and clients are encouraged to attend all classes each month. We understand life gets busy and personal engagements come up, if this is the case, you must let our team know in advance.

We take on clients from 7 - 25 years old. If we see any emerging talent, we may invite you to be part of our professional training Academy.

Being a boutique Agency with an emphasis on individuality, we do insist on having sole representation of our clients and ask that all work offers are directed to us. This is because we run our practice in appliance with Children's Performance Legislation and Guidance England and we need to make sure the work your child is offered follows the same practice and that the correct fees are paid. Having sole capabilities over all audition submissions and job offers allows us to guide your child's career in the right direction and work with a more personal, managerial approach.

Like any agency, we can't guarantee work for our clients; neither can we guarantee auditions! We receive casting breakdowns every day, and work hard to connect and suggest our clients for all the roles that they are suitable for. However there are many, many young people looking for acting work today, and only a limited number of appointments. For this reason, it's very important and we ask that clients let us know in advance if they are going to be unavailable for castings or filming.

We try and allow as much time as possible before appointments but often casting directors can give upon to 24 hours notice for a casting. As appointments are like gold dust, we ask that you let us know as soon as possible if you are unable to attend.

A lot of castings take place in the major cities in the UK, although with the growing capacity and need of online auditioning, zoom castings are also becoming increasingly popular. This is great for students who are unable to attend a casting at the other end of the country at short notice. However, jobs can take you all over the world! It is not unusual for filming to take place around the UK or even abroad.