WHAT DOCUMENTS WILL I NEED FOR MY CHILD TO LEGALLY WORK AS A CHILD ACTOR?

It’s Important that you complete the paperwork necessary for your child to become an actor or actress. Some agents will try to skip this step or diminish it’s usefulness. Those agent’s should not be dealt with as this paperwork is designed to protect both the parent and the child. The documents needed are easy to secure and complete and you would be doing your son or daughter a disservice not to properly fill them out.

There are two main documents to complete.

1. Work Permit:
The work permit protects your child’s well being and helps ensure their schooling/labor needs are not being neglected. The permit process is handled by each state’s Department of Social Services. Most permits are good for an initial 6 month period and you should get a renewal notice in the mail.

When applying for this permit there are typically two things required. A birth certificate and, if your child is of school age, a recent report card or note showing that your child has good conduct and grades (Another benefit of child acting is that this encourages a child to do well in school so they can continue to do their acting). If your child is not of school age, only a birth certificate is usually required.

CLICK HERE TO SEARCH FOR YOUR STATE’S DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES

2. Social Security Card:
The Social Security card is required for your child to legally make income. The Department of Social Security provides several methods to acquire the necessary paperwork to obtain a social security card. You can call 800-722-1213 to have paperwork mailed to you. You can also pick up the forms online at http://www.ssa.gov/ssnumber/ . Two forms of identification are required, a birth certificate and any other form of identification with the information of your child's birth printed on it.

HOW SHOULD I LOOK FOR CHILD ACTING AGENTS AND CHILD TALENT MANAGERS?

When looking for a talent agent, make sure they do not want ANY money up front. Many parents are blinded by the desire to see their child become a successful aator or actress and fall for scams in which agents require upfront money. Just remember, agents receive a commission on jobs after you child gets a gig. So a good child talent agency will not ask for money prior to getting a job for your son or daughter. This helps them have a larger list of clients so that when an audition is posted, they have a better chance that one of their clients get‘s the job. This means more money for a successful agent because again THEY GET PAID AFTER YOUR CHILD SECURES A JOB!

Child talent managers can be useful for developing your child’s abilities. This is another area where you will want to evaluate your child’s individual situation and look at the investment. Make sure you are not spending too much money on this area but, it is far from a necessity. Talent managers are best utilized after your child has already had a couple of jobs and starts getting offers making more money. Ideally, you want your child to only use money made from previous acting jobs and not spend any "new" money on these services. That not only makes sense fiscally but, can teach important life skills about the proper management of money.

It’s also important to note that professional photos are not necessary. Snapshots from a decent camera will do. You don’t have to pay lots of money for photos. This is another area in which an investment can be made after jobs have already been done.

 HOW CAN I FIND CHILD ACTING AUDITIONS WITHOUT ENLISTING A CHILD ACTING AGENT?

Usually child acting jobs and auditions can be located in the local newspaper or a site such as www.craigslist.org. The listings found on these and other online resources will usually be things like student or local films and will offer little to no pay however, they are a great place to start and will help in building your child’s acting resume. Usually a potential employer will want a headshot and a resume as part of the application process. The child’s resume should include contact information and previous acting positions and should be attached to the headshot. An Example resume is listed below. Remember, to protect your child, you should not list a home address or school that your child is attending.

Bailey Superstar
Date of Birth: 08/26/2004
Height: 3’5”
Weight: 42lbs
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Blue
myemail@exampleemailaddress.com
832-555-5555

My Acting and Modeling Goals:

To perform in films, advertisements and TV shows as an actress, model and singer.

Experience:

Films: Bailey Superstar Film1 - Lead Role

Commercials: Bailey Superstar Cereal - Cereal Eater

Training:

Singing: Baileys Singing School

Acting: Baileys Acting School

Special Talents and Abilities:

Singing
Dancing
Acting

Hobbies and Extracurricular activities:

Swimming, Skating, Bike Riding,