London average reaches £11ph  24-04-08

The RAM continuous pay survey is now showing that the average hourly rate for models in London is approaching £11 per hour.  In fact, it may be higher that that, because very few models bother to tell us when and where rates are increased.  Unfortunately, that has the effect of helping to keep rates down, as many employers take our survey into consideration when reviewing pay, but they are always working with slightly out-of-date information.  Well, it's up to you!

Anyway, the fact is that even if the figure is not an underestimate, it's pretty good going.  Since RAM started to publish a target figure (the 'RAM Recommended Rate') in 1997, average pay in London has increased by about 85%.  If you compare this with teachers (44%), police officers (42%) and nurses (58%), you can see why we have not felt like pushing too hard over the past 3 or 4 years.

Even so, there's no room for complacency.  The situation is not so good outside London, where RAM has less influence.  And even in London, there are still some employers offering insulting rates.  Also, the impact of non-RAM websites where anyone can advertise themselves as models is beginning to be felt.  We are sliding backwards a few decades to the dark days when life modelling was not taken seriously because it was all too easy for anyone at all to get the jobs and as a result, high standards of competence, conduct and reliability were not expected.  Our achievements over the years could so easily be undone.

If you are not a RAM member or licence-holding employer, you can view the summary of the survey here.  Members and licence-holders can see the full details in their own password-protected areas.

Naming names  24-04-08

Now and again a RAM licence-holder will ask us why such-and-such a model is not registered with us.  Usually, we don't know why, but when it is because a model has been refused membership or has his or her membership withdrawn we will always say.  What we have not done before is publish the names of those models.  In some cases will we now do so, just because their names crop up very often.  We have not decided yet whether to publish them in this public area of the site, but we have now done so in the licence-holders' private area.  Another reason to apply or a RAM licence!

Rachel, John and Anna move on  06-03-08

Art collector Anthony d'Offay has sold his collection of works, said to be worth £125,000,000 to Tate Modern and to the National Gallery of Scotland.  The collection is vast and includes many notable works by the 'hyperrealist' sculptor Ron Mueck.  Ron has used a number of RAM models, most notably for Pregnant Woman  (Anna Barnes, who was NOT really pregnant), Big Man (John Lloyd) and Spooning Couple (Rachel McCarthy). Contrary to the common belief, Ron doesn't attempt to make exact copies of the bodies or faces of his models, he mainly uses them for inspiration.  So the characters portrayed, though unnervingly realistic are to a considerable extent imaginary.  Models who have worked for Ron are in the privileged position of knowing quite a lot about his techniques. In fact he's very happy to explain them to models, but the critics are left in the dark!

ARRANGE JOBS THROUGH RAMTALK  25-02-08

We've revived the chat room, which is not as crazy as it might seem.  Yes, it was a big flop last time, but we've brought it back with a new name and a new slant.  Last time we thought that models, artists and tutors just might want to chat about issues concerning life modelling.  We were very wrong!  The focus this time is on using it to make it a little easier to arrange bookings.  The way to use it is for models and prospective employer to get used to entering RAMtalk at a particular time of day - we are suggesting around 7 in the evening at the moment. There are private rooms where details can be discussed, or you can just chat publicly in the public area.  This could become a useful extra tool in the process of getting bookings made, but it will never work if you keep logging out straight away when you find no-one online.  The secret is to keep RAMtalk running in the background while you do other things, and just go back to check now and again.  There are links to the chat room in the licence-holders' area only (not in the models' area, for technical reasons).  But if you are a RAM model, your password will get you into the licence holders' area as well as your own area.

ITALIAN LIFE MODELS ON STRIKE  19-01-08

Life models in Italy have once again taken industrial action over meaningless short-term contracts and poor pay.  Every time models go on strike in Italy they achieve something.  In fact, the rate of pay is already substantially higher, on average, than the average rate in Britain.  The colleges and schools there are making the same old threat that we have always heard here - that if they have to pay more, there will be less work to go round.

As far as Britain is concerned, there may be a grain of truth in that argument, but the fact is that a reduction in the total amount of work available doesn't have to mean less work for RAM members.  It's just a case of trying to ensure that more employers are inclined to favour RAM registered models when making their bookings.  But most RAM members don't even talk to the people who hire them about RAM, and that brings us to the huge weakness in the UK modelling scene, as shown up by the Italians - the lack of solidarity.  In RAM we discovered in our earliest days that the idea of taking industrial action in Britain was a joke.  Models here just don't have that sense of worker solidarity.  They used to have it, and there were indeed successful strikes in the 1920s and 30s.

These days, most models who join RAM do so purely because they imagine (often correctly) that they will get more work as a result.  In fact, many members now see RAM as nothing more than just another website for getting work, and they tend to regard themselves as customers rather than members.  To some extent we've found it unwise to try to swim too hard against the tide of what models expect of us.  After all, the customer is always right!  However, that doesn't stop us from remembering our roots and wishing our more professionally-minded colleagues elswhere in Europe every success.  They deserve it.

Times report

NEW BARE FACTS WORKSHOP OPENS  11-12-07

The first Bare Facts London life drawing workshop opened in Holloway in the early 90s, and is still going strong (although only one day a week instead of two these days).  But quite a few others have come and gone in the meantime- Spitalfields, Clapham, Camden Town, Richmond.  It's now quite a few years since a new one was started, but Rachel McCarthy of Bare Facts is confident that the latest Bare Facts venture in Ladbroke Grove will be a lasting success.  For details go to the workshops page.

It's worth reminding employers that Bare Facts also offers a model booking service - go here for details.

LATE RENEWERS STRIKE AGAIN !  07-10-07

It's that time of year again when RAM members (models) have to renew their membership to remain registered with RAM.  As always, this means a huge but temporary fall in the number of members.  Some will have given up modelling altogether over the past year, but many more simply renew late.  This year, the postal strikes are also having an effect, as some members still renew by post.

As the late renewers catch up and new members replace those who have dropped out, the numbers will rise again, quite rapidly.  Last year the numbers had recovered by Christmas and eventually exceeded the maximum of the previous year by a long way and we expect the same to happen again.

Of course, the temporary fall in membership is always good news for those members still registered, as it means less competition, but it's not so good for our licence-holding employers and we apologize for the shortfall.

This year we will be leaving the profiles of non-renewers in place for a couple of weeks before deleting them, to save the work of restoring them if and when those models renew late, but the contact details will be missing from the lists in the licence-holders' area.

RAM CHAT ROOM CLOSED  28-05-07

The chat room has gone the same way as the forum we started a few years ago - down the drain. This site is about finding work or finding models, so we didn't expect models or employers to waste time in idle chatter about modelling or anything else. But we thought you might latch on to the potential in a chat room or forum for exchanging contacts and info, which could have led to more work for models and an easier way for employers to get models. Sadly, it's too late now - we are unlikely to try any such experiment again.

MODEL OF THE YEAR  03-05-07

Why haven't we been doing it for years?  Anyway, we've got it going at last - a poll to find the Model of the Year.  Over 400 employers are licenced to contact our members via the website and we have just emailed 350 them to ask for their vote.  Why not the whole 400?  Well, the ones we didn't invite to vote are those who have not had licences long enough to have employed many RAM models yet.

It's called Model of the Year simply because we plan to conduct the poll once a year.  It doesn't mean that the choice of the voters is restricted to their experiences of the past 12 months.  The only rule is that models must be full or associate members of RAM to be voted for.

The poll closes on 31st May and the result will probably be announced the next day.  The Model of the Year will be entitled to prominent extra publicity on the site until the next poll in 2008 and free membership of RAM until October 2009.  The two runners-up will also get a good mention.

WOT, NO PICS?  02-05-07

There is evidence that some models are not joining RAM because they think we don't have pictures of models on this site.  Some employers are not bothering for the same reason.

The good news is that there are, and always have been pics of models on this site.  Where are they?  In the employers' password-protected area.  RAM models please note that your passwords will get you into the employers' area as well as the models' area.

LIFE-CASTING HORROR - AGAIN  20-04-07

An anonymous visitor to the site has brought to our attention yet another incident involving life casting, or body casting as it is generally referred to on this site, this time involving a 16 year-old girl.  You can see the BBC news item about it here.  We are very surprised that plaster of paris is still being used, rather than the much safer alternative, alginate.  Perhaps we shouldn't be so surprised, as alginate is very expensive, plaster of paris is relatively cheap - the same reason that some employers still insist on using harmful white spirit instead of fume free alternatives.

There has been at least one death in the past from the unskilled use of plaster of paris for life casting, which is why we warn models not to agree to it unless the person doing it can prove that he or she is fully skilled in the process.  We may now wish to go a further, but e are waiting for the Health & Safety Executive to suggest ways we can help.  In the meantime we will amend our usual warning about life casting to suggest that our members don't accept jobs unless at all unless alginate is to be used.  After all, it's hardly new-fangled - some of us were cast in the stuff 15 years ago or more.

ANOTHER AD REMOVED  02-04-07

It has unfortunately been necessary to remove another ad from the jobs page.  Once again, it seems, the advertiser was not explicit enough (to put it mildly) regarding what was required, or the ad would never have made it past me, as webmaster.

We are considering adopting a policy of rejecting all ads from film or commercial photography studios who are not already known to us as reputable operators.

We realize there are a few members who actually welcome invitations to be become involved in porn projects.  Sorry, lads!

PROGRESS AT UNIV OF ARTS  29-03-07

Following on from my last grouse about the pay situation at the University of the Arts London, they have been in touch with us with some welcome news.  Firstly, they are hoping to get the pay up to around £10ph throughout most of their colleges by the Autumn.  This would still fall far short of the RAM recommended rate, but at least we can now hope for a reasonable degree of uniformity throughout the organization.  Secondly, they have promised to make sure that all their tutors are made aware of the rate.  In doing so, they will actually be trailblazers, as the phenomenon of tutors not knowing (and sometimes not caring) what the rates are is certainly not confined to this one group of colleges.  It seems very strange that tutors, as hiring and firing officers, in effect, should not be able to quote the rate of pay accurately.  If you're doing the hiring, folks, you HAVE to care about the terms - and this doesn't just mean the pay.  Will a PAYE contract be involved?  Will proof of entitlement to work in the UK be required?  Will a RAM card have to be shown?  On what date can the model expect to be paid?  Will there have to be a criminal record check?  None of it to do with you?  Oh, yes it is, if you want to be in charge of engaging your own models.

UNIV OF THE ARTS LONDON - A WARNING  20-03-07

For some time there have been rumblings of something fishy going on as regards pay in the sprawling University of the Arts, London.  Several models have reported being told by the tutors who were booking them they could expect around £11 per hour.  Be warned - it's more likely to be less than £9 per hour.  The University took on the old skinflint mantle of the London Institute.  But at least you knew where you were with them, as the pay was the same in all their colleges.  Now it's chaos.  Pay varies from one college to another and even from one course to another.  Where are the tutors getting their wildly inflated figures from?

Of course, while the nonsensical system of casual work on PAYE persists, with contracts being signed AFTER the work has been done, there's precious little that can be done about it - unless of course, you're in the position right now of having some bookings coming up in any of their colleges, on the promise of £11 per hour.  RAM is very much against cancellation of bookings by models, but this is one of those very rare cases where it could be excused.  The colleges within the university are: Camberwell, Central St Martins, Chelsea, London College of Communication, London College of Fashion, Wimbledon College of Art.

JOAN HARGREAVES  07-03-07

We were saddened to hear of the death of this tutor, for whom many RAM models have posed at the Working Men's College in London over the years.  GO HERE for our tribute to Joan Hargreaves.

SUPER-PROFILES  01-03-07

We are about to resume a practice of a very long time ago, which is to do special 'extended' profiles of some RAM models, which will act as little websites in their own right.  Will they be the latest members?  Nope.  Will they be people with great bodies?  Not necessarily.  Will they be anyone, at random?  Of course not.  Ok, so they must be people who have been members for a few years, with no recorded complaints made against them?  Not quite.  They will in fact be people who have been members for a few years, who have not only had no complaints made against them, but who have attracted a lot of praise.  People who have been a credit to RAM.  Is that it?  Well, there's one other little thing - they must not appear on any rival website.  That seems reasonable enough to us.  We shall be contacting our first 'supermember' about this very soon.

BOUNCERS  Last updated: 29-08-07

Sometimes important emails we send are bounced back to us.  At other times, they don't bounce, but it becomes obvious that the intended recipient isn't getting them.  There are several possible reasons.  The most common reason is that people type their own email addresses incorrectly into forms.  There's a particular problem with Hotmail and Yahoo, because accounts with them can be either .com or .co.uk and many of you don't seem to know which one you've got !

Another common reason our messages go astray is that some spam filters decide for no good reason that we are spammers.  Some webmail providers offer automatic bouncing of spam back to the sender.  Others just ditch it, which is worse, because we then think you got our message when you didn't.  Spam filters are great until they make mistakes - which they often do.  But you can easily instruct them to accept all emails from the modelreg.com domain.

Check this page from time to time to see if a message we sent YOU has failed to get through.

There are currently problems contacting:

Joan Fisher ("no such account")

Ian Lindsley ("domain does not exist")

Emma Baker ("domain does not exist")

Jon Wilson ("user unknown")

A Walton (different error message each time)

D Clutton ("mailbox unavailable")

Sue Meads (your spam filter won't let us through)

Rhianon Beswick ("no such account")

THE TROUBLE WITH MALE APPLICANTS  13-02-07

RAM is all too familiar with the fact that there are tens of thousands of men out there, mostly over a certain age, who will jump at the chance of getting their clothes off in front of other people.  As models, many of them turn out to be a better bet than other male models who regard the work as just a job, and their motivation is none of our business - except when it hampers our work in two particular ways.  For a start, it's always been very frustrating that a lot of male models will work for next to nothing - or even for nothing at all - as long as they are required to strip.  That has been one of the factors (not perhaps a major one) in keeping pay down in some areas.

The other problem is that only ONE IN FIVE of all men who pass the audition for RAM membership subsequently join.  Often they are beginners, so it's possible that in some cases they simply decide that modelling is too much like hard work - even though they may have shown great promise in the audition.  However, we strongly suspect that many of them are just taking a rare opportunity of showing people their beautiful bodies.

Now this is a great shame for those applicants who are really serious about joining RAM, because a long waiting-list sometimes builds up.  Of course, some of the women who pass the audition also fail to join, but it's more like 50-50 in their case.  We may have to resort to desperate measures, such as requiring the membership fee in advance and returning it only if the applicant fails the audition.

PAY SURVEY GOES BACK UNDERGROUND  06-02-07

Our ongoing survey of models' pay has gone back into the two password-protected areas: the RAM models' area and the RAM licence-holders' area.  Why?  Because a number of RAM members have been saying that they have evidence of non-members contacting the list of employers shown in the survey to ask for work.  Not surprisingly, they're unhappy about it.  That's why we originally put the survey under password-protection.  But then we got a bit annoyed that nearly all the info for the survey was coming from non-members, so we thought it only fair to expose the list to all visitors.  Recently, however, RAM members have started contributing again.  Anyway, you can still see the latest averages for London, the rest of England and Scotland, by going here.  And here in Wales?  Does life drawing happen here?

MEMBERS - NOW RENEW ONLINE!  06-02-07

Premium rate members (whether Full or Associate) can now renew online.  It will be a while before this is of much interest to those whose membership is up to date, because the renewal deadline is not until 30 Sept.  But you late renewers could use it right now.  After 31 March you'll become simply non-members and will have to reapply for membership.  Here's the Renewal form.  BUT - anyone who is not a member and attempts to use it to join RAM will find that it WON'T WORK!!!  New applicants have their own forms - there's a link to them in the Notes for Applicants.

NEW FREE MEMBERSHIP TYPE  24-01-07

We have long had two kinds of membership status - Full and Associate.  Two levels of membership fees, Premium and Basic, apply to either status.  If you find that a bit too difficult to get your head round, I'm afraid there's bad news!  We have started experimenting with a third type of membership status - Guest status.

In fact, it doesn't really make things any more complicated, because guest status simply replaces the old basic rate associate membership- but it's free!  In effect, it's a promotional offer - free basic listing on this site for one year for models outside London, provided there is no workshop in their area where they could audition.

It has the same disadvantages as the present basic rate associate membership, with the additional snag of only lasting until 30th Sept 2007, or 30th Sept 2008, if you join as a Guest after 31st March of this year.

The scheme could go either way: it could be turn out to be a bit of a mistake, and we might have to end it after a short time.  On the other hand, if we find that many of the new guest members convert to full membership, we will consider extending the scheme to all areas, including London.  The scheme has already attracted the first Guest member.  For a run-down of all membership options, GO HERE.

35th LONDON RAM GET-TOGETHER  04-01-07

Well, they don't like to call them Get-togethers any more, but that's the traditional name for the social gathering and discussion group run by and for RAM members.  They're not organized by the management - in fact they can be very critical of the management, but we take note of any idea that emerge and they can influence policy.  RAM members with passwords can GO HERE for details of the next one, on 3rd June 2007.

CONFUSED?  04-12-06

Yes, we know that joining RAM, getting passwords to the password protected areas of the site, submitting profiles or ads etc, etc, can seem pretty complicated.  In the end it's all about building the best service we can for models and employers.  To help you sort it all out, we've now set up an FAQ page.  We may add to it if we can remember any more questions that are frequently asked!

PICS TO GO IN PRIVATE AREA  03-12-06

There are far too few photos or drawings of models on this site.  Models with Premium membership are urged to submit photos or photos of drawings of themselves, to be linked to their profiles in RAM Members Online, but many don't want to because the links to the pics are in the public area.

To encourage more members to submit pics we are transferring them to the licence-holders' private area.  All pics submitted in future will go there, under password protection.

MODELS, IT CAN BE DONE!  16-11-06

This was one of the first headlines of the old Bare Facts magazine that RAM used to publish.  Those were the days when RAM was more of a union and less of the labour exchange it is now.  What the headline meant was that individual RAM members should do more to improve pay and working conditions in their own areas, quoting RAM guidelines where appropriate.

We're glad to see that there is still at least one RAM member engaged in the struggle.  Go here to see what we mean.

FORMMAIL IMPROVEMENT  16-11-06

Formmail is a crucial part of RAM's activities.  About six weeks ago, when we moved to a UK server, we couldn't take our old formmail system, which was provided by the server, with us.  At that point I decided to construct a home-made formmail system, which boasts a number of improvements over any of the ready-made systems we've used before.

Well, of course there have been one or two snags to be sorted out.  The worst one was that not many of you could get the hang of the anti-spam device, whereby you had to copy characters from an image to prove you were human and not a spambot.  Some people even tried to ignore it.  Most people had to have several goes at sending the form - one person tried 14 times!  That's patience!  But we're not out to test your patience any more than absolutely necessary, so I've removed the device from the forms.  Fingers crossed that the formmail system has enough other protection from Spambots.

FORMMAIL PROBLEMS  03-10-06

As many of you will have noticed, we had big problems with our formmail system on Sun/Mon, 1st & 2nd Oct.  This was caused by our move to a UK server.  We have been helped out by 100 Megsfree, who temporarily administered our forms, but we are now installing, bit by bit, our own formmail system.  You may still find the occasional link to a form that doesn't work.  If that happens, just go straight to the list of forms.  You may find one or two other things not working properly for the time being, but we think the upheaval will be worthwhile.  Google was refusing to include us in the UK local searches, as we were officially an American site.  That meant that employers who chose to click on "UK pages only" stood no chance of finding us or our models.  It will take a few months for Google to catch up with the change, but there should a lot more jobs coming in eventually.

Please read the notice below as well - it's still important.

URGENT MESSAGE TO EMPLOYERS  26-09-06

We are currently experiencing a serious problem that crops up from time to time.  A man who was expelled from RAM many years ago for improper conduct in the life room is once again visiting colleges and schools in London and the Home Counties, claiming to have been booked to pose in those places.  If a college or school happens to be expecting a model at that time, they are sometimes fooled into allowing him to pose.  Usually, however, they are not expecting a model at that particular time and try to turn him away.  At this point he becomes abusive and claims to be a 'senior official' of RAM / Bare Facts.

The man appears to be in his sixties or possibly seventies and uses a variety of names.  His aim appears to be to bring RAM into disrepute.  At the same time, he clearly has a mental health problem.  He apparently lives in the Romford area of Essex, but travels far and wide.

Despite the fact that he has been known to model in schools, with unfortunate consequences, and often takes a menacing attitude towards college receptionists, the police have said that it is not a matter for them.  Well, it's clearly a matter for YOU!  Always ask to see a current RAM membership card before allowing a model you don't know to pose (the cards have expiry dates in them).  This should be done by the tutor in the life room as well as at reception, as this man will often by-pass reception and go straight to the life room.  Try also to get CCTV footage in the event of threatening behaviour by this imposter.  This man has been a problem for employers of life models for several years, and it's time for some of you to tighten your security.

PASSWORD PROTECTION PLAN  08-07-06

We are gradually moving away from mass-production of our printed membership list (the 'Red List').  There are a number of good reasons for this - time and money being two of them.  A recent survey of RAM licence-holding employers has shown that 95 per cent of them would be happy not to receive the 'Red List', provided that all RAM models were featured on this website.  At the moment, less than half of them are to be found here.

That's partly because many of our members are worried about the fact that anyone can access RAM Members Online.  The attraction of the Red List for models is that you have to be a RAM licence-holder to acquire it, and the licence can be taken away.  Actually, it's not all that secure when you think about it, as dozens of copies have probably been lost in public places by tutors and artists over the years, and the Red List, unlike the website list, actually has home phone numbers in it.  And how do tutors dispose of old issues when new ones come out?

The Web site is actually a rather more secure place for models to advertise their services, now that the 'RAM Members Online' section is password protected.  Unfortunately, the 'instant' password system operated by some websites, whereby you automatically get a password within minutes of applying, is almost useless.  There is nothing to stop someone whose password has been de-activated, following complaints, from applying again, using a different name and email address.

It will therefore be necessary to require all you tutors, artists and photogaphers who visit this site looking for models, to apply for a RAM licence in the normal way - by giving us your postal address by form-mail, so that we can send you a PIN.  The PIN can then be used to obtain a password by following simple instructions.

There will be no fee for this licence.  Those few employers who have said that they must have the printed list, because they don't use the Internet, will simply be sent printouts of the Web pages, but they will have to pay the administrative fee, as at present, unless they are exempt under existing rules.

Naturally, many of you will object to these changes at first, but we feel that the way forward is to get all RAM models onto the website, and extending the present licensing system to cover the website is probably the only way of doing that.

RICHMOND AREA - SPACE URGENTLY NEEDED  22-11-05

Our Bare Facts service needs to find a suitable space to hire for 3 hours a week in the Richmond-upon-Thames area.  This is for an old-established life drawing club with up to 30 members.  If you have any ideas or, indeed, you own such a space, please contact us, using form 09 from the list of forms

PHONED US BUT GOT NO RESPONSE?  20-05-05

If you have ever left a message on one of our telephones asking for a RAM membership application form, but never got a reply, there are several possible reasons.

You may have left a phone number instead of your address.  We rarely call people back, and NEVER call people back on mobile numbers.

Perhaps you left your address, but said it too fast for us to write down.

Or the connection may have been bad.  This is frequently the case when people call from mobiles.

Try again, this time leaving your address slowly and clearly.  If you have lost the Notes for Applicants, you will have to ask us for them again, to get the numbers.