Must read. This real-life story is posted on all Singapore forums by a single person. She must be fed up with her employer.
Hello everyone!
I am actually an ex-employee for a modeling agency with a certain grey colour name card and I have a few things to say about this company that I worked in as a model scouter for models for 7 weeks.
Before I start sharing my experience, I would like to thank all those who have given me their name and number when I scouted them. It is really appreciated as it is seriously VERY VERY hard work to keep approaching people to ask for their name and contact. We are just normal people trying to earn some decent money and I hope you are not offended by our approaches.
Anyway, you’re probably wondering if companies like these are actually scams to make you spend money and you don’t actually get to become a model right? I’m here to set the record regarding this straight and also highlight how agencies like my ex-company actually exploits their employees to the maximum with low salaries and long and tough working hours. People always talk about how my ex-company is a scam but let me tell you, the employees are scammed more than any one who has been scouted!
To begin, I must say that companies like my ex-company does do a few advertisements for reputable clients like M1, Starhub, HP, etc etc. Nevertheless, as most of you would know, you have to make a portfolio which cost around S$300 at the cheapest. Now, many of you would say that having to spend money would make this company a scam but the portfolio is really required to apply for jobs (you don’t apply for jobs with passport size photo right?). Nevertheless, the fact that you have to pay makes the company sort of scammish although if you do get an assignment, you will probably get the money back. There is no guarantee that you will get an assignment and it is at your own risk. In other words, I wouldn’t call it a scam, but more of a calculated investment which you must first of all have sufficient money to pay for. Still, only some lucky or really good looking people get to do ads with my ex-company. How lucky do you think you are?
Now put yourself in our shoes. As scouters, it is seriously hard work. Imagine standing in Orchard Road in hot and humid Singapore 6 days a week! Yes! 6 day week! And we only get a measly pay of S$900 a month, provided we manage to scout the required number of contacts each day (if not they cut our pay). It is not like we signed up for this, as when we applied for this job, they promised us a god job with good experience and decent pay. As it is, the employees themselves are SCAMMED! We then sign a contract where we are bonded. I was lucky as my contract is only for a few weeks as I am just a student. It is not the case for my former colleagues who have long term contracts and cannot get out of them unless they pay a sum of money in their release clause which is a lot.
First of all, we have to approach people on the streets and we have to lie to them! I’m very sorry to those I have lied to when I tell them there are no fees or products or training to pay for. Although this is technically correct, I did not say anything about a portfolio and the price to do a portfolio. We are more or less lying but we have to it as it is our job. We are trying to earn a living and if we do not get enough contacts, our salary is cut. It goes against our principles of not lying and we feel that we have sinned, but we can’t go against it or we will lose money. It is mentally torturing to have to tell people on the streets that there is nothing to pay for when there is the portfolio to do. It feels as if we are sinning but we have to do it as we have a contract and we need to fill our daily quota. In fact, our bosses tell us to tell people that we only scout less than 10 people a day when we actually have to scout 60 people. We have to commit the sin of lying although we do not want to do so.
Secondly, PLEASE DO NOT get the impression that more names and contacts on our list mean more money OK? That is a stupid, half true myth (will elaborate more below on our so-called “commission”) started by one of you people. That is not true as our salaries are fixed and we must obtain our specified quota of 60 people in one day or our pay will be cut! So, when we get your name and contact it is not because we are greedy and need extra money but we are just trying to fulfill the quota so our pay is not cut.
Next, we have a six day week and our pay is still so bad! We work like dogs and try our best to get enough contacts and they still pay us peanuts. And they will find all sorts of ways to cut our salary. For example, even if we come to work one minute late, they cut our pay by $5! It is not like we scout less people than normal as we will have to scout 60 people a day anyway. Despite no decrease in efficiency, they still want to cut our pay. We can only get extra money if we scout more than 70 people in day and even then the money is nothing! It is just $1 for 3 contacts, which is totally not worth it! In fact, scouting 60 people is hard enough and we do not take extra effort to go above 70 as it is too taxing. Even when we take MC, our pay is cut although we can’t control when we will get sick.
My ex-company also cheats employees regarding the job-scope of our work. In my case, I was told there would be proper training and a very good work environment. I was also told I would learn a lot of things from this job and I would be able to interact with nice people. All these things are fake. They did not even give me proper training to start off with and the work environment is bad and uncomfortable. In fact, they actually hire people with unstable emotions and a tendency for violence. One of my ex-colleagues actually physically assaulted me and broke my specs over something minor I said to him.
My direct supervisor actually has it much worse than me because he was cheated even more severely. He is a make-up artist and was promised a job as a make-up artist and even signed a 2 year contract as a make-up artist but he ended up being a scout for 1 whole year already! Our boss actually promised him that he would eventually be transferred to being a make-up artist but it has NEVER happened! Even when one of our make-up artists went on long-term leave, he was not offered to even fill in the position.
To add to the point about cheating, my ex-company tries to make us and others think that it is a big company and reputable but that is not the case. The office is really just made to make people think it is big and nice, but truthfully, it is a cheap superficial surface to scam people. The walls are all hollow; the floor is cemented but they use a cheap carpet to cover it; the air-con isn’t really functioning very well; the name cards are not printed with our names (we have to write them ourselves!); the office is pretty low-tech with lousy phones and outdated computers; and worst of all, the employees are underpaid and overworked! It is super low-cost, not something a reputable advertising firm should be!
After I left the company, I actually found out about a lot of things that shocked me! My company constantly leaves us in the lurch and will not tell us about many things like: what goes on during the interview, how much the portfolio is, how many people we scout actually sign up with the company, etc. etc. Worst of all, I just recently found out that my company and another advertising agency in the building beside the one where my company is, are owned by the same person! Now, why in the world would a person want to have two companies doing the exact same thing? Why was it kept unknown to its own employees? And to my horror, I also just found out that the director of the company is about to open yet ANOTHER firm which does the same thing but has a different name! Why is he doing all this and why is he so secretive about it? In the 7 weeks that I worked in my ex-company, I have barely seen him around.
Also, please understand that this job is really very hard especially when people on the street just reject you like nobody’s business. We are just trying to fulfill our quota and obtain our rightful salary but when people on the street tell us to f**k off, it’s very discouraging and damaging to our egos. We work from 11am to 8pm on weekdays and 11am to 5pm on Saturdays. We have to wear formal attire so it’s really not comfortable working in hot and humid Singapore. We also have to walk a lot in formal shoes and I personally have blisters and muscle aches all around. Even with reduced working hours on Saturday, they still expect us to scout 50 people, which is totally not rational at all! Please try to empathize with us, as despite the weather and the clothes, we still work as hard as we can to scout the required number of people.
Hence, before I end this write-up, I would like to plead with all of you, if you see my ex-colleagues on the streets, please empathize with them and at least give them your name and contact. The company telemarketers (who are also underpaid) will call you just one time and you should just schedule an appointment with them. It is alright if you don’t come down. Just tell them any date and time. I guarantee they will not stalk you or bother you more than required. A bit of your patience will help my colleagues a great deal and it will make their day and boost their morale.
Scouters like us are constantly left in the lurch; as the company does not tell us much and hence, we know little about how the upper management works. We are INNOCENT as we are being scammed ourselves and we are just trying to earn some money. Despite being the primary source of models for the company, our pay is low and not worth the effort that we put in.
If someone happens to approach you on the streets with a grey name card, kindly open your heart to help them by just giving them your name and contact. They are victims of a scam of epic proportions and they need all the help and support they can get.
