As an agency we are given casting breakdowns providing us with a clear character synopsis for the role they are casting. This breakdown will also detail exact requirements of talents and ability, physical type and sometimes height restrictions. Using the information provided we try to submit any children who naturally resemble the character and who we feel have the right skills for the job. If a casting director is interested in your child and wishes to see them for an audition, Big Time Management will contact you straight away. This can sometimes be with as little as 24 hours notice and should be considered before applying.

It does not cost to be on Big Time’s books. We work on commission and take 10-20% of your child’s earnings which is standard for most agencies and will vary depending on the nature of the job.

Children will need to join the ‘Spotlight Casting Directory’. This can only be done through an agent and costs roughly £100 for the year. This is where casting directors post larger and higher profile auditions and jobs.

Extra Cost:  In order to join spotlight your child will need their headshots taken. This can be arranged by yourself or through our in house photographer. Why? It is important that your child has their headshots taken because they are the first thing a casting director will see, and can make a huge difference as to whether they are called in for castings.

Children must be aged 5 and above in order to join the agency. They should be:

• well-behaved, polite and professional children
• talented individuals with skills in acting and/or singing and dancing

All agency clients MUST attend our weekly agency acting class at Big Time Academy OR be able to provide a letter from their current teacher confirming that they take classes elsewhere.

It is extremely rare for a casting company to let us know if your child has been unsuccessful. They usually only make contact if they would like to offer your child the job.

Casting directors simply do not have time to provide parents with feedback as they see hundreds, sometimes thousands of people for the job. Please do not ask us to request feedback as this can frustrate some companies and they may not want to work with us in the future. In the unlikely event that we are sent feedback we will of course forward it to you straight away.

Please be assured that the agency are submitting your child daily for many different jobs. Sometimes the hardest part of the process is getting into the audition room. This is because there are thousands of other similar children applying for the same roles and it’s simply not possible to see them all. It may also be that your child doesn’t quite match any of the criteria for the breakdowns we are currently receiving.

Please don’t be disheartened if your child isn’t called in for an audition or doesn’t get the job. Sometimes it can be down to as little as needing a specific eye colour or certain height; it is no reflection on your child’s talent or abilities.

It is important that your child attends as many auditions as possible; turning them down looks bad!

As our clients get more and more auditions we start to build a rapport with the casting directors which helps more of our clients get seen. If we put clients forward and they are called in but regularly unable to attend, it not only wastes their time but it also gives us a bad reputation…casting directors talk! This not only ruins it for the child in question but will ruin opportunities for other clients.

If you are planning a vacation or your child has a series of school exams coming up, please let us know. We will continue to submit them everyday for auditions unless you have told us otherwise.

If your child is offered a job the first thing we have to do is notify the council. It is against the law for your child to take a job without being licensed by the council first. The majority of the time there is a short time limit so it is important that you confirm and send us all the neccessary documents as soon as possible!

For an audition it is unusual that a child is required to miss school, as they are usually scheduled at weekends or after school hours.

If your child is successful and receives a job that requires them to miss a lot of school, they will be provided with a tutor whilst on set and will still be required to study.

A letter will also need to be provided from your child’s school agreeing to this arrangement.

Yes! Unless your child’s agent thinks the experience of a job alone would be beneficial, we will only put your child forward for PAID work.

Currently there is no national minimum wage for children under the age of 16, however most casting companies will work with the Equity minimum wage. Although the Equity minimum wage is still quite low, it prevents your child from being exploited.