It’s cheeky, but missing school can be a dream come true for kids. Avoiding the early rise, long school days, classwork and the dreaded homework at the end of the day can be enough reasons to call in absent (unless your child is home schooled!) The excuses for missing school are endless, but we wouldn’t […]
Published 24th June 2026
It’s cheeky, but missing school can be a dream come true for kids. Avoiding the early rise, long school days, classwork and the dreaded homework at the end of the day can be enough reasons to call in absent (unless your child is home schooled!)
The excuses for missing school are endless, but we wouldn’t encourage any, as your child’s education is so important. That’s why, when it comes to securing a modelling job as a child model during term time, Models Direct tries to ensure that our clients’ jobs fall over a weekend or even an INSET day so as to avoid children being marked for unauthorised absence. Better still, school holidays are the ideal time for our clients to hire our mini models, and that does often happen.
Alternatively, if work lands your child’s way and it’s just not doable, then we always encourage parents or guardians to let us know at their earliest convenience. We don’t penalise our models if they cannot commit to a booking. We just need to know as soon as possible so that we can make alternative arrangements and find someone else who can fill in their boots.
So aside from the school attendance factor that might be playing on most parents’ and guardians’ minds, what are the other ways to manage school commitments alongside modelling?
1. Homework
This is a biggie! Homework! Children as young as Year 1 can receive work set outside of school hours, whether that’s spellings for the week or reading a book on a school app; there is homework that needs to be completed. Managing this alongside managing your child’s modelling career can be a bit of a juggling act.
Updating their ePortfolio and applications, you’re on the lookout yourself via our job boards, which can take time, which might mean taking time away from helping your child with their studies. However, our tips to overcome this would be: on a weekly basis, set time aside to review job posts, and on a monthly basis, add new images.
2. The school routine
Getting up on time, wearing the correct uniform for each school day, remembering when assemblies are, and school fairs are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the school routine. There’s a lot going on for your child, and you, too!
Having a calendar on hand, whether that’s on your phone or a physical one, can prove very handy when it comes to jotting everything down in one place, so you’re able to easily retrieve it. Don’t worry, you’re not expected to remember everything!
3. Extra-curricular activities
Child models can enjoy learning extra skills outside the classroom, such as football, Scouts or karate. Their interest can be included in their modelling application so that clients are aware of their hobbies and interests. Even though extra-curricular activities aren’t a school commitment, they certainly demonstrate dedication to learning a new skill, and can be translated into a modelling gig should a client request it to be showcased.
As for getting prepped for a child modelling assignment, parents and/or guardians can talk to their youngster about what is likely to happen on the day giving them as much information as they understand. Our dedicated team will fill you in on all the details beforehand and walk you through how the day might look for your child model so that you’re best informed. This will help you know what essentials to bring, such as money, snacks, activities to keep your child occupied during breaks and your phone’s charger.
Plenty of our child models have seen success with our UK modelling agency. Yes, it can mean a bit (okay, a lot!) of multi-tasking and shuffling things around, particularly during term time, but it’s been worth it! How do we know this? Because parents and guardians of MD child models have told us!
Isla (TSXK-6994) was booked for The Paddington Bear Experience in London. Her mum expressed:
“Kind & Professional Team
Amazing experience from the very beginning with Models Direct. Everything was explained clearly and professionally. First shoot for my 5-year-old daughter today was amazing. Contact in the days leading up to the shoot and even on the day was amazing. Knew I could always get in contact with someone should I need to. The shoot was amazing for my daughter – the kindest team. Put her at ease about what was a daunting experience for a young child. Her favourite music was put on for her, and she was always treated so kindly. She can’t wait for her next job! We can’t wait to see the photos!”
Isla was not the only child model booked for this modelling assignment. She was joined by our other child models:
Ronnie (FXYV-7487), Laresse (BGVY-3997), Ariel (NHDK-9489) and Wyatt (PNKR-3938). Everyone had great things to say about their child’s experience, which was a perfect ending to the perfect assignment for our curious bunch.
Other clients who have booked our child models have recently included EE, London Zoo, Wacky Warehouse and Morrisons.
Parents and guardians have managed to balance school life and modelling life effectively. This is not to say it’s been easy, but they have found ways that work for them.
We hope that this blog has helped you learn that managing school commitments and modelling life is doable. You just have to find out what works for you and your child. If you’d like to chat, we’re only one phone call away!