The Stage

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Once again, I draw attention to the ignorance of those in the entertainment industry with regard to employment agencies and have to say that they deserve to be ripped off. , In "BECTU to launch cooperative walk-on talent agency" (News, October 1, page 4), a spokesperson for BECTU is quoted as saying: "The problem of up-front fees is compounded by the fact walk-ons usually register with a number of agencies. This multiplies the number of fees payable." Why do actors believe that they have to pay to register with an agency, when it is a criminal offence for an agency to charge a "registration" fee and has been so since 1976?

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Where an employment agency or employment business has been engaged by a hirer (such as the BBC), you have to send your details (CV) to register with that agency or employment business and it is no different to sending them direct to - registering with - the hirer. You would not pay a fee to the BBC or any other hirer to register with the hirer - that is, to submit your CV to the hirer. Why do you insist on paying a fee to register with - submit your CV - to an agency or employment business?

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When registering with an employment agency or an employment business, you are not engaging the agency or employment business to provide a service, you are merely applying for the vacancies that the agency/employment business is offering on behalf of the hirers. Where an agency has been engaged by the hirer, it is a criminal offence for the agency to request or directly or indirectly receive a fee from the work-seeker (actor) , whether up-front or otherwise. As to an employment business, no matter the occupation of the work-seeker, it is a criminal offence for an employment business to request or directly or indirectly receive a fee from the work-seeker - whether a "registration fee" or any other fee.

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As to BECTU launching an employment agency for walk-ons, the question has to be asked - what happened to the employment agency for walk-ons which BECTU launched in 1998? And the one which The Stage reported at the time (1998) Equity was setting up - and which was being done with a grant of £20,000 from the BBC?

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