You may think that models only appear on fashion show runways or between the pages of glossy magazines, but there’s a lot more to the world of modelling than just those two. Some models are more suited for particular jobs than others, but usually it’s a case of knowing your strengths and weaknesses well so that you can be versatile. Below we've listed some of the different types of modelling jobs.

Only a tiny percentage of models ever work in high fashion alongside the mega- and supermodels, yet it is probably the best-known part of the industry. It is extremely hard to get work in this field.

Runway models are characterized by flawless beauty. Because they are appearing before the public without the intermediary of a lens, their looks need to be perfect. It’s the runway model’s job to display the clothing in the best possible light – chic, elegant, feminine – so that the potential buyers in the audience will rush to the boutique as soon as the show is over. It doesn’t matter that hardly anyone will be the same build as the model (about 183cm high and weighing less than 54kg), because the allure of the model is so great that such minor discrepancies will be overlooked. Such is the nature of modelling.

Don’t be fooled by the ‘glamour’: modelling generally is hard work, and photographic modelling falls into the ‘very hard’ category! You might think that once you grace the cover of Vogue you can die happy, but it’s highly unlikely you’ll ever get onto that page unless you treat the job as just a job. The product might seem romantic, but the process of making those photographs can be long and tedious. Prepare yourself for the job by understanding the demands of the industry, and your own ambitions, capabilities and limitations.

There is often quite a lot of promotional modelling work around. That work can require you to wear a client’s clothes or demonstrate a product (often using your voice to explain or sell) in a shopping center or trade show. Hourly rates vary from tens of thousands of dollars per hour depending on the location, the product and the model. A trained, or at least a pleasant, voice can help you in this line of work.

Draped or undraped (nude) models are often in demand in art schools or occasionally by individual artists. This work requires a great degree of patients, as artists can be demanding about just what it is they want, and how long they want you to stay that way. Art schools will expect you to be able to move through a number of interesting poses in order to extend the students’ experience of the human body. Most rates are fixed by the schools.