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$100 for a headshot too much?

Mai72

Mai72

Lifer
I need to get a head shot with me in a tie and jacket. I need it because I plan to work in Asia, and you need to attach a photo with your resume.

It doesn't have to be professionally done, but I want it to be done right. I found a local guy who is a professional photographer, and he told me that it's going to cost me $100

I know nothing about these things. Is it ridiculous to spend $100 on a photo, or should I take out my digital camera and do it myself? Also, he's going to edit my photo and take out any blemishes.

1. headshot
2. editing
3. 1 sheet wallet sized photos

Costs= $100

Thanks.
 
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Do you plan on applying for the jobs while you're here? I've never heard of a legitimate company requesting a headshot of a foreign applicant while they were still back in their home country. That's a very local thing that anyone hiring foreigners would know is not common outside of Asia.
 
I wonder why we don't have to attach photos to our resume in the US.

You probably have to for government jobs, though. Idk.


*Edit $100 sounds pretty fair to me for a headshot, editing, and a sheet of wallets.
 
pete6032 said:
It would create a situation where it would be much to easy to judge a person based on their looks rather than their qualifications.
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Plenty of places hire based on looks. Nothing wrong with that.

Race and age are the 2 biggies that can get you sued in the US.
 
Lifted said:
Do you plan on applying for the jobs while you're here? I've never heard of a legitimate company requesting a headshot of a foreign applicant while they were still back in their home country. That's a very local thing that anyone hiring foreigners would know is not common outside of Asia.
Click to expand...

I'm currently home now. I'm applying for an ESL teaching position in South Korea with an agency called EPIK. I need to attach a photo to my resume. It's a common thing to do if you teach in South Korea. I've sent resumes to schools in China and Thailand and every school has requested that the applicant send a recent photo with their resume. They will not even consider you for employment if you haven't sent them a photo.
 
local CVS or any place that does passport photos can do it cheaper

i don't think quality is terribly important, they're just checking if you're the wrong race/gender/age
 
pete6032 said:
It would create a situation where it would be much to easy to judge a person based on their looks rather than their qualifications.
Click to expand...

Racism and ageism happen quite often in Asia. If you're over 50 and your skin is dark the chance that somebody is going to hire you drops dramatically.

In South Korea a prospective employer can even go into your medical records to see if you're the ideal candidate. If you have been habitually sick, or if you've been hospitalized for any type of mental issues you will probably never get a good job in Korea. They will find out.
 
pete6032 said:
Exactly, so why give the person reviewing applications that information up front?
Click to expand...

You don't applications usually ask people to self identify, this helps recruiters get a better idea of who is applying and allows them to reach out to a more diverse audience. I've interviewed close to 100 people and I have never seen the race/sex profile information.

**in the US**
 
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Korea74 said:
I'm currently home now. I'm applying for an ESL teaching position in South Korea with an agency called EPIK. I need to attach a photo to my resume. It's a common thing to do if you teach in South Korea. I've sent resumes to schools in China and Thailand and every school has requested that the applicant send a recent photo with their resume. They will not even consider you for employment if you haven't sent them a photo.
Click to expand...

Teaching English I could see that being the case. Most teachers are hired while there though, and there's no lack of people looking to teach, so I guess they can request a photo.

Do you have experience with ESL? Teachers I knew in Thailand were making a lot more than it appears teachers in that program get paid in Korea, which seems odd.
 
Lifted said:
Teaching English I could see that being the case. Most teachers are hired while there though, and there's no lack of people looking to teach, so I guess they can request a photo.

Do you have experience with ESL? Teachers I knew in Thailand were making a lot more than it appears teachers in that program get paid in Korea, which seems odd.
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I have a degree in special education. I've also taught in South Korea for 2 years, so I have plenty of experience.

I've considered teaching in Thailand. The problem is the pay is very low. The average pay seems to be $30k-40k baht. That's a little less then $1,000 USD. That might be a decent salary in Thailand. I worry that I'm not going to have anything when I decide exchange my baht into US dollars. I'm going to come home with a few thousand dollars if I'm lucky.

In South Korea my salary is going to be anywhere from 2.2-2.4 won. That's about 2,100-2,300 USD a month. My salary is doubled if I teach in Korea.

I should state that housing is free for both countries. The cost of living is much cheaper in Thailand, but it's not that bad in South Korea. You can't expect to save money if you're hitting the clubs in Seoul every weekend.

My hunch is that the teachers you knew in Thailand were probably working at one of the top tier international schools. They pay very well. My goal is to get into a real international school. 🙂
 
SheHateMe said:
I wonder why we don't have to attach photos to our resume in the US.

You probably have to for government jobs, though. Idk.


*Edit $100 sounds pretty fair to me for a headshot, editing, and a sheet of wallets.
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I feel the same way. The reason I asked was because I got into an argument with my father and he told me that I was wasting my money.

I have a very basic cannon digital camera. Nothing fancy. I can use this for my photos, but my guess is the pictures aren't going to come out that well.
 
Korea74 said:
Why would I want to do that? I'm just curious.

Thanks.
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In the US, most of the time, professional photographers retain the rights to the photographs they take.

Read this:

http://blog.kunvay.com/why-you-dont...ng-day-copyrights-to-your-wedding-day-photos/

It's about wedding photos but the rules apply to pretty much everything. And a "gentleman's agreement" about reproducing your own 8x10s at Costco can disappear quickly if the photographer sells the rights to somebody else.
 
Korea74 said:
I feel the same way. The reason I asked was because I got into an argument with my father and he told me that I was wasting my money.

I have a very basic cannon digital camera. Nothing fancy. I can use this for my photos, but my guess is the pictures aren't going to come out that well.
Click to expand...

You really don't need a fancy camera for wallet sized pics anyway. The lighting and the post processing will make all the difference. Especially the lighting. Do you have a reflector or a light box? You will need those if you want to do it right. Make sure the guy you're handing $100 to has at least one of those and will be using it. If he tries to give you some BS "oh you don't need those lol" beware.
 
Korea74 said:
I have a degree in special education. I've also taught in South Korea for 2 years, so I have plenty of experience.

I've considered teaching in Thailand. The problem is the pay is very low. The average pay seems to be $30k-40k baht.
Click to expand...

You need to speak directly with the international schools. I knew people without education degrees (and some with only khao san rd degrees) making 120k+ baht. If you looked in the right places in Korea I'm sure you'd be making much more than that.

The program you mentioned appears to be the type of program friends of mine used after graduating college to teach in China, Japan, Korea. These "get to live overseas for free" programs really aren't for you if you have years of experience and a degree in education under your belt.
 
that sounds about right.

I've got a friend who's trying to make it on Broadway and I think he's typically paid $150-ish for headshots in NYC? (with prices going up if the photographer does editing or provides a stylist)
 
disappoint said:
You really don't need a fancy camera for wallet sized pics anyway. The lighting and the post processing will make all the difference. Especially the lighting. Do you have a reflector or a light box? You will need those if you want to do it right. Make sure the guy you're handing $100 to has at least one of those and will be using it. If he tries to give you some BS "oh you don't need those lol" beware.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip. No, I don't have any of these things. I will make sure to ask him tomorrow.

Thanks.
 
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