This is a comon list of FAQs frequently asked by our guests.

Do headhunters charge a fee?
That all depends on the type of employee the company is looking for. Example: you can be hired as a Contract Employee, Full-Time Employee, or Temp to Perm Employee. as a standard, most any recruiter or recruiting agency will review your demo reel, your portfolio and you resume for free. Even the pitching of your skills is free. Recruiters are there to represent you, the talent. As such, they take queues on salary for your interest, and will at times act at guidance coaches and inform you of your skills vs. market rates. Summing up, most recruiting agencies have to make cash, they do this by charging the company interested what's called a Markup. The Markup is a percentage based off your hourly, or annual rate. So, for example - simple math for you animators out there: if you wanted 52 a year, that breaks down to about 25 per hour they typically charge a 1.65% to 3.0% markup, meaning you get your 25 per hour; the total to the company will turn out to be around 38 to 50 per hour. Full-time is a percentage based off your annual salary - usually around 20%, that's not out of your pocket, but charged to the client. Temp to Perm is like a test drive, its a smaller percentage of your annual salary, and smaller rate of your hourly salary. In all, if you ever come across a recruiter or headhunter asking for payment from you, they are either
a) high,
b) running an ill business in which case you should run away - fast, or
c) high.
oh.. by the way.. tell them you saw their name on The ScratchPost.. they appreciate knowing how you heard of them!

What Schools or institutions can I go to to learn 3D animation?
I myself went to Ringling School of Art and Design, located in Sarasota Fl. But there are plenty of other schools that also offer some great programs that are not 4 years long and may even be closer to where you live, so you wont have to be moving to another state. If you want to see a list of a few schools, you may want to visit the school listings page or download a huge list of schools around the world from AWN . Now you will have a good list of schools to start you off on the right foot!

Do all company expect me to sign contracts for more than 2 years?
No, only certain companies make you sign a contract to keep you for 2-4 years with them. If you have to sign any contract, it is a good idea to read it very CAREFULLY.. specially the small, fine print. And discuss anything you dont agree with them before you sign it and are stuck with it for 4 years or so. Make sure you ask all the necessary questions before you sign anything that may keep you longer than you really expected. (This mainly goes for staff jobs.)

I've heard that R&H worked with long term contracts. Yet, you mention the all too common hope that you be kept on after the project. Why didn't they sign you to a contract? Is there a probationary project thing going on, or are some people hired only on a project to project basis?
Rhythm and Hues has contracts if you are a STAFF member for a few years. but like many companies, when it comes to hiring on need basis, they will have show hires for specific shows. Some artists are hired just for the purpose of helping on a specific show. If there is anything else in-house after their job is done, they will get reviewed and maybe even hired for either another production or as a staff employee.

Do studios offer internships?? where can I find out information about them?
Yes, some studios offer internships.. you can go check out the Internships page to get a bit more info on this... You may also want to call studios you may be interested in, sometimes they don't place the information on their webpages, but will offer 2 or 3 positions per summer.