What is it like to be a kpop trainee?
Companies often make information about being a trainee as private as possible but I'll try and help. (: A family friend of mine is a trainee though. 1. SM is really hard and serious and tiring, you have to train really hard for hours after school and they have some emphasis on your appearance. YG is apparently much less tiring and kind, it has a family-like environment and 2NE1 has stated that the people make training more fun. JYP is somewhat like YG, but they focus a lot on talent as well and make you work hard but not as hard as SM. 2. You practice everyday for hours, but sometimes you get breaks, the amount and length of breaks depend on which company you train in. 3. No, you do not get paid directly by getting money in your own hands, but they do somewhat pay you by minimising your costs in Korea - they pay for your food and dorm, and they pay for your education. You don't get money for being a trainee is the bottom line though. 4. Yes you are, but if you don't work hard you can get it confiscated, or if you use it during classes it can be taken away like at school. 5. You don't pay for the dorm, they give you a free dorm. You have to pay for your air ticket to Korea though, and once you are in Korea you stay there everyday sleeping in the dorms until your training is over. Unless you have a friend or family that live in Korea and are close to the company building, you can live with them. 6. Yes you do, if you're a native Korean/speak good Korean then you get sent to SSOPA (Seoul School of Performing Arts) or other schools taught in Korean, if you aren't, then you normally go to Korea Kent Foreign School where the classes are taught in English and you learn Korean. 7. It depends on the company. I don't mean to be rude or offend anyone here. They typically say that SM is nearly all about looks (approx. 80%looks, 20%talent) and YG is nearly all about talent (90%talent, 10%looks) and JYP is about halfway for talent and looks but they look for those with natural beauty. 8. I don't know, they say YG is really fun and kind and very relaxing, and it's like a family, and they treat you nicely. JYP is a bit like that, but less laid-back, and more hard work. SM is pretty much all hard work and they don't treat you as nicely, they can be harsh and you can train there for up to 7 years like SNSD's Jessica and Hyoyeon did.
What is the life of a Kpop trainee?
I find it very interesting and if there's anyone who's ever been a trainee, sent in tapes or went to an audition please take the time to answer some of my questions :) 1) What are the auditions like? I understand that you sing for about 20 seconds with other trainee hopefuls while some judges watch you. Is there anything else that's important like what to wear and etc.? 2) Is there another round for the auditions? If so do you sing, dance, rap, act or something? How many rounds are there? 3) After you become a trainee do you live in a dorm with other trainees or can you stay with your parents? Are the dorms located near the training center? 4) Where do trainees attend school? Where do trainees who don't know English attend school? 5) Is there a lot of competition between trainees? Wouldn't that create a negative environment? 6) Which company out of the big three treats their trainees best? 7) What do companies look for in a trainee hopeful? 8) What are the down sides of becoming a trainee? What are the upsides?
How much do you get paid as a trainee in k-pop entertainments like YG, SM, and JYP? Also, which entertainment is the best one to become successful?
So when you first become a trainee, usually any company, you sign a 7-year contract where they train you and feed you and pay for all the fees, but in return you give all the profits to them until you pay off, and THEN you start making money. So usually idols are dirt poor when they debut, and even a few years in the entertainment industry unless they become very very famous like EXO or BTS.To be honest, YG artists do get really popular even when just debuted, such as BlackPink. But then again, their artists go through long and extensive years of training, and is very selective. YG even has a nickname, the “dungeon” because artists get stuck without debuting for a really long time because YG is careful and likes to spend many years practicing for the perfect debut. Blackpink was a girl group that debuted a long time later after 2NE1, the first girl group in YG. YG also does not go for looks as much as other entertainment groups, but is leaning towards more of looks these days.S.M. usually chooses looks and age for artists, as with JYP. You might become more popular with S.M. with all the artists in S.M. currently, but they’ve been known to treat their artists worse.JYP is still a bit mediocre compared to S.M. and YG, but with Twice up and about, they have been becoming more profitable and such. JYP is really strict towards drugs and sensitive scandals, so you might last longer and better there.(S.M. and YG have a lot more scandals than JYP.)If you want to become well known right away, then all 3 companies can work for you.If you want to be treated better and want to last long in the entertainment industry, then don’t go to S.M.Also note that YG does not really take younger artists as much, JYP and S.M. are much better.Feel free to ask any other questions !! :)