A friend sent me an email recently asking me if they could make a living being a cheerleader, which forced me to do some research. What I found was that if you want to become a cheerleader for say, a NFL team, it is not wise to give up your day job. Bad news for those interested, sorry, however it is impossible to maintain a decent life being a cheerleader.
During my research I discovered that most cheerleaders earn about $50 per hour, per game. That works out to between $400 to $500 per game, as cheerleaders are usually asked to work between 8 to 10 hours per game. You may have between 1 and 2 home games per month, so you would earn between $400 - $1000 per month for a couple months. This is obviously far from what anyone would consider to be a steady well paying job, in fact, some professional teams require cheer leading applicants to have a full time job before the team would even consider the job application.
The good thing about being a cheerleader is that it can be a spring board for dancing gigs, modeling and other forms of entertainment. For those who are lucky or good enough to get other gigs, cheer leading can be a short term career which can fetch you between $2000 and $4000 per month. However, cheer leading is a very unforgiving profession, as how well you do in most cases has more to do with how good you look and not how well you dance.
It is not easy to get in the profession, as there has been an increase in the amount of cheer leading job applications to professional teams over the years. The competition for these jobs is getting more intense and as such, the cheerleaders have treated their profession like a science and try to pull out all the stops to be prepared for their tryouts and interviews.
What do I need to do to be a professional cheerleader?
All teams with cheerleaders have scheduled yearly auditions. These auditions are usually scheduled weeks in advance, so you should keep in contact with the cheer leading squad you are interested in joining. Make sure that you submit your application before the stated deadlines and that you complete all your preparation before the audition.
Most professional cheer leading squads have a particular routine that is modified on a weekly basis. You should watch their dance routines and practice this daily. If the team has clinics, then get involved, as this will help you to learn their routines even better and gain a relationship with the people who are already on the squad.
You must have excellent dancing skills. Most cheer leading squads require that their dancers can make up things on the fly, do splits and high kicks, be able to dance to various kinds of music and be able to smile and be pleasant while doing their routines. Get to know the type of music the squad dances to, and practice their dance routines daily. You should also make up your own routines, so that you can add your personal touch.
Get an idea of the sort of look the cheer leading squad requires. Some squads requires that cheerleaders be at a certain height or weight. You should keep your weight down and look and be physically fit for obvious reasons. There should be no noticeable blemishes on your skin and you should ensure that your hair is done similar to the members on the squad you are interested in. Most squads go for longer hair, but their are exceptions to that rule, so keep an eye out for the squad's particular style. The clothes you wear is important. Again, try to get an idea of how the cheerleaders on the squad dress and follow them. Makeup is also very important for a cheerleader. Makeup should keep the audience focused on the cheerleaders' eyes. Make sure you that you use foundations that match your skin, use liquid eyeliners, making sure it matches the colors of the team you want to represent, use eye shadow (using different hues and glitters) and use strong colors on your lips ensuring that their is a gloss over it. Do not use too much glitters.
Just like any other job, you will have to do a formal interview. Do not take the interview for granted. These squads requires professionalism, so look professional and answer the questions asked by the interviewer professionally. Prepare for the interview in the same manner you would prepare for any other. Be prepared to answer questions about why you want to be in the profession and a part of their squad. Be prepared to tell them why choosing you would be their best option and how your experience will help them. Be early for your interview and ensure that the interviewer understands how serious you are about getting the job.
