Brand ambassador jobs: what to check before you take one

The FTC says honest employers will never ask you to pay to get a job, and that honest placement firms don't typically charge job candidates a fee. A request for money up front — for a starter kit, training, a certification, or product — is the pattern it warns about.

Before you accept, the FTC suggests searching the company or recruiter's name with the words “scam,” “review,” or “complaint,” and never depositing a check from a new employer and sending part of it back.

Under the FTC's Endorsement Guides, a connection between an endorser and a brand that people wouldn't expect — such as being paid, given free product, or employed by the brand — should be disclosed clearly and conspicuously. The Guides say verbal statements can be endorsements, so this covers talking to people on a sidewalk, not just posting. A legitimate job tells you how to disclose.

In California, the ABC test starts from the assumption that a worker is an employee. The hiring company has to meet all three of the test's conditions to treat you as an independent contractor. California adopted the test into the Labor Code with AB 5 in 2019. If a listing calls you a contractor, it's fair to ask who is responsible for you and why.

Handing things out on a sidewalk, in a park, or on private property can need a city permit or the owner's permission. Santa Monica, the City of Los Angeles, and private venues each set their own rules. On Humans.Army, getting that permission is the brand's job — not the person doing the work, and not ours.

The brand carries responsibility for disclosure, too: the FTC notes a company can be liable for hiring and directing endorsers who fail to disclose (FTC, “FTC’s Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking”). A well-run job hands you the disclosure line rather than leaving it to you.