I sought out sex work when I was 20, as I came towards the end of my second year of university, because I knew I would be able to start earning money quickly.
Unlike a regular job, that offers set shifts and pays monthly, I could work whenever I wanted and get paid straight away. Plus, I knew my potential earnings with sex work would be much higher.
I’m far from the only one. Money advice website Save the Student released new research yesterday this week that revealed one in 25 students have tried some kind of adult work in order to help them pay bills and buy food. This is twice as many as was recorded in 2017.
The research also showed that online platforms make it easier to get into sex work. That’s exactly how I got into it, too.
At first, being involved in sex work (mainly escorting, webcamming, and selling photos) was kind of exciting – mostly because of the prospect of the money I could earn. But as time went on, it became more draining. It is a job, after all!
For one thing, while with a regular job you can leave at the end of your shift, adult work is 24/7. I listed my available hours on my page on the site I worked through, but as far as I’m aware, the site is not closely regulated. I’d receive constant messages requesting meet-ups and chats or webcam sessions.
Despite this, the work is inconsistent, as it is dependent on what kind of requests you get, what you are prepared to do, and how often you are prepared to work.
Some clients will request more extreme videos and meet-ups, or send their requests at times of the day when you’re busy. Because of this, adult work helped with my finances in the short term, but it’s too unpredictable to be a long term solution.
It’s not given me a large amount of spare money as I needed to use my earnings to cover my living costs, such as food, rent and bills. You do set your own rates of pay, but it is very competitive, which doesn’t give you a lot of freedom – set them too low and you seem cheap; too high, and you won’t get clients.
After a while, I felt like I was stuck in a vicious cycle: I got into sex work because I was unhappy about money, but then the sex work was making me unhappy
As well as the financial instability, I was always on edge in case any of my clients tried to get too involved with my personal life, or recognised me when I was not working. I was also worried that friends might see me with one of my clients.
I only ever told a couple of my friends about what I was doing, so that they could be aware of my location, for safety reasons. I didn’t tell anyone else, because I didn’t think I would receive a positive reaction.
I had to be so careful about what I shared, and made up a fake persona for my profile. It was like living a double life at times.
After a while, I felt like I was stuck in a vicious cycle: I got into sex work because I was unhappy about money, but then the sex work was making me unhappy because I felt so drained all the time from keeping up two lives, and the demands from clients were getting more extreme. So, I’d stop and take a break. But then I would become worried about money again, and the cycle would continue.
STS’s research showed that worrying about money can affect all areas of a student’s life, such as mental health and relationships. Both worrying about money and doing sex work affected my mental health and relationships, especially when I was spending a lot of time working, as I had no time to see my friends.
In my experience, there isn’t a lot of support out there for students who are struggling for money, and I personally feel that this is rooted in the flaws in the UK’s student loans system. The way student loans are calculated is very skewed, and there should be more room for students to have their loan reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
It’s very difficult to get out of a job where you’re earning that much money, despite the personal costs
My university gives ‘credit’ per term to students from low income families – students that receive the highest amount of student loan. This credit can be spent on university equipment, sports clubs, food and drink in the campus cafes, even items from the mini supermarket in the student union. I come from a single parent family, therefore received quite a lot of student loan, but was still about £50 under the threshold to receive this credit from my university.
Had I received this credit from my university, I would have been able to use more of my loan and savings towards living costs, rather than turning to sex work for the extra cash. I have worked a few different part time jobs since I turned 18, but none of them compare to the money you can earn in sex work. That’s where the difficulty lies.
To other students who are struggling with their finances, I would say it is worth having a student overdraft. Don’t be scared to use it for the things you need (but don’t get too carried away – you’ll have to pay it back at some point).
Use Depop and eBay to sell stuff you don’t need and get the extra cash, and sign up for student deals websites to find discounts and freebies. Also, do your food shopping in the evening if possible because you can find good deals on reduced products with short dates – everything will be fine if you keep it in the fridge/freezer!
I have taken a step back from sex work while I am on a work placement related to my degree, as I do not have the time to keep up with it on the side. It can take up as much or as little time as you allow it to, but the more time you spend on it, the more money you make. It’s difficult not to fall into that trap, and start neglecting other areas of your life.
However, I am keeping sex work in the background. I have no doubt that I will need it for the money when I go back to university full time for my final year.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2019/10/24/im-a-student-financially-supporting-my-degree-with-sex-work-10967815/
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