I’m a second year by day, and a male escort by night

When people think of sex work and escorting, they imagine a sordid underworld dominated by exploitation and seedy activity. But there’s actually a lot more to it than that. We spoke to one of Sheffield’s most scandalous male escorts in the heart of the SU, surrounded by oblivious passers by unaware of the tales being unravelled no more than a few metres from them. Hoping to use his experiences to illuminate and de-stigmatise the complex world of male escorting, James, a second year, reveals all.

When did you first get into escorting?

Year 11 was when I first got into it, so I was 16. Bear in mind I’ve had a beard for so long I could get away with it. When I was 16 I looked like I was at least 19, so it didn’t look that bad.

Did you have to lie about your age?

The agency knew, because obviously it’s not sex so it was still legal. That seems dodgy in hindsight though, but I think they just wanted people to do it. Obviously if you’re fresh faced and youthful then you’ll be more popular. Now I work for a different agency and there’s no worries about age.

Why did you start?

I was really poor. My wage was horrific in year 10, it was like £3.60 an hour. I Googled “easy ways to make money” and it was genuinely one of the top options.

Do you do it in secret?

Yes, my mum and dad don’t know. I didn’t used to just walk in and flash the cash, like “hey mum, make it rain”. I think they knew I was up to something, but probably thought I was just meeting up with boys my age behind the bike sheds. I only told a few of my friends.

How much were you being paid to escort?

On average about £26 an hour, but I’m getting more nowadays though as I’m more selective with my jobs and look for higher paid ones. You also get rewards though, for example you get a free meal and drinks, and you get to attend a high society event, so I was in my element. Plus I got given a Michael Kors watch by one person, and I had a Burberry bag bought for me but that was horrid so I sold it on Ebay. I got like £60 for it.

Perks of the job

Do you do it through an agency?

I do, it’s a lot safer than any other way. The client pays the agency, then the agency takes a 20 per cent cut and pay me, so it was no cash in hand.

How many times do you think you’ve been on an escort job?

Probably like 30 times here and there, so not that many yet.

Do you escort women, or men, or both? 

I escort both men and women, it just depends on the job I fancy. It’s also pretty self evident I’m gay, and most clock on but funnily some don’t. I must be a better actor than I thought. A lot of the time I escort women who are freshly divorced and want a toy boy for social events. One woman hired me to come with her to the Durham Regatta and she was newly divorced but she had told all of her friends she had a new younger man. I turned down the camp as much as possible, but there wasn’t much I could do about my voice. She didn’t actually know I was gay, so she kept trying to stroke my leg. Obviously she wanted it to look like we were a couple, so she’d stroke my leg for authenticity but she took it a bit far sometimes.

What other types of events have you been to?

I’ve gone to a couple of weddings, and other events where you have to bring a date. Never any one on one dates though, the agency doesn’t want us to as there is more risk involved.

Did you feel awkward at these types of events? What did you used to tell the other guests you did?

Luckily people didn’t ask me too many questions. I feel like a fake job and alias would get too tricky to hold up all night. You got a profile of who you were escorting so you get their age, career, what they’ve achieved, family history, what they’ve been through. So you kind of know the background of them, and then ask other guests questions based on this information. It’s always my choice if I want to go on a date with a specific person, like you select your own clients.

Are you scared of if somebody might take things too far? Like become creepy and stalk you, or try to make things sexual?

I tell my friends where I am going, and the agency has always booked a taxi home for me so I get home safely without them following. We were told not to go home with them, or use any other form of transport to get home. Also you get given a work phone, so the clients don’t know your real number. It doesn’t feel threatening.

He’s been escorting since he was 16

What’s your funniest story from being an escort?

I accidentally ratted out that I was escorting someone before. I was sat at the table with my date and then he went to the toilet, so I was left with a table of other guests. And me being me, stupidly decided to try and make conversation. So was like “what’s everyone’s job here?” and then it was my turn and they asked me, and I said “I’m an escorrr… I’m a student” and everyone looked at me in complete confusion and disbelief.

What’s your weirdest story?

When I went to the toilet, the guy I was escorting followed me in and gave me a 6/10 rating, told me I wasn’t convincing enough and sent me home. We had a fake split up at the event in front of everyone. It was an Oscar worthy performance breakup. Also, I’ve been accused of being a gravedigger and a gold digger so many times.

Have you ever hoped it would be like real life Pretty Woman, and you’d fall in love with your hot, wealthy client? You being Julia Roberts, of course.

To be fair I’ve always wanted it to happen, but I’ve looked at all of them like I look at my dad. They’ve all been too old for me. If they were George Clooney-esque then it might be a different story. I know people who have gone on more dates with their clients afterwards, like not as an escort. It’s quite cute in a weird way.

Did you ever take it further than just escorting and do anything sexual for money?

When I got really desperate, I turned to giving someone a blow job for cash. I got paid £600 once, good old Dave. He even booked a Holiday Inn for it; glamorous, I know. I met this person through Grindr though, so it was pretty risky. I’m not sure why I did it in hindsight. I met him in a bar and he gave me £300 then, and then the other half afterwards. You get asked all sorts on Grindr, someone even asked me for my old socks once.

Do you think it has, or will, affect your relationships?

That might be why I get attached really easily. Like I was pretending to be all these people’s dates, so when it actually does happen properly I latch on. Being shown genuine affection was really nice for a change, so I end up rushing into relationships really quickly.

Names have been changed.