Marie and I get asked so many different questions, however, they do tend to follow a general pattern and this latest request for information is no different, however, I don’t think so far I have really dealt with these 2 subjects ….1.  Is an escort employed and if not, how does it work and 2, should I be a sole trader and how do I register the business?   Having run Angels4You since 2005 I am very aware of just how much I have had to learn, yet I am also aware that what I have learnt has only been right for me.

No matter how much I may wish everyone else to care about others exactly the same way as I do, realistically this will never happen so whilst I appreciate that many people believe I have answers for them, please believe me when I say to you clearly …. I don’t.  What works for me, Marie and Angels4You does not work the same for anyone else and if you are set on being an escort or an agency owner then remember, if it does not come from your heart, then no matter what you read here, what I know Angels principles are based on, will make no sense to you, however, you are welcome to take whatever information you can from my thoughts.

Escorting and employment – they do not go hand in hand.  Unfortunately many people believe that if you are asked to do something and you receive money then you are employed.  ‘Fraid not though!  Each individual is self employed and you also need to have a healthy dose of ….

• common sense
• financial awareness and,
• a very good and understanding accountant

Self employment (sole trader) means that you:

• register with HMRC
• pay minimum Class 2 National Insurance regularly
• complete self-assessment tax returns
• declare your earnings to the Benefits Agency if you are on benefits

Most of what you need to be aware of is on the HMRC website (www.hmrc.gov.uk) and it is a stupid person who believes that it does not apply to them.  Whilst I fully appreciate that it is not easy to be honest to anyone about the fact that you are an escort, what you also need to know though is that the more you try to keep everything a secret the more anyone finding anything out will be of risk to you.  Someone dobbed in one of my team some years ago.  She had lied about so many things (to me as well) and thought that she could continue to just do what she wanted and still claim benefits – she find out the very hard way in a court room that lying does not pay and if there is just one message I would say to anyone about escorting then it would be …. be safe, not sorry.  There is no shame in escorting, at least in my world there is not and if you don’t believe that in your own heart then why are you escorting in the first place.  The money should never be your first consideration.

If you are considering escorting through an agency, you will still be self-employed.  If the agency is professionally and properly run then you should be evidencing your details through to them and confirming that you will be responsible for your own financial affairs.  Many agencies do not ever suggest anything to you about self employment and they certainly will have very little duty of care to you to get it sorted, however, ignorance of what is required is no excuse in law and neither can you rely on saying to anyone “but no-one told me”.  YOU are responsible for being responsible and it’s on your head if you believe you are above the law.

Agencies are, however, in a different world legally and I have been asked about business licences, registering the business, bank accounts, sole traders, commission and employment contracts.  The key points to remember are:

• You only sell a person’s time and your agency operates as an introduction only
• The girls pay you commission for introductions, not because the time with the client may or may not involve a body to body activity!
• You will only be as legal as you make yourself
• You can be a sole trader, a partnership or a limited company, it’s up to you
• You don’t need a licence
• The girls will always be self employed
• You should operate a separate bank account, however, unless you are a limited company, there is no legal reason to actually open a business bank account

Understanding and putting in practice the above, is just the very beginning of running a business.  Having an escort agency is not easy at all.  The pitfalls are many and some the things to learn are ….

• photographers can be really seedy individuals (sorry to be so direct but so many of them see a woman who wants to be an escort and automatically believe that they are entitled to whatever they can get from the girl)
• buy and host your own website name (domain) …. don’t trust anyone to do it for you and certainly do not believe what others will tell you just because you cannot be bothered to go and find out for yourself
• learn what SEO is about; so many people will take your money off you to do it for you but when you realise what a chunk of money it is and you stop paying it, your rankings will just drop …. you can do it yourself, its just time consuming but what you need to do is learn what it is all about yourself so that when those wonderfully glib people who want your money to do it for you are reeling off all about your keywords and how they will target it for you and get on the first page of Google, you will really know what it is they are talking about and not just fall for b**s**t!
• Understand that girls will cheat you
• Think about drivers (have already spoken about these before)
• Be wary of late night booking requests (drug and alcohol related)
• Choose your clients with care – its great accepting the client who rings and wants someone “now” and if that is the kind of work you want, then cut your cloth accordingly and get the girls who are desperate enough for money that they will do what they are told when they are told

There will be other pitfalls in the agency world but I don’t hold a list permanently in my head.  My core learning came from mistakes – easy to make, not always easy to fix but they certainly made me hesitate to go forward the same way a second time.

All I can say to others wanting to set up an agency or escort ….. Good luck and please …. stay safe and legal.  This world has little professionalism in it unless it comes from you personally – make it so for you not because you need money.

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