London – Great Britain has some of the world’s best-known universities: the universities in Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh and London enjoy an excellent reputation. But if you want to study here, you first need a lot of money. And those who do not have wealthy parents or who have not been able to get hold of a scholarship have to look for a part-time job. Why not prostitution too? That sounds like a taboo in view of the venerable old-fashionedness of British universities, but it has long been a reality in the country’s universities.
The consequences of Corona: part-time jobs are rare because of the pandemic
Lucy saw no other option for herself. She had lost her part-time job in a bar because of the pandemic, and a new job could not be found. Now there was no longer enough money for studying. “I chose sex work,” says Lucy on the university portal The Tab. “I have always enjoyed sex, and there was simply no other way that could be adapted to my university schedule.” First, Lucy offered pictures via that OnlyFans erotic portal, but that wasn’t enough either. That is why the British prostituted herself, met suitors.
There is a cost to study in the UK. There are not only the tuition fees: locals pay up to 9250 pounds (11,000 euros) a year, for foreigners it is more than twice as expensive. In addition, there are high costs of living. Around two-thirds of students have a part-time job, also because the government maintenance loan is on average 223 pounds less than the cost of living. According to calculations by the British student website Save the Student, a three-year undergraduate course, including rent, teaching materials and other items, costs an average of £ 57,000.
Like Lucy, whose real name is different, there are thousands in Britain, most of them women. A survey by Save the Student showed that three percent finance their studies with sex work, another nine percent toy with the idea. The student union at Kingston University estimates the number of student sex workers in the country at up to 70,000.
The number is astonishingly high. From Kingston, however, it is rather sober: “Students who work in the sex industry in order to be able to afford a university and to work flexibly during their studies is not a new concept.” Pandemic, popular platforms like OnlyFans have seen a 75 percent increase with up to 170,000 new users per day. Last year was extremely difficult financially for many students across the country. “
Durham University offers online training for sex workers
There is a social problem behind the numbers, as is known not only in Kingston. It’s about education and help: “Sex workers often already belong to marginalized minority groups. The stigma surrounding sex work is undeniable, and hence we understand and recognize that most students are not comfortable sharing this part of their life with others. Nevertheless, we want our student sex workers to feel safe and supported with us. “
However, this openness is not always well received. Because until now, student sex work has not been a public subject, but rather a taboo subject. That is currently changing, not least because the conservative government senses a scandal here. The occasion is an online training course offered by the Durham University student council. The aim was to offer help, support and tips to those who make money from sex work or are considering doing so. The University of Leicester had previously assured its students that it was legal to undress in front of cameras for money or to be endured by rich men, so-called sugar daddies.
University State Secretary Michelle Donelan was outraged. Universities would legitimize a “dangerous industry,” Donelan recently told the Times. “This course aims to normalize the sale of sex that has no place at our universities.” “We do not apologize for the work we are doing to ensure that Durham provides a safe environment for all students and staff,” said Durham University. There are many courses available to provide support on mental health, drug, or alcohol issues.
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University State Secretary Michelle Donelan: “Sex work has no place in our universities.”
Above all, student representatives point out that a constructive approach is necessary. “Student sex workers are a fact of modern life,” said Jonah Graham of the Durham Students Union. Ignoring this would mean making a serious mistake that would affect students. Again and again we hear from students who do not manage to quit sex work after graduation or who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. But many universities ignored the topic.
Sex work is also a part-time job for students in Berlin
According to experts, the number of student sex workers in the pandemic has increased significantly, also thanks to the online offer. “With the rise of platforms like OnlyFans and JustForFans, anyone can do sex work from their home or dorm,” wrote Elizabeth Buckner and Aaron Brown of the University of Toronto, Canada. OnlyFans’ number of users has multiplied during the Corona crisis.
Student sex work is also not limited to the UK. In Germany, too, she is a part-time job, as became clear at the latest with the autobiographical novel “Fucking Berlin” (2008) by Sonia Rossi. In 2011, the study “Part-time job: Prostitution” by the preparatory college in Berlin attracted attention, according to which every third student in the capital can imagine financing their studies with prostitution; Every 27th student (3.7 percent) is said to be actually active in the red light district. With currently 202,000 students in Berlin, that would be around 7,500 student sex workers.
At the moment, however, we are mainly talking about the topic in Great Britain. “It is important that all universities have a sex work policy to prevent students from experiencing discrimination or prejudice,” said Jessica Hyer Griffin, founder of the Support for Student Sex Workers charity. The universities should also train more employees. “Sex work will not go away for students, universities must take this into account and protect students.”
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