the difference between independent and agency escorts

One of the most common questions we get from both aspiring and current escorts is ‘What is the difference between being Independent and working for an Agency? The words ‘Independent’ and ‘Agency’ have certain connotations in many other careers. In escorting, however, the differences are quite stark and the pros and cons are very polarised. There is no ‘best option’. It’s all about picking what is right for you. Many online guides have an angle. They think one is ‘better’ and want to convince you of something, but we figured it was time for a simple, factual comparison of the two different styles of escort. We’ve done this by comparing the three major areas of an escort’s life – Safety & Security, Marketing & Administration, and Payments & Fees. Below is an easily accessible, plain speaking, neutral listing of the major differences for you as an independent escort:

Safety & Security

Agency: When working for an agency you are still technically self-employed, but the agency does have a number of obligations to you – some legal, some moral. A good agency will prioritise their escorts’ safety above all else. Most importantly they will screen clients to ensure that no ‘bad eggs’ make it through the cracks. Drunk on the phone? Blacklisted with other agencies for bad behaviour? Cagey and reluctant to confirm their identity? People in the background or other unusual behaviour they are trained to notice! They’re going in the ‘No’ pile. 

A good agency will not only screen out these unsuitable and dangerous clients, but also act as a good safety net for the actual bookings. They know precisely where your bookings are, when, with whom, and how long for. This leaves a colossal paper trail and is the reason that badly behaved clients tend to avoid agency escorts.

The agency will often also have their own locations which are used, which adds an extra layer of security.

Independent: When working independently, you must perform all of your own safety and security duties. This means that you must invest time screening your clients, and make sure that when you go to a booking that someone who isn’t you knows who you’re meeting, when, where, and for how long. Escorting is a lot safer than Hollywood would have you believe, but we’d be lying if we said that there wasn’t some element of risk. Make sure you have a system for screening out bad clients, that you can verify identities, and that – should one of these bad clients make it through – people know where you are. It’s time-intensive to set up and maintain, but could save you a lot of money, upset or worse down the line. You are also, of course, responsible for sourcing your own locations and paying for them too. 

Marketing & Administration

Agency: When working for an agency, all of your marketing is done for you. From photoshoots to written bios to offers and features – everything goes on in the background largely without you knowing. They will also often keep an eye on market trends and adapt appropriately. When those clients do call, they will sort out the whole booking process from start to finish. This is done by a team of professionals in the correct agency. All you have to do is turn up on the day.

Independent: When working for yourself, you will find that the bulk of your time isn’t spent with clients. A lot of it is the ‘other stuff’ that comes with being an independent, self-employed professional. Marketing must be done in your own time, and taking phone calls must be done in your time as well. This can be an issue when working alone because you can’t answer the phone to take phone calls while you’re with a client. This can result in lost business along with being frustrated with a clients constant communication, before you have even met. You will also be responsible for registering and subsequently paying your adverts along with manning them adverts sometimes being glued to a mobile or laptop for almost all of the day/evening.

Payment and Fees

Agency: When you work for an agency who does most of the work for you, it’s not out of the goodness of their hearts. They take a fee from each of your bookings. If a client pays you £250, you will only get a percentage of that fee which is stipulated in your contract with the agency. Some ladies don’t mind this due to the amount of work that goes on with an agency, especially if they have personal life's such as children, families or even studies to be attending to while waiting for work to come in. others don’t like someone else’s hand in their pocket.

Independent: Working as an independent escort, as can be seen above, does involve a lot of extra work. However, when it comes time to get paid – it all pays off. If you get £250 for your booking then that is your £250 to spend how you like. Kind of. You will be responsible for paying all of your expenses such as photoshoots, adverts, and other generic business expenses so it will be important before you start to work it out and make sure whether you’d make more money as an agency escort or an independent escort.

Conclusion

Deciding whether to go independent or join an agency is a very personal choice. The good news is it’s not permanent. If one way isn’t working for you then you can do your career choice a different way. That’s the beauty about escorting – it’s so variable and you’re in complete control. If you’re in an agency and you’re not enjoying you can leave and try it on your own for a while. As long as you don’t burn any bridges, if it’s not working out for you then you can always join another agency and you’re back where you were. Nothing lost. On the flipside if you’ve always worked independently then there’s nothing stopping you just reaching out and chatting to a few agencies to see if anyone works in a way that you like and you think you’d fit in.