It is widely recognised that students are renowned for their financial strife, and the vast majority leave university with debts ranging up to £17,500. Although it is safe to say that most students have part time jobs in retail outlets, various bars, pubs, clubs and restaurants, a shocking number of female students in particular, are resorting to much more drastic measures to make ends meet whilst studying.

I spoke to one student from Canterbury who was willing to share the harsh reality of what some female students are prepared to do in order to put themselves through education. (The names of the individuals mentioned have been changed to protect their identities).

Hazel is 20 and in her last year of a physics and biochemistry degree. She is a pretty girl with long brunette hair, slim frame and a clear complexion. She is very sweet and extremely intelligent and has been working as an “escort” for the last eighteen months.

Hazel explains “It’s not something I planned to get involved in, and it’s not something I’d recommend. But when rent is due, food is needed and unexpected car repairs clear out your bank account, I guess everyone has their breaking point.”

It is clear that Hazel finds this particular subject difficult to talk about, but she is keen to help people realise that girls are willing to sell sex in order to support themselves through university. “I know a lot of people would say that I should take out another loan or ask my parents for help, but it’s not that simple, my parents don’t have the money to support me and another loan means more debt.”

This is a situation that the vast majority of students know all too well and it is common place for students to take out extra loans to cover costs whilst studying.
“It’s certainly not something you dream of when you’re a little girl, but I know so many girls who see working in this industry as just another job, as do I, I suppose. Where I’d only get paid five or six pounds an hour in a shop or bar, I can get a grand for four hours work on a Saturday night! In three nights I have paid off a whole year’s tuition fee!”

Although these figures seem hard to believe, Hazel showed me the agency’s website she was working through, and the fees are listed under each of the girls’ profiles. Hazel started her fees at £500 for a two hour slot, £1,000 for a four hour slot, and anything over four hours would be charged at £500 per hour. Despite Hazel’s agency being at the more expensive end of the market, it shows just how much money can and is being made.

Of course escorting is not the only way money can be earned, as Hazel reveals:
“I know three girls who work in strip clubs, one of them was in Canterbury actually, and they can get around a grand for a four hour shift on a good night. My friend, Charlie works some of the red light district areas near her uni and she makes more than I do! I don’t know any of the girls who work at the agency I do, but I know at least two other girls who work for other online agencies.”

Hazel’s situation may seem extreme but student prostitution has risen by up to 50% in the last six years, which is consistent with the findings of Dr. Ben Roberts, a health psychologist. He said: “our figures represent a 50% increase in the prevalence rates for student prostitution since 2000.”

Many girls who now work in the sex industry were vulnerable, and were attracted by how lucrative this type of work can be. Rising tuition fees seem to be the main reason for female students resorting to such measures. But is it any wonder, when in 1998, (the year tuition fees were introduced) students paid £1,000 per year in comparison to £3,290 this year.

In a survey conducted by The Times, 130 students were asked whether they knew any friends involved in the sex industry, one in ten said they knew of students who had stripped, lap danced or worked at massage parlours and escort agencies to support themselves through university. Just over 6% said they knew students who worked as prostitutes.

As clients spend an average of £534million on prostitutes each year (which are similar to how many Britons spend on going to the cinema each year); a spokesman for Universities UK emphasised that the institutions provide support for struggling students, but “students are responsible adults and we treat them as such.” No further comment has been given. Clearly, students’ working in the sex industry remains rather a taboo subject.

Unified says: It is common knowledge that students frequently struggle financially. However, the sex industry should never be considered as an option for earning extra cash. Prostitution is a slippery slope of potentially dangerous liaisons which can lead to serious illness, physical harm and alcohol or drug abuse. Students thinking of taking such risks are advised to seek safer means of income, and emergency financial aid is available. If anyone is having trouble coping with the stresses of university they should contact Student Support Services immediately.

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