Reporter: I just want to sort of check, I want to be clear about what I’m doing … meeting a complete stranger I just, you know, want to be clear about what I’m doing.
Assessor: For the first meeting we take the money off the sponsor to make sure they’ve got the money then when we’ve heard back from both of you that it’s gone fine we basically release that and that’s kind of your first payment for your first term… Then the payments generally happen around the start of term.
R: Do you write down like the type of things I’d be expected to do?
A: We’ve got a questionnaire we’ll go through… that forms your profile… [it covers] the sort of things that you’re comfortable doing so there’s no awkwardness about ‘Well I thought you did this and you don’t do that,’ so that’s all kind of up-front. And then as long as you’re happy to go through with those things that you said you would do then that’s fine.
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R: What sort of things [would I] have to do?
A: What you’re trying to do is attract a certain level of sponsorship, you don’t want to go up there saying you know you’re not even going to hold hands type of thing, ‘cause you’re not going to attract any interest at all so you’ve got to kind of… The more you’re prepared to do the more interest you’re going to get, obviously the more sponsorship amount you’re going to get for that, so you obviously don’t want to commit with more than you’re happy to do ‘cause then you’ll be anxious about it and the rest of it, but you don’t want to go back and say ‘I’ll wait and see about certain things’ ‘cause you might not get the opportunity to have those introductory meetings.
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R: How many other girls are already doing it?
A: I think you’ve got about 400 [women] actively… searchable on site ready to go into… These guys are businessmen… they get a tax break for offering sponsorship to students but obviously they’re having a bit of fun you know in the bargain… genuinely nice guys, I’ve got some sort of sample profiles I’ve printed out.
R: Can I see them?
A: Yeah, I mean I’ve left them back at the [flat] but I can show them to you when you get up there.
R: What do we have to do in the interview?
A: We’ll go through the, err, questionnaire… and then we’ll go through whatever you put down as what you want to do … we go through in the practical assessment together to make sure that you’re comfortable to do that, to … get an idea of what your first meeting with the sponsor will be. We have to … make sure when we put you in front of your sponsor you’re confident in doing the things you said you would do.
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R: So the guys, do they have health checks or anything?
A: We do invite them to do that, not all of them choose to do that but you can choose to have protection or not have protection on that basis.
R: I’ve never done anything like it and it just feels like a big step.
A: I mean that’s kind of… you don’t need to… we’re not attracting people who are used to this kind of lifestyle… that’s kind of what we’re into really…
R: Is it totally confidential?
A: Yes… [In the photos] we can obscure your face, we can cut from down here [mimes cutting off body] whenever you decide to leave us everything is securely erased, wiped, there is no record. Any sponsors that you take out an agreement with, they’ll only know you by your nickname on the site … so once you’ve signed out [of] the site your nickname is gone, there’s no way for them to contact you.
Q&A: Paying for sex – the law:
Q. Is it illegal to run a website where men or women appear to provide sex for money?
A. This is a grey area. Owners can be arrested for controlling prostitution if the police can show that sexual services are being given in exchange for cash. But this is often very difficult.
Operators can say the sex is a private contract between the client and the sex worker. On the SponsorAScholar.co.uk website the extensive terms and conditions describe an agreement which covers time and companionship together.
It says the “level of sexual intimacy” is privately agreed between student and sponsor whilst the owners of the website are not responsible for what occurs between consenting adults in a hotel room.
Q. Is it illegal to advertise sexual services on the internet?
A. Yes. That is why sex workers promote themselves as “escorts” or “models” in a variety of media including newspapers and on the internet. In reality sex is readily available online.
Q. Is it illegal to have sex for money?
A. No, nor is paying for sex. But loitering or soliciting in a public place for the purposes of offering services as a prostitute is and carries a maximum fine of £1,000. However, prostitutes must be cautioned twice, on two separate occasions, before being charged for the first time. It is also illegal to have sex for money with someone who has been trafficked or coerced into prostitution regardless of whether this information is known at the time. The offence carries a maximum sentence of six months in prison.
Q. Is kerb-crawling legal?
A. No. Clients caught kerb-crawling can be arrested on their first offence. They can be fined £1,000, disqualified from driving or have their car impounded. They can also be offered to undertake a rehabilitation course.