A legit escort agency never charges you to join, tells you how bookings and pay work before you start, checks your ID, vets its clients and lets you say no. If an agency can't give you straight answers on those, keep looking. Here's how to check, with Velvet's answers alongside, so you can hold us to the same standard.
At a glance:
- Never pay to join, for photos or for advertising.
- Talk to a real person before you agree to anything.
- Ask how clients are vetted and who knows where you are.
- Ask who sees your photos and personal details.
Never pay to join
A legit agency makes its money from bookings, not from the women who join it. A joining fee, a photoshoot fee, an "admin" fee or a bond is a red flag.
At Velvet there's nothing to pay to apply or to start. We organise and pay for your photoshoot and the advertising, and build your profile with you. There's no lock-in contract either, so you can stop whenever you want.
Talk to a real person first
You should be able to call or message an agency and get a person who answers your questions without rushing you. Pressure to decide on the spot is a warning sign.
With us, step two of applying is a phone call, and it goes both ways, so ask anything you like. You can also WhatsApp us on 0468 935 776 before you apply. A question doesn't commit you to anything.
A careful agency also checks that every applicant is 18 or over and eligible to work in Australia. We check ID for every applicant. If an agency never asks, it probably isn't careful about much else.
Ask exactly how pay works
Before you start, you should know how bookings are priced, when you're paid and what you keep. Be wary of big promises that go quiet when you ask for details.
Our rates are on our services page, from $800 an hour, and you're paid once a week, at the start of the week. We go through exactly what you keep on the first call. Our busiest escorts take home $5,000 to $10,000 a week, after our share. That's the top of the range, not a promise, and part-time hours earn less.
Ask how clients are vetted and who knows where you are
This one matters most for your safety. Ask who talks to clients, how they're screened, when you get the details, and what happens if something feels wrong during a booking.
At Velvet, every enquiry comes through us. We talk to the client and vet him before a booking reaches you, and any client on our blacklist never books with us again. You see the time, the length and the address before you say yes.
While you work, we check in with you when each booking starts and again when it ends. We organise your ride both ways, and someone answers the phone 24 hours a day. Our guide to escort work safety covers the rest.
Ask who sees your photos and details
Your privacy is worth asking about directly: who sees your application, where your photos end up, and whether you can work under another name.
Only our Operations Team sees your application, your photos and your real details. You work under a profile name, we can blur your face and cover tattoos, and nothing goes up until you've approved it. Our guide to keeping escort work private explains what clients see.
Know your rights
Sex work in Queensland has been decriminalised since 2 August 2024. You don't need a licence, workplace health and safety law applies, and consent can be withdrawn at any point. Our page on escort work laws in Queensland explains what any agency must provide.
For independent advice, Respect Inc is Queensland's sex worker organisation, with an office in Cairns, and Scarlet Alliance is the national body. A legit agency won't mind you talking to either.
Red flags to walk away from
If an agency does any of these, keep looking:
- asks you to pay to join, for photos or for advertising
- pushes you to decide or start straight away
- won't explain how pay works until after you've started
- never asks for ID
- can't tell you how clients are screened
- expects you to offer services you haven't agreed to
Ready to check us out?
Ask us any of these on the first call. The form's on our escort jobs page, or you can WhatsApp a short note and a few photos to 0468 935 776.
Still weighing up agency work against going it alone? Read agency or independent first.
