A woman says she saw "up to 16" clients a day when she worked in a brothel - but now she earns £300 an hour as an self-employed sex worker. "

Jade Blair, 26, stopped working in retail and started sex work because she wanted to save up for a house while studying part-time at university.

She worked 16 hours shifts, seeing up to 16 clients a day, and earned up to £900 a day, but left after three years to work for herself on OnlyFans.

Now, she earns £3k a month on the platform, and charges a fixed hourly rate of £300 for a ‘set menu’ of sexual services, working four hours a day.

Jade, from Brisbane, Australia, said: "I decided to go into sex work because I love sex - it’s amazing, I can be my own boss, set my own hours, and I don’t even have to wear pants while I’m working. "

"Being a retail manager was fine - but I can’t say I was passionate about it. I wanted to earn a little more income."

Jade was working as a full-time manager in a shop when she decided to work in an industry she felt more enthusiastic about, while studying politics at university.

She liked her job - but could only just scrape by on minimum wage, and wanted to find a side hustle.

While brainstorming other career paths, she realised she enjoyed sex - and would be able to make money from it.

She said: "I was saving for a house, and I saw a mortgage advisor. He told me there was no way I’d be able to afford a deposit as a single person working minimum wage. After tax, I was earning £300 a week. "

"I wanted a side hustle at first and I wanted it to be kind of fun - I was already working in retail, I wanted to do something I actually enjoyed. "

"I researched different options and made a little list - I considered dog walking, and I even looked into becoming a professional wine and chocolate taster. "

"Then I realised - I love sex, I enjoy it - and it’s legal in Queensland. So I went for it."

Jade applied to a brothel for full-time work - and was invited for an interview.

The process was very relaxed, and all she needed to do was send some photos of herself, pass an STI test and answer a questionnaire about her wellbeing.

She was then shown the ropes - including how to introduce herself to a client, which room to lead her in, and the rates she’d be charging for different acts.

"I was picked on my first shift," she added. "The client would introduce themselves, and we’d go into a room. "

"I hadn’t had any experience in the sex industry before - just a couple of one-night stands. So I had a lot of butterflies in my tummy that first time!"

"I didn’t think I’d get picked straight away - my first client was really nice, really gentlemanly. Usually in brothels we charge a fixed rate of £62 for a massage, full intercourse with a condom and oral sex with a condom, lasting an hour. "

"Anything extra - like the ‘girlfriend experience’ - is another £26 in tips."

But Jade wasn’t happy with the money she was making at the brothel, with the establishment taking half of her pay - despite the fact she was working up to 16 hours, seeing one client per hour.

She said: "I felt a bit exploited, to be honest. I did choose to do double-shifts, but I found it a bit strenuous. I was exercising muscles I hadn’t ever used before. "

"But the managers, support staff and the other women were so lovely - they helped me create boundaries and test out my small talk. They were phenomenal. "

"In reality though, I should’ve left after six months. But I was 19, and very new to the world of sex work."

In December 2020, after three years working at the brothel, Jade decided to go self-employed and spent £1.4k setting up her business.

"I spent so much money on professional photos, a website, a new phone, VPNs to keep myself safe - and the ‘uniform’ of sex workers, which is lingerie designed by Honey Birdette. That’s what you need to wear to show you’re serious. "

"It sucks I had to pay that much, but I want to be able to control my own image - I want to control the type of clients I attract. "

"Now, my main clientele includes doctors, real estate agents, working professionals and business owners, as well as retirees over 70."

She charges five times the money per hour than she earnt at the brothel - and since March 2023, has been supplementing her income with OnlyFans.

Jade added: "I started OnlyFans this year which has taken over as my main source of income. It was hard going to begin with, but now I’m earning between £1.5k and £3k a month. "

"I put a lot of time into it - and it hasn’t been a ‘get rich quick’ scheme. But it’s so nice not having to beg for £26 increments of ‘will you kiss me? Will you go down on me?’ "

"It also means all my interactions with clients are much nicer, and so much more natural."

"I’d love to continue doing this for the foreseeable future, alongside my activism for decriminalising sex work - over 50s content creators make the most money!"