sexual knowledge

We all know what a phone sex service does. We know why people call there. But how much do we know about what the girls on the other end of the line have to deal with?

Finding yourself

“Hi, my name is Amandali, I am 28 years old. I grew up in Kentucky and lived in the Midwest until I was 24. Then I moved to New York. After living there for three years, I realized that I love this city.

Now I am a writer, editor, designer, blogger and owner of an online store. How do I like to spend my time? I love to write, walk the dogs, take pictures, dance and chat with friends.

Like most twenty-somethings who spontaneously move to New York with no money management skills or real work experience, I found myself broke. I was engaged in painting and sculpture, moonlighting as a proofreader - they paid well, but there was little work. I had to look for something that would help patch holes in the budget.

I came across the ad while browsing Craigslist and decided to give it a try. The interview was not so formal - I came, they talked to me about the work. Then there was a training, and then an “audition” – I made a couple of calls to the manager, who listened to me and gave me feedback. In other words, getting this job was easy.

Work days

My shifts lasted from two to nine hours. My usual schedule consisted of two night shifts, one weekend day shift, and a couple of two to three hour shifts here and there. But there were also women in the service who worked on the phones almost around the clock. If I needed extra money, I could ask for a couple more shifts in my schedule. I had regular breaks during which I would run downstairs, buy sandwiches at the convenience store, and walk around the block.

Our office looked like a regular call center. We had booths, tables and lockers. There were vending machines and coffee in the break room. There was no dress code, we could wear whatever we wanted. So the girls who worked the night shift kept their pajamas and yoga pants in their lockers.

Nearly 100 percent of the time I was on the phone or waiting for a call, I was working on something else. I had my computer, I wrote something, knitted, read. That was the privilege of this job.

My colleagues were of different ages, races and backgrounds. I don't know how long they've been doing this, but most of them had other jobs as well. There were actresses, designers, students. One girl brought her iPod and listened to foreign language lessons. Many of them were doing something for their main job right there.

Some women who have worked with me have been embarrassed to admit to their friends and family that they work in phone sex. The management said that if anyone in the building or nearby asked what we were doing, they should have said that we were call center workers. But it was impossible to specify what kind of calls we receive.

I didn't get much. When I was accepted, I was faced with a choice - a fixed hourly rate or a lower hourly rate plus a per-minute commission. I chose the second. But even the fixed hourly pay was less than what I usually get as a model ($12 to $16 an hour). I definitely didn't do it for the money, and as soon as I got more work as a proofreader, I left. If the pay had been higher, I might have stayed.

Ins and outs of clients

The clients were different. Some of the callers seemed to dial us just to hear a female voice before orgasm. I would say that a good forty percent of my calls were thirty-seconds from guys on the verge of orgasm. Some called to hear specific plot scenarios - a barely legal girl, a girl with big breasts. Many wanted to talk about vanilla (soft) sex. Although many, perhaps, also added a good ten centimeters to the length of their penis.

Erotic magazines lay around us, we could look at them for inspiration, so that it would be easier to navigate in the world of erotic fantasies. Women's wrestling, pantyhose... Although, I think it was easier when you let the caller take the lead and ask him leading questions.

For all the time I had only two female clients. The first one was clearly uncomfortable and hung up after a minute or so. The second was clearly a college student in age. She seemed to be surrounded by other giggling girls. They asked me about my work: “Do you really get an orgasm from every call? Do you get it at all? How old are you, really?"

And there were four regular customers. They had something in common - for about an hour they talked to me about everything except sex, and then moved on to vulgarities. I don't know if these guys were so lonely, but they liked talking to me, so I helped them fill the void in their lives.

Almost all calls ended with the caller experiencing an orgasm and hanging up. It is unlikely that any of them bothered to say “thank you” to me. But I'm not offended, it's funny.

Memories and side effects

Most memorable calls? Jesus... There were calls that I had to stop myself, because the callers began to discuss illegal things. There was a guy who wanted me to play the role of a minor. There was someone who wanted to talk about incest - I then told the manager about it. I don't know what they do in such cases, but I hope they have notified higher authorities. I almost quit and was very angry.

Strange, but the work did not affect my attitude towards men. I didn't feel like a sex worker, I just answered the phone. And sex workers themselves always emphasize that they are simply providing a service to the client.

I think because I was anonymous, I knew that none of the clients would harm me and would never find out on the street. I was no different from a sex toy or an interactive site. I did what I could stand, got paid and worked in comfort and safety - I didn't ask for more.

Yes, and I could keep everything a secret from my friends, as others did - I would say that I work in a call center and that's it. I didn't talk about sex most of the time anyway—callers would take over, and all I had to do was fill in the blanks and be the nice, faceless chick on the other end of the line. Of course, if I was physically close to the guy, everything would be different.

I'm definitely glad I had this experience. All the people in the office were kind and helpful. Would I do it again? Not sure. The salary was really small, I can find another part-time job that is more profitable. But if I had to, I would do it again.”