How to Become a Successful Escort? Veteran Paul Stag Provides Answers with New Book

Paul Stag had no intention of becoming a sex worker. But one night while working security at a London club, "a guy basically offered me £300 to suck me off," he explained to Pink News recently. "When [the other security guard] came back, I went around the side, did it, and basically thought: 'Shit, that's easy money'."

It was the start of a successful, 20 year career that made him one of the U.K.'s best-known escorts. Amongst his famous clients was the late George Michael. Stag also has been a porn actor and a journalist. The latter career meme led him to write about his escorting experiences with hopes to inform and guide a new generation of sex workers with his book, "The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Successful Escort."

Escorting, he explained to Pink News, is one of the easiest industries to get into – but that doesn't mean the day-to-day is always easy.

"You get huge highs, you get huge lows," he explained. What he learned early on is that it can be a frustrating experience, especially with clients that had him travel across London only to have him arrive at a fake address. "Stuff like that. You get better at spotting that over time but you never get completely used to it."

But, he adds, the upside can be very gratifying. "You get to have a fantastic time. It is easy money if your phone is going and you're getting it right. It's a couple of hundred pounds for one hour... It's a great way to make money. That's why a lot of people do it, to get through college or help get on to the housing ladder."

Nor does Stag see the profession having an age ceiling. "Nowadays there's no real age factor. It's not a question of only blokes under 28 can escort, now some of the biggest and best escorts are in their fifties, so it is for everybody."

But, he added, to be successful, it isn't just about the sex. It is also about the experience. Having a good personality helps and a willingness to open up to clients. ""It's providing a service, a professional service. It is a business, it is an industry, you are a worker, and as with any other industry, drugs, drink, all of these things, they don't work. Journalists can't go and get pissed and high then go into the office and think: 'Now I'm going to write a nice essay'."

And it isn't easy, especially during gigs when he's not altogether feeling it.

Stag noted that the escorting landscape has changed with the advent of OnlyFans and JustForFans as individuals can reach millions of followers without leaving their home. "These guys pick who they want to have sex with, they film it on their phones, stick it up there and try to get people to pay 10 bucks a month. If you can make money by having sex with people you are picking and you are fancying, why escort? With escorting, you don't pick and choose. Back in the old days, you didn't even know what the guy looked like."

In one case, Stag had a very famous client, but he had no idea who he was for their first three years of seeing each other. That was George Michael, whom Stag first began seeing in the 1980s in a relationship that lasted for about a decade.

"George was a fantastic guy. Haven't got a single bad word to say about him... I was his regular escort for about 10 years solidly. In that time, he was still in relationships but as often happens, [he wanted] something extra on the side or something he couldn't get."

Stag explained the reason he didn't recognize Michael. "We had sex many, many times, but I had no idea who he was for the first three years because he wore a balaclava. He always came to my place. Then, one day, he took the balaclava off and you get that mouth-drop moment."

Michael said to him: "Oh, I thought you'd guess[ed]." But for Stag the disguise worked. "Not a clue. He put on a very strong Scottish accent and said he owned a building company, why would I presume otherwise? Well done, George!"

Over the decade they saw each other, they became closer. ""We talked about music, about football. Arsenal was his team, Chelsea was my team. We talked about his various records, his friendships with all the people he knew, the people who he liked and who he didn't in the industry. A lot more than what you'd expect from an escort, which is the carnal side of it...

"I was aware that sometimes he probably did just want company, somebody to shoot the breeze with."

He added: "But that's the point of escorting, you can meet people like that. You can meet people like Premier League footballers, top sports stars, Hollywood stars. As I say, there is no qualification to get into the industry."

For more information on Paul Stag,visit his X account.

For more information on "The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Successful Escort," follow this link.