Onyfans and working in the TEFL industry, anxiety about money

[Funkitten]

Hello there, I am new and needed an SW-positive environment to discuss this topic. I'm 23 years old (girl) and began selling content online in 2020 while struggling with mental health issues. I was in a rough spot and heard that selling content was an option without putting my safety at risk, I wanted to do something to change my life after struggling for so long...

I had sexted before just for fun so I knew I enjoyed it, after a while I started making consistent money selling videos, photos, and sexting or cam sessions privately or panties so I moved abroad for a few months to improve my English. I went back home to focus on finishing my degree and now I'm pretty much done (Bachelor's degree). In around 2021, I learned about the TEFL industry (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and thought it would be something I could do. Abroad I did a course and I currently have a C1 Cambridge Advanced certificate but I scored around C2 in speaking (I'm a non-native speaker with a European passport).


I figured out that having a SW past isn't good if you want to work as a teacher but I am interested in working in a foreign country and my profile online is rather low, I don't show my face in public stuff only in private sessions (not videos), I have never been doxxed or had stuff leaked but my Reddit content comes up if I google my Reddit username (nothing tied to my real name though). I have never streamed on camming sites though.

My dream was to get a CELTA/TEFL somewhere in Southeast Asia and then find a TEFL job, which I know has low pay for a non-native (I was thinking of Thailand but some say the cost of living is low so the pay is enough). The problem is that after some research is...porn is illegal in pretty much all SEA, especially Thailand. Some people, including tourists, have been arrested for sex stuff recorded on cam, etc, or famous cam girls, despite the sex trade being huge in Thailand.

I was focused on traveling in general to SEA and it's something I have been wanting to do since 2021 and had to postpone due to personal stuff and the pandemic, now I don't know anymore...I could try getting the certificate and try living off my normal pay but the problem is that I have never worked a "normal" job before and not having this as a backup for money makes me anxious because I would be moving alone. I have some savings though but I still feel a bit paranoid.

I was told Southeast Asia has strict rules and risking it is not worth it because you may end up in prison or heavily fined or deported, other people told me if I don't tell anyone what I am doing and use a VPN and keep a low profile I should be good. I don't play on making sex tapes or streaming on big cam sites but mostly sell private content which is still porn.

If I got arrested my criminal record would be tainted and it would be even harder to find a TEFL job so...some told me to try other places like Brazil where it is all legal and nobody cares but I'm not too familiar with it as a whole. I considered starting from Thailand and see if I can manage and only sell online strictly if needed...I don't know.

My backup plan is somewhere else in Europe like Spain but the pay is low with a high cost of living (no problem with my online business though).

Am I screwed or do I have options? I have been fixating on working in the TEFL industry since I found out what it is but I don't know...All of Southeast Asia is not porn friendly including Indonesia and Vietnam (which I really wanna see and travel through), some reinforce it more than others.

I could save as much as I can until I leave but is SEA out of the question? I have been told people cammed there just fine and weren't caught but again, jail doesn't sound fun

 

[Lilly_____]

I'm having a bit of a hard time understanding what exactly your question is but I'll comment on what I can.

I was a teacher/tutor of ESL/EFL for years before starting sex work. For some periods I did both at the same time. The easiest way to do this nowadays is actually very similar to camming. Find a platform that you like and you can post a profile for students to find you. On most platforms you can go live on the very site for your lessons with a whiteboard and all.

I would do this for a while before thinking about a certificate. I did this for years (6+) and never needed one as a self employed tutor. Some schools require them but I'd just avoid them at first until you're sure this is what you want.

Brazil is very sexy work friendly (in terms of law, not stigma-wise) but the best schools will pay you $10 an hour for lessons, that's the most you'll get. Average is, I kid you not, $3.50. So being self employed is a must. And since it is, I don't see why you can't teach online from wherever you are.

 

[Funkitten]

I'm having a bit of a hard time understanding what exactly your question is but I'll comment on what I can.

I was a teacher/tutor of ESL/EFL for years before starting sex work. For some periods I did both at the same time. The easiest way to do this nowadays is actually very similar to camming. Find a platform that you like and you can post a profile for students to find you. On most platforms you can go live on the very site for your lessons with a whiteboard and all.

I would do this for a while before thinking about a certificate. I did this for years (6+) and never needed one as a self employed tutor. Some schools require them but I'd just avoid them at first until you're sure this is what you want.

Brazil is very sexy work friendly (in terms of law, not stigma-wise) but the best schools will pay you $10 an hour for lessons, that's the most you'll get. Average is, I kid you not, $3.50. So being self employed is a must. And since it is, I don't see why you can't teach online from wherever you are.

My question was in general if I have decent options in the market despite being a non native, SW past etc, in some cases it is not worth it if someone doesn't have a strong passport, no degree, etc

Can you do this without the certificate? Just being a good level of English? I hate where I live and this is why I want to move, Italy is getting more and more expensive and has shit salaries, plus I want to try something new...

I would prefer teaching in person as I am tired of being in front of a screen lol My degree is also online and I spend too much time in front of my phone or laptop to promote so I wanna work in person and add some extra tutoring if needed online or in person privately.

 

[Lilly_____]

I just think you're young and wanting to do a lot of changes at once. Take it slow and take one step at a time. Moving form Italy to South America or Asia has a huge cultural impact, these are hard places to live, life is hard, places aren't clean, public transportation is shitty, it's hard to find a hospital. There are so many details that are easy to forget. It's easy to think things will be easy somewhere else but all the places you mentioned have way shittier quality of life than Italy.

It's not my place I guess but since you came looking for advice, it seems to me that you want to leave your country at all costs and that's when we make bad choices. You will still be you, but in another (shittier) country.