What is your background? What other jobs have you held?

I have worked in bars and pubs, for a job-network provider for a few years in a senior administration role, and as a medical receptionist. I finished high school and have done various TAFE courses.

Can you explain to me how you got into sex work?

I was young and silly with credit card debt and hire-purchase. I ended up with debt collectors calling constantly. There was no way I could make the money I needed in a short space of time. I thought I would try sex work just for a short time to stop the debt collection calls. Then I found I really enjoyed the work.

How long have you been involved in sex work? What age did you start? How old are you now?

Four years. I started when I was 22. I am 26.

How easy was it to make the choice to enter the industry?

I needed to take control of my debts. Like starting anything new, I was nervous, but I had to stop the phone calls and letters from debt collectors.

How many clients do you think you have seen since you became a sex worker?

I am not sure.

Is it a career for you, or a job before you decide on a career?

It is a job. I will keep doing it until I stop enjoying it.

How are you different from media stereotypes and representations of sex workers (those portrayals of once-physically or sexually abused women, drug addicts etc.)?

I am not a drug-taker but I drink alcohol. I had a pretty boring childhood. There were the usual teenage arguments with parents, feeling awkward at high school. It was a pretty normal existence.

What do you think about those stereotypes?

I try not to think about them as I find it upsetting that people choose to judge me when they don't know me.

What are your thoughts on the Pretty Woman syndrome; that assumption that women are vulnerable and need to be saved from sex work?

I don't think your paper will print the words I want to say to them.

Where do you conduct your work from? Can you describe the setting?

I have a work flat. It's a small bedsit that is warm and discreet.

How do you go about having sex with somebody that you don't want to?

You can find something nice in everybody. (When it is) more difficult than usual, you remind yourself it won't take long. When I worked in bars, it was no different - some customers you really liked, others would make your shift endless.

Do you have a husband or partner? What do they think of the work you do?

I have a partner interstate. We don't talk too much about what I do but he understands my choices and respects them.

Does your family, or friends outside the profession, know the work that you do?

No, no one knows, which can be isolating.

How are you treated by clients?

Clients are normally really nice; they are often nervous and a bit awkward. Sometimes they just want affection and cuddles, other times they want to quickly have sex on their lunch break.

How can you describe your clients? How different are they to the media stereotypes and representations of ``creepy'' or damaged individuals?

They are completely different from the stereotype, particularly this talk about men being perpetrators and violent. It's crap.

Do you see them outside appointments, say passing on the street? Has that ever happened?

A few times, but because I have wanted to. One client who's a real estate agent helped me when I was buying my house and my work flat. Another client is a dentist who saw me as a patient.

What was that interaction like?

Like any job, mixing outside a work setting can be problematic but I don't worry too much.

What is the sex work scene like in Tasmania? How well are you supported?

Illegal brothels make it hard to make work friends. There is a Scarlet Alliance office in Hobart and they travel north a fair bit. I wish they had someone up here but I guess the government isn't going to give money to fully fund them - not good for votes.

What remains particularly difficult in conducting your profession in Tasmania?

I would like to do brothel work sometimes. I wanted to renovate my work flat recently, but that means not working, plus I like to meet some other workers for debrief.