Webcam Job

I’d just read an article on the Beebs titled: ‘Disgust’ at nude webcam job ads. The article goes on to say many things about the job ad. Although it tries to be as impartial as possible, most of the comments came from an evidently disgusted person who spotted the ad in the first place.

The ad says:

Looking for adults aged 18+ for immediate start either from home or from employer site in Mitcham, Surrey. Guaranteed minimum wages per four hour shift. Duties require the successful applicant to be nude/semi-nude. Vacancy not suitable for under-18s. Please note that there is no obligation to consider making an application for this vacancy.

Personally, I don’t think that there’s anything wrong with the ad. Some people may argue that it’s exploitative and I’ll just point out to them that every ‘job’, by definition, is exploitative. Even stocking shelves in a grocery store, is exploitative. The only question is whether or not you are being paid well enough for your troubles because, in the end, all jobs are about trading your life for money.

In this case they are paying £10 an hour with 50% commission. Considering that minimum wage is £5.52 an hour, that, to me, is not at all exploitative. They are earning almost double the minimum wage in addition to a 50% commission. Considering that you get £10 for doing nothing but look nice on a low resolution webcam, it’s certainly pays better than stocking shelves in any store.

In fact, I would even go further and say that it pays better than most jobs on the market as I don’t know of many services that bill their clients by the minute. So, you can easily chalk up a bulk of earnings through commission, if you are any good at the job. Just like any other job, clients should be lining up in droves to engage in the services provided if you are.

Working hours are probably flexible as well, considering that this is an Internet job, without any borders. It is always a cold and lonely night, somewhere in this world. Hence, the advert called for someone willing to work in shifts. Even doing this part time, could easily rake someone more than £100 (pay + commission) per day. Even banking/consulting jobs don’t pay as much. Now, that’s putting things in perspective.

The only people who have trouble with these kinds of jobs are the people with a ‘holier than thou’ attitude. These people might think that it’s unclean to be engaged in this kind of industry. These ‘holy’ people need to have their brains cleansed. As long as the employer provides for a suitably hygienic working environment and tools, as provided for under OSH rules, you cannot fault them for anything else.

You make use of whatever skills and assets that you have, and provide a service that someone needs. The employer would probably provide some minimal training, such as in how to work the equipment. And in return, you get paid a certain amount of money for your time and efforts. Once you look at things like that, you’ll realise that it is no different from any other job.

That is also the view taken by the JobCentre agency. According to their spokes person:

These vacancies make up less than 0.016% of all vacancies advertised by Jobcentre Plus. Jobcentre Plus has a duty to advertise any legal job. We have a range of measures in place to safeguard jobseekers wishing to work in the adult entertainment industry.

So there you have it. Everything is done in accordance to the law. There are even procedures in place to protect minors from entering into this industry. So, as long as there is a demand for webcam operators, there will be a supply of them. And as long as the companies pay them well, there will be a constant stream of people working in this industry.

PS: Makes you wonder about the state of the Internet, doesn’t it? There must be some truth to the belief that the adult industry is the largest industry on the Net.

What do you think?