Teachers turn to sugar daddy websites to pay bills
Nolah used to waitress weeknights at a chain restaurant, it was her third job she took in addition to tutoring to supplement her teaching salary.
The teacher now earns extra money from "sugar daddies" on the dating website SeekingArrangement.com.
"I can go on a date, I can have steak and lobster, be gone for three hours after my kids are already asleep and come home with $745," she told Yahoo Lifestyle.
The allowance-based dating site the Nevada teacher came across in 2018 advertises itself as “the world’s largest Sugar Daddy dating site”, where it sets people up with “mutually beneficial relationships”.
Payment is determined between the two parties and the website makes it clear it “prohibits any unlawful use of the site, including escorting, prostitution and human trafficking”.
Two users interviewed by Yahoo Lifestyle say they had sex and both women clarified this was the result of a long-term relationship that had formed.
"That is something that was built over our time together and based on chemistry and our relationship," one said.
The website reported in 2018 the average sugar baby makes an estimated $4180 monthly from their “daddies”.
Nolah, who – like several others quoted in this story – asked to be identified with a pseudonym, said she knows plenty of teachers in her area who work several jobs, but usually as ride-share drivers or bartenders.
SeekingArrangement.com offers an alternative to “unglamorous” jobs and claims they have more than 10,000 teachers cashing in out of necessity.
“I knew that I wasn’t gonna be a billionaire off of being an educator, that’s obvious but I never thought that I wouldn’t even be able to pay my basic bills,” Nolah said.
“I mean, I have a master’s degree.”
‘I was afraid it was like prostitution’
Arizona professor Lisa started her teaching career in an elementary school before deciding to pursue a PhD so she could move into a more lucrative position in academia.
She told Yahoo Lifestyle her first full-time offer after getting her degree was “a slap in the face”.
The salary wasn’t enough to make ends meet, so Lisa took on two additional jobs – working at a local college and bartending.
It was at the bar one night a few men who stopped in for a drink mentioned the website.
“I was afraid that it was like prostitution,” Lisa admitted.
She set up a profile and found older men who were mutually interested in a relationship.
“They all had money,” Lisa said.
“And they were just like, ‘I want to share what I have.’”
Lisa says her arrangements are usually long-term, meaning she often gets an “allowance” on a regular basis.
“The one guy I dated for a long time, he gave me a certain amount every week,” she said.
Nolah, on the other hand, makes her money from one-off dates where she typically accepts a certain rate.
“I have my own personal minimum that I will take for my time and that’s just me personally because that’s not worth it for me to get my hair all pretty and put clothes on and leave my house for a hundred bucks,” she said.
Another sugar baby Aleecia, who has chosen to use her real name, told Yahoo Lifestyle using the website proved so lucrative she quit her teaching job and began relying solely on paid dates before starting a job as a healthcare worker.
“The first few dates I was doing like $150 ‘cause I figured, ‘Oh they're going to pay for the food and everything’,” she explained, adding she sometimes felt weird about taking money.
“One time I went just on a date, a dinner date with a guy. He drove from Georgia to Alabama to visit me. He paid me $1500 and I was really shocked and taken back. I was like, ‘Are you sure?’”
Regardless of how much money or how often the teachers are getting paid from these dates, each explains the earnings have been crucial for maintaining their modest lifestyles.
“Even as a sugar baby, I don’t ask for Prada purses or Gucci shoes,” Nolah said.
“I’ve really only used the money to take care of my children and take care of my basic needs.”
As for each educator’s openness about her occupation and her reasons for joining the site, all say they’re honest with the men they date.
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