Hands On Pro

Free professional development classes for sex workers

 October 21 – December 3 2015

Hands On Pro consists of a series of weekly workshops aimed at sex workers wanting to learn or develop relevant skills.

We’re offering workshops on TAXES and SELF EMPLOYMENT, WEB-DESIGN and SECURITY, BDSM, MASSAGE, MARKETING and WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT, SELF DEFENCE, MAKE UP and IMAGE EDITING.

Registration and location:

Email handsonclasses@gmail.com

or text 07914703372.

PROGRAMME

Professional Submission Skillshare

November 4 @ 6:30pm-8:30pm

Instructor: Toni

Toni will lead a workshop around safety in the practice of professional submission. This workshop will be structured to facilitate the sharing of information by other attendees who also work as submissives, and so the session will be a skill-sharing opportunity. The workshop will be two hours long, and will run twice. Topics will include: implement usage, pain management, marketing, client negotiation skills, safewords &boundaries, self care and more.

Web Design

Thursdays October 29 , November 12, November 19 & December 3 @ 10am-12 noon

Instructor: Caroline
This course will introduce you to WordPress and how you can use it to design as well as content manage websites. You will learn how to write basic HTML as well as choose, publish and manage targeted content. It is aimed at enabling sex workers to make a portfolio website using the popular framework WordPress. The workshops do not involve any coding or using speciality software, rather, we will learn to use WordPress themes to set up and customise the look and feel of the site. It aims at giving sex workers the tools to create their own presence online, and the confidence to maintain and decide both the content and appearance of their site.

BDSM Top skills

Thursdays October 29 , November 12 & December 3 @ 12 noon-2pm

Instructor: Isabel

Basic techniques in theory and practice; how to do it safe, sane and consensual.

Learn how to use your body when flogging or caning. Learn the simple principles of rope. Learn improvisation techniques for one-on-one role play as well as Double Domme. Scenarios include: prisoner-guard, dog-mistress, doctor-patient, teacher- student, forced feminisation. Do less and be in the moment to access your creativity. Learn about anal play. Find out what an electrical stimulation device does, and even try it out on yourself if you are brave enough. You will receive a list of literature, skill-shares, munches, meet-ups and play-parties.

Each of the 3 lessons stand on their own. All lessons contain basic information about negotiation and safety as well as manual techniques and role play exercises. The theory is kept to a minimum. At least half of the time will be spent on practical exercises in pairs or groups.

Some instruments will be provided, but in order to make sure there is enough to go around, please try and bring your own:

Lesson 1 – rope and restraints

Lesson 2- a wig and high heels

Lesson 3 – a cane, a paddle & school play props.

Phones must be switched off. There is a break after the first hour. Please Let the teacher know before the class if you have any impairments or special requirements.

Beginner Level SEO and Website Marketing

Thursdays October 29, November 12 & December 3 @ 2:30pm-4:30pm.

Instructor: Annie
Learn the foundations of SEO, or search engine optimisation, and online
marketing to help your website get found in the search engines and to
build your online presence. You will be walked through the basics, step by
step from the ground up. Learn the overview of how SEO works and specific
things you can do to help your site. It would be very helpful to bring
your laptop.

Image Editing

Wednesday November 11 @ 4pm-6:00pm

Instructor: Pennie

Photo editing basics: how to make your pictures work better.

In this workshop Pennie will teach the basics of editing your pictures. Starting from importing the pictures to your computer, then editing them in Photoshop. We will go through cropping, resizing, adjusting colour and brightness, how to get rid of spots/make small corrections, plus a few tips on how to make them look slicker.

Please bring:

Your laptop with Photoshop installed

A picture you want to use.

Massage Workshop

Wednesday November 18 3:30pm-6:30pm

Instructor: David

Come and participate in a friendly skill-sharing massage workshop with other sex workers, learn proper massage skills that will make you just that little bit extra special to your clients and your lovers.

I have been a massage therapist and sensual masseur in London for over 6 years and will show you basic but essential techniques that you’ll be able to use at work. We will have a quick look at the muscle system but the workshop will mostly be hands on and we will learn to give a good back massage by practising on each other. Please bring a towel or 2, oil and mats will be provided.

Make Up Skills

Thursday November 26 10am-12 noon

Instructor: Chiqui – Cancelled!!!

Learn how to use make-up for work. In this workshop we will learn how to apply make up effectively to suite desired persona, looks and styles. From techniques to put your default face on in the most time and budget efficient way, through make up and accessories for especially dramatic roles and performances.

The latter will include gadgets such as false eye-lashes, wigs and possibly even glitter.

The make up skills workshops is a useful tool for these who find any or work specific make up a bit of a puzzle, non gender binary workers, workers offering ‘feminisation’ services, workers performing a wide variety of roles on stage, on camera or in person, and for any workers who fancy picking up some handy tips from a mistress of the craft.

Please bring your own make up, eye lashes and wigs.

Kick Ass Self Defence

Thursdays November 19 & November 26 @ 12 noon-2pm

Instructor: Tony

A 2 part workshop designed to give you some tools to handle worst case scenarios with clients. While we do our best to avoid violent situations, you never know, and it’s better to come prepared. No one can gain super natural powers in the course of 2 sessions, but you will learn the basics of self defence in real-life context. Ways to use the attacker’s own strength, weight, and stupidity, and some handy body language clues and cues. This workshop is about having a few tricks up your sleeve when put in a tight corner, methods of defusing a potentially dangerous interaction, and first and for most, techniques that will help you to get the hell out of there.

Workshop 1
(A) Brake falls: How to fall safely
(B) Avoidance /posture
(C) Blocking.

Workshop 2
(A) Avoid
(B) Block
(C) Counter.

Marketing Tactics

Thursday November 19 @ 5pm-7pm

Instructor: Princess

Working in dependently means you have more choice with how you are portrayed, and therefore who you attract. With different subject positionings and other individual factors we will each have different levels of quantity of enquiries. But the way we market ourselves is also one of the factors that strongly influences how well you do, the quality and quantity of clients. 

Self Marketing can be extremely energy and time consuming, not to mention psychologically and emotionally draining. Workers accustomed to more mediated settings, or experienced workers faced with the death of the plain old paper advertisements may find adjusting to online promotional tactics pretty baffling. This workshop is designed to guide us through contemporary marketing strategies and share as a group any tips, tools and tricks of the trade.

Tax Pro Tools

Thursdays November 19 & November 26 @ 2:30pm -4:30pm

Instructor: Richard

How to put yourself in the best position possible when dealing with the tax

authorities.

This workshop discussion is led by Richard Thomas who has a small but growing portfolio of Private Self Assessment Clients who are Adult Industry Service Providers.

Topics to be discussed will include:

Making the decision to register with the tax authorities.

Annual deadlines

Record keeping and filing, what is expected and do-it-yourself guidance

What expenses can be claimed

Understanding your financial goals.

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More info on: https://handsonpro.wordpress.com

Hands On Pro is open to anyone who does sex work, and to all genders, ethnicities and abilities. The classes aim to be a safe and confidential space where sex workers can learn new skills and meet peers.

Please note that the classes are a SEX WORKER ONLY SPACE.

Hands On Pro is organised in the interest of community information and security and is not intended to induce any individual to seek employment in the sex industry.