I remember reading somewhere not too long ago that on some of the biggest job sites on the web, positions for cam girls were one of the most common listings.

I immediately winced at that, because I knew what it meant – and I knew that lots of women thinking about getting into camming for the first time wouldn’t. Cam girl jobs don’t pay a set hourly rate or give you a schedule to follow (you have to do that yourself). It’s a business, not employment. Those posts must be ads for webcam studios.

Understanding webcam studios is pretty important for newcomers to the industry. So let me explain what these outfits are, how they work, and why listings for them on job sites bother me (and should probably bother you too).

Webcam studios come in two major flavors: Physical, and virtual. Of the two, my opinion of physical studios is much higher, because those guys are providing an important service that many girls desperately need. We’re talking about people who literally wouldn’t be able to do this work without them.

Physical Webcam Studio Jobs for Cam Girls

See, if you’re a cam girl, physical webcam studios give you a place to go, and make it possible for you to do something constructive when you get there. They offer a safe, private area for you to broadcast on a cam site, and they provide computers with webcams and an internet connection. The better ones will offer higher-quality equipment (like high-definition cameras), and even toys for you to play with to make your shows better.

More: Top 5 Reasons To Be a Cam Girl

 

This is super important, because cam girls tend to be young adults, and young adults very often don’t have the luxury of their own private residence. They might still live at home with their parents, or with a roommate who isn’t down with the whole camming thing or likes to bring friends over.

In eastern Europe especially, where a lot of cam girls come from, it’s extremely common for women in their 20s to be sharing a relatively small apartment with others to ease the rent. Strippin’ down and gettin’ dirty for the camera isn’t exactly a realistic option in those cribs. But in a webcam studio designed for it, it is.

In many poorer countries, camming from home as a webcam model is simply not on the menu. Studios can really help in those situations.

 

Of course, those physical studios take a percentage of a webcam model’s earnings as compensation. Usually that’s in the 30% – 35% range, but it can go as high as 50%. And that sucks, but of course they deserve something. They’re the ones who have to pay for all those facilities and other services they’re offering, without which (again) there would be a lot fewer cam girl jobs.

Virtual Studio Jobs – Should Cam Girls Avoid Them?

Then there are virtual webcam studios, which don’t do any of that. They don’t own a location where you can broadcast from, they won’t give you a computer to use, and they don’t offer you an internet connection.

If you’re signed up with a virtual outfit, your camming career is going to be much the same as it would be without them: You’ll be performing from home, using your own equipment and paying for everything yourself. Oh, they’ll still take a cut of your earnings, though, even if it’s likely to be much lower (like in the 10% – 15% range).

Whenever you consider signing up with a studio, physical or virtual, always pay attention to the revenue percentage they take from your earnings. It’s often way more than is justified.

 

If you’re wondering what virtual webcam studios offer you, you’re not alone. A lot of seasoned cam girls can’t figure it out, either. The idea is that they provide essential services that even a physical studio typically doesn’t offer, such as guidance from experienced mentors, training courses, and promotion of your brand on social media to draw in more viewers.

The reality, though, is that many of these virtual webcam studios promise you the moon, and deliver a big hunk of stinky cheese. Actually, not even that; at least stinky cheese can be useful for playing pranks on your friends. These guys literally don’t do anything, at all. Now don’t forget to pay them.

The reason that most models tied up in cam girl jobs with them tolerate this crap is heartbreaking: They literally don’t know any better.

Often, listings like those I was talking about in the first paragraph are their first exposure to “applying” for this industry, long before they ever see Chaturbate’s broadcaster sign-up page. They think this is just how the business works, and you can bet your nips the virtual studios aren’t in a hurry to correct them.

You can Sign Up as a Cam Girl directly here…

 

Webcam Modeling – A Business, Not a Job

So, we’ve got physical webcam studios, which take a painful chunk of your revenue but offer important services and facilities in exchange, and the virtual guys, who…are pretty much mosquitoes. Why am I so bothered by even the physical studios advertising for those who really need them?

Because in the end, a webcam studio shouldn’t be coming to you. Hearing from the virtuals will never help you, and if you have a use for the physicals, no one knows better than you that you need a place to broadcast from other than where you live. From there, it’s not hard to learn (or even just figure out) that studios exist, and then YOU can go about seeking the right one.

Because they’re not all created equal. You want a location that’s not too far from your home, not in a seedy or dangerous part of town, and preferably, that offers good-quality gear for you to use. You also want one that isn’t gonna bleed you dry with its take; try to keep their share to no more than 35% if at all possible. In any case, this isn’t a decision you should make based on who had the jazziest ad on Monster.

Alright, now let me take a moment to admit I’m not being entirely fair, and reign myself in a bit. I shouldn’t imply that every single last virtual webcam studio is a parasite that’s just there to take your money. Many of them, definitely. Maybe even most. But I HAVE heard of virtual outfits that really do offer some valuable help to new cam girls.

While there are some virtual webcam studios that offer legit help to new cam girls, most won’t offer you much.

 

Succeeding in camming isn’t complicated, but it does take work and many newcomers can easily feel overwhelmed by all that they have to do. Too often, that translates into newbies simply NOT doing all they have to do, which leads to failure.

If you don’t know how to promote yourself on Twitter and Snapchat, you probably won’t make use of those important social media outlets. And in the webcam world of today, that’s fatal. A virtual webcam studio that DOES know how to use these sites, and does so for you without robbing you blind, could very well be saving your booty.

In the end, though, I say that anyone can do this job right from day 1 if they do their homework. I learned everything I needed to know myself and with the (free) help of my fellow cam girls, and I ain’t special. I think that new webcam models who feel absolutely certain they need the costly help of a virtual studio are just feeling intimidated by the unknown, and their fear is leading them into unnecessary decisions.

So by all means, if you need a physical studio, find and use one. But don’t fall into the trap of the virtual outfits, unless you know for sure the one you have in mind is worth it. With a little research and help from other webcam models, you can just sign up directly at a cam site and do great!

If you need a complete guide to becoming a cam girl, check out my free tips here!