While this is not related specifically to teaching ESL or ESL students, we were very disturbed to read that there is a growing trend amongst post-secondary students to rent themselves out for “dates” with wealthy older men for money… to help cover their tuition. The website SeekingArrangement.com – which aims to connect “Sugar Babies” with “Sugar Daddies” – has seen a 42% increase in students using the site in the past year. There are 1.4 billion students worldwide advertising themselves on the site as “Sugar Babies”.
Apparently a Sugar Baby typically receives a $2600 a month “allowance”, which would clearly go a long way to cover tuition costs. The site boasts that it helps students graduate “debt free”. They don’t boast about enabling prostitution.
We can’t avoid being judgemental about this. It is completely sickening. Knowledge is power though, and hopefully it will be a power for good if more educators are aware.