Hey man I definitely understand where you are coming from.  I am somewhat new but had some very good luck over the past year.  My suggestion is to start with providers that specifically mention they are "newbie friendly".  This will entail you providing some verification materials like occupation, copy of business card, Linkedin profile, etc.   I was nervous with giving this info so I made sure my first encounter was with a well reviewed provider.  After you get a few of those under your belt you shouldn't have any problems.

The best advice, in addition to using a screen service, is to put up a notice on your local board that you are looking for a newbie friendly provider, and see if that way you can finally hook up with someone who can then serve as your reference

Find someone who's "newbie friendly" on P411. Unless you live in some Twilight Zone, they won't all be "bottom-shelf," ripoff artists , or undercover cops. My first go was with a girl who had, like, 50 reviews on TER and an "8" rating. If I can do it, you can do it.

A couple of pointers: if you're worried about them being busy, make your appointment well in advance. Watch what you say. Don't start your email with, "Hey, baby, you give Greek lessons?" Read reviews to see which ones are reliable, and which ones are good to first timers.

Just in case you are so new to P411 that you are having trouble using its advanced search function to find newbie-friendly providers, here is a step by step:  In P411, from the Home screen, go down a bit under Search Listings, hit the "Advanced Search Options" blue hyperlink that is under the "Search Listings" button.  Use the next screen to select whatever criteria you have such as geography, physical attributes, desired menu items, etc.  Then, towards the bottom you will find the "Provider Willing to Visit" field.  In that field, use the drop-down menu to select "Newbie Friendly."  Click on "Search Providers" and you will get a list of newbie-friendly providers that meet your criteria.  Voila!

Once you get 1-2 "Okays" in P411, you will probably be all set, assuming you are in a geography where P411 is prevalent.  (There are some P411 "dead zones."  RS2K is popular in the Midwest and Date-Check is popular in some other areas.)

Some providers may accept you as a newbie just because you have a P411 profile set up, even though you don't have any OKs yet.  Others may require a bit of personal info for a newbie.  You may need to suck it up and give out some personal info to the first couple of providers to get established as a client.  Most girls will set out on their website what they require for screening, so you can save yourself a lot of time by reading her website before contacting her.  If she asks for something that makes you uncomfortable (example: scan of your drivers license, deed to your house), just move on to the next one.  Once you get one or two OKs or references under your belt, you're gold, ponyboy!

Good luck!

I reached out to a provider who was well respected by the board community from a different website. I knew a reference from her was going to get me where I wanted to go. If you go down this road make sure she is known well enough to be accepted by any provider on the face of the earth. I knew a backpage girl wasn't going to cut it with no reviews. Looking back on it I probably gave her to much information but that was my window into this world. Needless to say I had to do this with two providers and than on my third date I got the date with the women who said no to me on my first attempt. Once you get two you can see anyone.

Some of the ladies who say they are booked might actually be, so that could simply be bad timing.

As for the others, the previous advice is spot-on: be ready to disclose much more info than if you were established. I don't advertise as newbie friendly, but I have seen newbies who are very willing to go the extra mile to make me feel safe, and additionally, they usually write a nice introductory email so I *want* to see them. Also, make sure you don't mention services or any details that might get your email promptly deleted due to legality issues

I'm all for all of that...   I'm nervous about meeting a stranger to hang out also!!
Proving myself and giving out my info is the easy part, i'm actually proud of my professional licenses and background checks (I'm an RN and need to keep them all up to date anyways- I even have my medical records up to date.

I found the Newbie Friendly provider profiles on p411...I'll see what happens.

Understood about the etiquette, I've been studying the Newbie FAQ like it's my new bible.      All my messages to providers have been G-Rated and that includes no code words-  I don't even hint about money or specific services,   I even made up my mind that I was okay with a completely uneventful first appointment just so I could prove to myself that I would show up and not chicken out.        

I tried to book 9 days in advance for my birthday (TODAY!) - and even secured a booking with this one well reviewed  local agency,  but ended up getting a last minute runaround and she cancelled.    Very discouraging!    

back on that horse... no pity party here.. wish me luck

I was having same trouble breaking in despite living in one of the largest provider communities in the country. So, I went to Vegas, figuring that the inherent nature of the environment would be "newbie friendly". It was. Using P411 to make two appointments with two different ladies started my client experience off very painlessly.