Tell them you work for the CIA and if you tell them anymore, you'll have to kill them.
I am fairly new in the business and am truly learning alot from this site and all the comments on the boards. Now I have a question.
I was working in a field that all across the US is suffering and I fell victim to it and lost my job. A very sweet friend of mine mentioned to me that I should think about taking a new business venture and low and behold I am a provider. Oh yes I am loving it, but in the civie world you cant tell your friends and family what you do. Therefore, you "create" a new job title for yourself that you feel gives you the flexibility of being at home and working your own schedule. Then you hope not too many specific questions are asked about it. And you cant be rude and say "none of your business" or if you are too discreet you get "is it a secret?" Well then comes strolling along a new male friend that "truly" wants to get to know you as a person.
Ok here is my dilemna, I do live alone so no one here to cover my tracks with. But, what happens when they want to spend time with you in the evening hours and you have an appt? For the most part it is more realistic that your "new job" really is daytime hours. So when you are asked "what are you doing tonite?" and you have an appt. what do you say? There are only soo many times you can say "have to run errands", "have to go shopping" grrrr.
Any opinions at all would be tremendously appreciated, esp. since this was asked of me this am.
Bella
Tell them you work for the CIA and if you tell them anymore, you'll have to kill them.
but I would think that you could state that you have a consulting type business where you see clients at odd hours, sometimes at your place and sometimes at their, depending on the client's preference.
You should also get used to telling people that some things are none of their business if they start to get too nosey, in a polite way of course.
You have to meet with clients at their convenience in this brutal market.
if you "play" a real estate agent, you could get people asking for advice, for help in buying or selling, getting referrals etc
-- Modified on 1/7/2008 2:43:58 PM
Real estate, mortgage broker, financial planner, insurance salesman, tax preparer, personal trainer, interior decorator.
Personally, I'd pick one that I could fake my way through in a pinch, for when friends ask for help. Then you have to remember the line about not wanting to mix friends & business.
Luckily, I am a trained massage therapist. When I decided to become a provider, I just told everyone that I was doing massage again. It's amazing how many people want me to come to their homes instead of coming to me! lol
Kari~~
You can tell people that you work as a dancer at a strip club. Your relatives will frown upon that, but at least it's an easy cover. And in the American society, it's far more acceptable to be a dancer than a provider. Your friends, however, might want to come see you dance at the club (a lot of women go to strip clubs nowadays; maybe it's a part of the whole "bi-curious" trend). So if your friends aren't part of that trend, the exotic dancer cover-up is pretty safe to use.
Answered on the Florida board.
To soem extent you do just have to get used to telling people to mind their own business. The toughest person to fool is going to be a potential love interest. For this reason many providers don't get involved in serious relationships while they are providers.
This being said, you can have more than one cover story. One of my favs used to do some modeling at trade shows and the like and that is her cover most of the time. Other times she tells people that she is doing consulting work (she is a computer geek). Keep it simple and believable. Best of luck!
I tell people that I sell on eBay and build websites (I do this in my civvie life).
I've only had to tell 2 people, "what I do in my personal time is none of your concern".
I'm still single because you can't fool a potential love interest...and I found that out the hard (and painful) way.
A recent provider told me she had to clean her apartment of all related items before a friend would visit and she did go on regular dates but the guys didnt know her other life; she would meet the parents etc. and make the guys wait like a regular dating scenario.
I'd say, "I've got a meeting with a client to get a few things he wants taken care of all squared away", and leave it at that. Don't ever make it anything that someone else might ever think it possible that they could get invited along to, and don't schedule yourself too tightly. One of my ATFs made the mistake of having a date scheduled with her boyfriend after our meeting, and we were having a great time when her phone rang and the BF wanted to know what she wanted from the Chinese restaurant.
Needless to say, our funtime ended right away. We were both hustling and grabbing and tidying in a frantic rush; she told me later that it all worked out OK, but she also apologized profusely for the abrupt transition.