Re: Escorting through agency
In the US, it's pretty common for agencies to take 50%. Some take 50% after a 10% payout to the booker. It's outrageous but it's an annoying reality. That said, I knew a woman who was starting an agency with the intention of taking a much smaller percentage, so there might be some exceptions out there.
Each agency is different. My experience is with international agencies based in major cities with extremely high rates, so at the high rate level, you're expected to be sexually open but also well educated with good conversational skills, though I think they had a few women were just marketed for their runway-model looks. There was a little kink, but not much, and in my experience at least, kink wasn't marketed. At mid-level rates, you might find more variety in terms of requests, and generally speaking, the lower the rate, the more emphasis there is on the sex. I wouldn't go below the mid-rate range when joining an agency because the cheap agencies have a reputation for being sexual sweatshops and you can do much better on your own.
On rates: a high rate doesn't mean you'll make more. Typically it's the women at the mid-level rate range that make the most because they work the most.
Before you join an agency, make sure that you're okay with the amount you make after they take their cut, and make sure they're bringing a lot to the table to earn their cut. The bare minimum is high-quality, heavily screened, paying clients. What they should do is work like any other agent: they bring in the clients, they negotiate on your behalf for the most money possible, and if there's a problem with payment, they take the hit. A bad agency has very few clients and is sloppy about discretion (e.g. chatting on the phone about what you do in sessions). If the agency wants you to do your own marketing, cut them loose. That's their job, not yours.
Make sure they're not a new agency or a naive one. If they claim that what they're doing is legal, keep your distance. It means they're naive, probably sloppy, and a prime target for cops. If they seem paranoid, that's good (I'm referring to the US, btw. This probably doesn't apply outside of the US). You want to be sure they've been around a while because agencies pop up out of nowhere and disappear a few months later all the time. They need to be up and running successfully for a few years to build up a good client list and if they're new, it's possible you'll never see a client. You also want to avoid agencies that don't use real photos. That means they're bait and switch and good agencies with good clients don't do that.
An agency might pay for your photos and keep the rights, or they might have you pay to get your own pro photos taken. It's just two different approaches.
Know that if you join an agency, they could either be really chill or they could be paranoid as hell about you going behind their back. On the whole, I don't recommend going behind their back. That's when they can get sketchy.
First, I'd ask how long they've been around. I'd also ask how they handle certain hypothetical circumstances. If someone fails to pay, do they take the hit or do they expect you to come up with the money? Get a sense of their attitude when it comes to questionable clients. If you get someone who doesn't seem safe, are they going to give you grief if you walk out? (You should always be free to walk out on a client.) If you're feeling burned out, are they going to be okay with you taking a break? (If they're experienced, they should know that this is critical.) Beyond that, I'd just check out their website, if they have one, and see if that's how you want to be represented.
I've done both, indy and agency, and there are pros and cons to both. Just be sure that if you go with an agency, they're either saving you a lot of work or doing something you don't know how to do yourself, at least right now.