Your first night dancing

Before you walk in

Eat something real a few hours before. Pack light: two or three outfits, shoes, a small bag for cash that stays on you, a lock for the locker if the club has them, a phone charger, body wipes and a water bottle. Leave anything with your legal name on it at home or locked away. Your ID goes in with the manager when you sign in at most clubs, and you get it back when you leave.

Decide your stage name before you arrive, because the DJ will ask for it within minutes and you do not want to pick one under pressure.

What the night actually looks like

You check in, pay whatever house fee is due, and the DJ puts you in the stage rotation. Stage sets vary by club, often one to three songs. Between sets you are on the floor, talking to customers. That is where most of the money is made at most clubs, not on stage. Nobody expects you to know how to do that yet.

Your first night will probably feel slow and awkward. You will stand around not knowing where to put yourself, and you might make very little after fees. This is normal and says nothing about whether you can do the job.

A few things that help:

• Watch the dancers who look relaxed. Notice how they approach a table, how long they stay, when they leave.
• Ask the house mom or a friendly dancer where the rules are posted, how tipping the DJ works, and what the other girls do about cash.
• Keep your money on you, not in the dressing room. Dressing rooms are not secure.
• Say yes to less than you think you should. You can always expand what you are comfortable with later. It is much harder to pull back.
• Drink water. If you drink alcohol, decide a limit before you start, not during.

Dealing with nerves

Nerves on stage usually fade after the first set. Pick slower songs if you are unsure; they give you time. Nobody in the room is grading your dancing. They are mostly looking at your face, so remember to make eye contact and keep breathing.

If something feels off, you are allowed to walk away from a customer, a table or a situation. The club has security for a reason. Learn where they stand and who they are before you need them.

After the shift

Count your money before you leave the building, in the dressing room or with the manager, so you know exactly what you made and what you paid out. Write it down. Then get home safely, preferably not alone and not by a route a customer could follow.

Do not judge the job by one night. Give it a handful of shifts, on different days if you can, before you decide whether this club or this work is for you.