Amsterdam’s Most Unusual Teacher

I first heard about Lieka from her boss. He runs a tour guide company in Amsterdam. And over beers, he listed the types of tours his company offers. “There are Red Light District tours, there are food tours and there are drinking tours.”

“Oh yeah!” he said, “I also have a woman offer a workshop in giving oral sex to men.”

That’s when there was a record scratch across the heavens. Wait, what? It’s for tour groups who want to do a little something different while in Amsterdam and it’s for bachelorette parties. “It’s really quite fun,” he said. And then he mentioned the teacher was going to be stopping by his office – conveniently located next to the pub we were sitting in – and offered to introduce me.

And so, smack in the center of the Dutch metropolis and a herring’s throw from the Red Light District, where packs of guys roam to gawk at the ladies in their little booths, I met with Lieka. An attractive brunette in her mid-20s, and as long as I wouldn’t use her last name (or her photo), she kindly allowed me to interview her about her most unusual profession.Gadling: How does one become such a teacher?

Lieka: First of all, you have to have an interest in the subject matter. I studied social work and psychology and have taught sex ed before, so I felt qualified.

Gadling: Is there, like, a certificate program one can do in order to teach a class like this?

Lieka: [Laughs] No.

Gadling: So how did you prepare or study to teach the class?

Lieka: I interviewed the target group: guys! I asked them what they liked. I also talked to a few prostitutes.

Gadling: How often do you teach the class?

Lieka: It depends. But some months I’ll teach it four times.

Gadling: How do you make the students feel comfortable?

Lieka: I give them a glass of wine at the start. I tell jokes and say there’s no judgment in the class. I also let them pick their own dildos and ask them to give it a name. It’s funny to see who takes the biggest one.

Gadling: Is there a common name that keeps popping up?

Lieka: I often hear “Anaconda.”

Gadling: Have there been any injuries yet, like choking or gagging?

Lieka: [Laughs] Not yet.

Gadling: What’s a common beginners mistake?

Lieka: A lot of the women think you do it the way they do it in porn films – and this intimidates them. It’s just up and down. There’s a lot in between, too!

Gadling: Do you give homework?

Lieka: Sort of. I tell them that the next time they do it, they have to mix all the techniques. Hopefully they’ll learn.

Gadling: So no one’s returned to tell you how they made out?

Lieka: Not yet. Usually the classes are fun and are sort of a joke but once I had a group of Muslim women and it became clear that the bride-to-be had really never had sex. So she was really learning for the first time.

Gadling: Can you spot talent in the class? Is one born with such a talent or is this a skill one can acquire?

Lieka: Everyone can do it! You just have to have an interest in pleasuring the other person.

Gadling: Have any guys been in the class?

Lieka: No. But the women always suggest we offer a class to guys teaching them how to reciprocate.

Gadling: Who would teach that course?

Lieka: I would!

[Photo by David Farley]