Catholic infant school teacher moonlighting on OnlyFans sparks government intervention
A teacher at a Catholic infants’ school who was caught moonlighting as an OnlyFans model has sparked controversy in Italy and prompted the government to intervene.
Elena Maraga, 29, was suspended from her job near Treviso, in northern Italy, on Thursday after it emerged that she was selling risqué photos and videos of herself on the subscription-based platform, which heavily features adult content.
The case emerged after the parent of a child at the school recognised Ms Maraga on OnlyFans and informed other parents through a WhatsApp group chat and Facebook.
The teacher, who studied educational science at university, has worked for five years at the Catholic school. She lives with her parents and is also a competitive bodybuilder.
In interviews, she said that what she does on OnlyFans “does no harm to anyone … people should be allowed to do what they like in their private lives. I am not ashamed of what I do.”
There have been several other cases of young female teachers earning money on OnlyFans in their spare time.
Elena Maraga has worked at the Catholic school for five years and is also a competitive bodybuilder – @itsbabyelee/Instagram
They argue that they need to earn the extra cash because teachers’ salaries are so low. In Italy, a teacher with several years of experience can expect to earn around €1,300 (£1,088) a month.
The women have also argued that the OnlyFans work has no impact on the children in their care and is no business of anyone else’s.
Some parents have said, however, it is unacceptable for young women to be teaching children in the classroom by day and then creating mature online content by night.
Other parents have defended the teachers, saying that appearing on OnlyFans is a matter of personal liberty.
Italy’s education ministry has pledged to draw up a new code of ethics that will prohibit teachers appearing on adult websites.
The code is likely to inform teachers that they should “avoid statements, images or behaviour that could damage the prestige and reputation” of their schools.
Moonlighting on sex sites
It is not just in Italy that the issue of teachers moonlighting on sex sites has emerged.
In 2023, Brianna Coppage, a young American teacher, was suspended after it emerged that she was using OnlyFans in an effort to supplement her salary.
She said that while her annual salary was $42,000 (£37,500), she had made around $1 million on the adult website.
Another teacher in the US, Courtney Tillia, said she had also earned around $1 million by appearing on the platform.
The mother of four children, who worked in a high school in Arizona, said it would have taken her about 25 years to make the same amount of money as a teacher.
