Oddee.com - A Blog on Oddities: the odd, bizarre and strange things of our world!

Subscribe:

 

10 of the World's Greatest Jobs

Published on 10/21/2009 under Misc - by Gracie Murano - 237,360 views

Paradise island caretaker

Ben Southall, 34, of Petersfield, beat out nearly 35,000 applicants from around the world for the dream assignment to swim, explore and relax on Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef, while writing a blog to promote the area. He was selected for the $111,000 gig - a six-month contract to serve as caretaker of a tropical Australian island. He now has to live rent-free in a three-bedroom villa, complete with pool.

Before getting the job he had to spend four days on the island for an extended interview process, which required applicants to snorkel through crystalline waters, gorge themselves at a beachside barbecue and relax at a spa. He also had to demonstrate his blogging abilities, take swimming tests and sit through in-person interviews. (Link)


Luxury bed tester

A student from Birmingham City University has landed her dream job...literally! Sleeping on the job and having a lie-in will no longer be a problem for a girl, who has been selected to test out luxury beds for a month and get paid for it.

Roisin Madigan, 22, is earning £1,000 to sleep in designer beds every day for a month. The student is helping with a "sleep survey" carried out by luxury bed specialists Simon Horn Ltd. The company sells luxury Savoir Beds, originally made for the Savoy Hotel. General manager Craig Roylance said Roisin will not only provide an objective view of the beds on sale, but will also be part of a look into what brings a good night's sleep. She will spend 10am to 6pm in beds in the company's showroom in Edgbaston, and then will blog about her experiences. (Link | Photo)


Resort waterslide tester

Surely the envy of any desk-bound office worker, Tommy Lynch has travelled over 27,000 miles this year for his job, testing holiday resort waterslides. Mr Lynch, 29, works for holiday giant First Choice, checking the height, speed, water quantity and landing of the flumes, as well as all safety aspects. In 2008 Mr Lynch tested waterslides at holiday villages in Lanzarote, Majorca, Egypt, Turkey, Costa Del Sol, Cyprus, Algarve, Dominican Republic and Mexico. This year he will quality control First Choice's new splash resorts in Greece, Turkey, Florida, Jamaica and Ibiza.

Liverpool-born Mr Lynch, whose job title is lifestyle product development manager, was recruited to identify the very best pools to be featured in First Choice's new Splash Resort collection. He also ensures potential new resorts are up to the company's standard. (Link)


Professional prostitute tester

Jaime Rascone is no different than the rest of us in that the erstwhile DJ needs to grab the occasional odd job to make ends meet. But the Chilean lothario has beat all of us by holding the type of fantasy job that just sounds too good to be true: Quality Control in a brothel.
Rascone, an occasional male model and DJ, first happened upon Fiorella Companions in Santiago, Chile while working on a story about the country's sexual revolution. He was offered the gig by Madam Fiorella, who needed somebody to provide that final “interview” in her hiring process. It goes like this: girls who are interested in working as VIP escorts for Fiorella have to undergo interviews, psychological testing, and a photo session. The applicants are whittled down to a final six, who are then fucked one after the other in a single day by Jaime. He takes diligent notes on, say, how they moved their hips and whether their groans were adequate, and makes recommendations to the madam. There is even paperwork involved. The strain of the job is actually such that he can only do it once a month, testing around seventy girls or so a year. (Link 1 | Link 2)





Wine tester and blogger

Imagine moving to the heart of Sonoma County, where every day you'll come home to more than 450 wineries along the beautiful northern coast of California. Picture living rent free, learning the intricacies of making the perfect wine, and capturing and sharing the entire experience for your network of Twitter followers. Now imagine getting paid $10,000 a month to do it. Listening? Hardy Wallace of Atlanta, the first person to submit his application, was the winner for the position at Murphy-Goode Winery— a $10,000 p/mo for six months, rent-free job updating Twitter and Facebook with his winery lifestream. The interview process was simple: submit a YouTube video explaining why you would be good for the job and wait to see what happens.

(Link 1 | Link 2)


Candy taster

Another one of the world's best job has gone to schoolboy Harry Willsher, 12, chief taster in a sweet factory. Harry's job is to test top secret recipes. He got the job after winning a contest at Swizzell's Matlow to find a recruit. According to him, after his first tour at his new job, he felt like having tepped into the book Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. He wowed judges by describing the flavor and smell of his favourite sweet, the Drumstick lolly. The Derby firm, which also makes Love Hearts, Rainbow Drops and Parma Violets, has now given the youngster chief taster overalls and business cards. As well as sampling the sweets, he will also monitor their development at the company's factory in New Mills, Derbyshire. I don't know if it's the best job, but it's definitely the sweetest. (Link 1 | Link 2)


Condom tester

An Australian manufacturer called for applications for what it claims could be the world's best job - condom tester. Durex marketing manager Sam White was hiring Australians over the age of 18 who could apply for one of 200 positions as a condom tester. Unfortunately the position is not paid, but successful applicants would receive a free $60 selection of Durex products and will be required to provide the company with honest feedback about the products' performance. One of the lucky 200 testers would win a $1000 bonus. Maybe the bonus is not that great, but one thing's for sure - it's a job where employees won't mind taking their work home and burning the midnight oil. We are sorry to inform you applications are closed. (Link 1 | Link 2)


World of Warcraft Tester

Do you Play World of Warcraft? And if so, do you play well? Can you farm 200 gold an hour and hit level 80 in under 2 weeks? If the answer is yes, you can apply for the job that about 12 million players only dream about, as a Wow game tester! There are in fact several Blizzard jobs posted on their website. The Blizzard employment database has dozens of mmorpg jobs available, mostly WoW employment opportunities. They are currently hiring for several game tester positions for World of Warcraft, under the QA department. They are in particular looking for foreign language testers, so if you speak any other language besides English, don't hesitate to apply to start your Blizzard career. And, yeah, you will be required to play at least four hours a day. (Link 1 | Link 2)


Director of Fun at a museum (age 6)

A six-year-old boy who wanted to become the director of York's National Railway Museum landed himself a job - as the director of fun. The ambitious youngster got a plum role at the National Railway Museum after applying to replace retiring boss Andrew Scott. Sam Pointon sent a handwritten letter headed "Application for director" asking for an interview at the centre, in York. The letter listed his credentials for the role, including his expertise on his train set. "I am only six but I think I can do this job," wrote Sam. "I have an electrick (sic) train track. I am good on my train track. I can control two trains at once." Staff was so impressed they appointed Sam an honorary "Director of Fun" and his job will be to bosses how he thinks they can ensure the museum is the most fun place for kids to spend a day out.

Ok, maybe this isn't the best job in the world for an adult, but it certainly rocks the world of a 6 year old. (Link)


Bike rider-photographer for Google Maps

Google (GOOG) has hired two lucky young men to ride around France on dopey looking tricycles snapping up photos of historical sites that are inaccessible by car. This three-wheeler is a sight with its long pole holding nine cameras, a GPS, a computer and a generator. But the contraption tooling around the French capital needs all that gear to do its job – adding three-dimensional images to Google's Street View Maps.

The riders, wearing Google tee-shirts and white helmets, are visiting well-known sites such as the Chateau de Versailles, west of Paris, the Jardin du Luxembourg on the city's Left Bank or Les Halles, in the busy centre of the French capital. (Link)

Reader Contributions

Titan Salvage - Cowboys of the deep
by Tim on 11/13/2009
A crew of "Legal Pirates" who salvage cargo ships which will inevitably sink. This sweet job brings (...)
(Source)
10 Bizarre Occupations
by Jovan Maric on 10/27/2009
I want to work on most of these greatest jobs, but here is the fill-up list of worst jobs ever!
(Source)
Travel Show host
by Missew on 10/21/2009
Imagine being paid to travel around to different locations around the world AND check out all the be(...)
See More Contributions...

Have a great addition to the article? Contribute!

Subscribe by RSS:
Subscribe by E-mail:
Share this:

E-mail it
Del.icio.us
Facebook


Corrections?

(Click the above icon, then highlight the text to be corrected --registration required)

  

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like...
10 of the World's Most Bizarre Laws

 
10 of the World's Greatest Jobs
10 Audacious Amputee Tattoos
10 of the World's Worst Jobs
10 Worst Prescription Drug Side Effects
10 Most Unusual Shift Knobs
10 Amazing Staircases Around the Globe
8 Strangest Genetic Scientific Experiments
10 Strangest Obituaries
10 Coolest iPod Case Mods
10 Most Unusual Mirrors
Worst Birthday Cakes Ever
12 Bizarre Armpit Tattoos
10 Strangest Animal Incidents
15 Interesting Cold War Vintage Ads
10 of the World's Worst Jobs
10 Amazing Smoke Art Pieces
10 Coolest Lighters
12 Amazing Photos of Urban Camouflage
15 Fascinating World War II Vintage Ads & Posters
12 Coolest MP3 Players
World's Oddest Couples
12 Coolest Google Street Finds
12 Most Creative Recycled Sculptures‏
10 Coolest Bookends
10 Most Bizarre Services
15 Hilarious Divorce Cakes
12 of the Wackiest Condoms ever
Top 8 Die-Hards in History
Another 12 Insanely Titled Books
15 Cutest Baby Costumes for Halloween
12 Most Creative Bathtubs
10 Audacious Amputee Tattoos
10 Strangest Body-Part Insurances
10 of the World's Greatest Jobs
10 Strangest Inflatable Stuff
20 Cute & Funny Animal Sleeping Positions
12 Coolest Barcode Artworks
10 Craziest Celebrity Baby Names
15 Craziest Halloween Costumes
15 Coolest Google Earth Finds
10 Weirdest Protests Around the World
15 Craziest Scalp Tattoos
15 of the World's Strangest Flags
10 Fascinating Rock Formations
10 Coolest Laptops
Another 12 of the Weirdest Shoes Ever
10 Strangest Celebrity Endorsements
12 Creative Backpacks
12 Wackiest Music Videos
World's Longest
12 Amazingly Tiny Pieces of Art
13 Most Creative Toasters
12 Accidental Deaths You Won't Believe
12 Most Bizarre Police Sketches Ever
10 Coolest Keychains
12 Coolest Steampunk Gadgets
15 Most Stupid Forehead Tattoos
15 Designs Inspired by Tetris
13 Most Extreme Gadgets Inspired by Hello Kitty
10 of the World's Most Bizarre Laws
10 Things Global Warming Could Change Forever
12 Coolest Tables
10 of the World's Most Unusual Prisons
12 Most Unfortunate Costumes for a Mugshot
10 Most Bizarre Uses For Duct Tape
12 Weirdest Soaps
10 Geekiest Panties
12 Craziest Pimped Car Interiors
15 Most Creative Green Ads
15 Wackiest Band Names
Another 12 Awful Parking Jobs
10 Fascinating Swimming Pools
15 Coolest Nail Art Designs
10 Most Controversial Music Videos
15 Fascinating Light Sculptures
9 Most Unusual Pets
10 Creative Doorstops
10 Bizarre Wine Brand Names
More Articles »  


 
10 Geekiest T-Shirts
10 Far-out Valentine's Gifts
10 Coolest Computer Mice
12 Strangest Ties
10 Coolest Bottle Openers
10 Most Creative Holders
10 Coolest USB Flash Drives
12 Funniest Wedding Cake Toppers
10 Coolest USB Accessories
10 Most Creative Ice Cube Trays
Another 15 Awful Photoshop Mistakes
15 Most Idiotic Tattoos
18 Wackiest Tramp Stamps
10 Manliest Names Ever
12 Most Unfortunate Product Names
15 Worst Tan Disasters
15 Facts You Didn't Know About Your Body
Another 12 Sexist Vintage Ads
12 Funny Roller Coaster Photos
10 Weird Things you didn't know about Michael Jackson
10 Geekiest Panties
13 Most Unfortunate Personal Names for their Jobs
When Ex-Lovers Take Revenge
Only in the Subway
12 Accidental Deaths You Won't Believe
10 of the World's Tallest Women
10 of the World's Greatest Jobs
12 Bizarre Vending Machines
12 Most Bizarre Police Sketches Ever
15 Strangest Contact Lenses
15 Coolest Google Earth Finds
15 Most Stupid Forehead Tattoos
15 Geekiest Tattoos
15 Most Literal Photos Ever
12 Banned and Controversial TV Commercials
8 People Who Accidentally Found a Fortune
10 Most Famous Doctored Photos
20 Creative and Funny Toilet Signs
10 Unfortunate Neon Signs
8 Freakiest Fetishes
15 Ugliest Products Ever
10 Audacious Amputee Tattoos

Oddee by Category: Art  |  Advertising
Signs  |  Names
Places  |  People
Objects  |  Gifts
Science  |  Medicine
Stories  |  Tech
Misc

Search Oddee.com:
Sites we like:
I-am-bored | 2leep
Entensity | Leenks
Manvite | B2 | Bazooka
Uncoached | Unreality
MLanders | UniqueDaily
CollegeHumor
Flabber | Sublime
Dark Roasted Blend
Neatorama | Uphaa
The Inspiratorium
WebUrbanist | Ecoist
Gajitz | Dornob


Oddee.com makes PC Magazine's Top 100 Web Sites of 2008!

Great articles on other blogs: