For most of us, at some point between the childhood hopes of ‘when I grow up I want to be…’ and becoming an adult, reality kicks in and those dreams of becoming an astronaut/pop star/professional footballer are long forgotten.
If you’re having one of those days where you’re fed up of the daily grind and are longing for a drastic change, just remember that there are people out there who have made their dreams a reality and can really put these job titles on their CV.
(warning: prepare for serious job envy)
Waterslide Tester
Sebastian Smith from Somerset made headlines back in 2013 when he landed a job as a Waterslide Tester! Not only did he get to travel the world on an all-expenses-paid basis, he received a salary of £20,000 for the pleasure.
Netflix Tagger
In short, these people are paid to binge watch Netflix all day. Sounds like something a lot of us do for free, right? Well, the job is a little more serious than that, these people add the metadata to Netflix’s shows and movies which makes them easier to find and give more relevant suggestions based on what people have watched. It’s been likened to being a librarian.
Panda Nanny
Based in China, a Panda Protection Centre has actually been recruiting for ‘Panda Nannies’. Admittedly, with over 100,000 applications, competition was tough. The actual job description wasn’t clear, but would definitely involve playing with and cuddling real life actual Pandas. Enough for anyone to be on the first flight to Chengdu.
Professional Bed Tester
‘Bed Tester’, ‘Duvet and Pillow Tester’, ‘Director of Sleep’; all of these have been real job titles for people. Manufacturers and hotel chains have all paid people to sleep, and then write about and rate their experiences. Alternatively, a hotel chain made the news when they were looking for professional bed warmers; people who are paid to warm up a guest’s bed before they get in!
Chocolate Taster
Got a sweet tooth? This one could be for you! A well-known chocolate brand needed someone to test out a range of chocolate and cocoa beverage products, with a passion for confectionary being an essential requirement! Unsurprisingly, another job with tough competition, it became the 5th most viewed job on Linked In and attracted over 6000 applications.