At Adzuna, we know finding the right job for you is no mean feat, and sometimes thinking outside the box can be helpful in identifying options you had previously not considered. Here are 15 job options we bet you didn’t learn about at school:
1. Waterslide Tester
Monday morning at the office could not feel further away for those lucky workers for whom life really is a beach. Employed to test the “splash factor”, fun level and user friendliness of water slides at rewards around the world, the perks are considerable. On the downside, however, international travel a constantly changing schedule can make life unpredictable.
2. Tissueologist
For a job that may be the ultimate in applying science to everyday situations, here is one that cannot be discounted. Tissueologists use advanced chemical and product knowledge to consult on and perfect the absorption capabilities, durability, texture and comfort factor of tissues and toilet paper, helping tissue companies find the right mix of customer appeal and cost effectiveness.
3. Snake Milker
Although not commonly considered the most prized of commodities, snake venom holds great value for the medical profession, being an important component in many medicines. Dedicated snake milkers are the brave souls who make a living from collecting the valuable venom from live poisonous snakes.
4. Teddy Bear Repair Technician
If you nursed dreams of becoming a surgeon or doctor during your school days, this could be just the career for you. Highly trained teddy bear technicians “operate” on much-loved toys, restoring them to the best of health. Common ailments these experts may expect to treat include rips and tears, sometimes resulting in rapid weight-loss. Those hopeful of entering the profession need excellent vision, attention to detail, surgical skills and an excellent bedside manner for dealing with distraught family members.
5. Pet Food Taster
Pampered pooches around the world demand the very best from their diets. Taste, texture and nutritional value all play a key part in the job of a pet food taster, those lucky humans employed to ensure only the very best pet food makes it to the bowls of our pedigree chums.
6. Golf Ball Diver
Have you ever wondered what happens to all the golf balls that go into the water on golf courses? There are actual golf ball divers who go in to retrieve them. It has been said that a golf ball diver can collect some 3,000 lost balls in a week. Some estimates even put golf ball divers’ salaries at over $100,000 a year, but it can be a dangerous job – a 75-year-old man died while diving for golf balls, 27 years after his son perished in the same way.
7. Coconut Safety Engineer
One of the most popular plants on the US Virgin Islands, and in many other tropical locations, the coconut palm is not only a key source of food, but also a key tourist attraction. Falling coconuts can inflict head injuries, or even kill the unsuspecting people beneath them. Responsible for tourist safety, Coconut Engineers monitor fruit growth and analyse risk. When the coconuts are mature, they scale the trees, which tower up to 60 feet high, and pick the coconuts before they fall on unsuspecting passers-by.
8. Crisp Inspector
As a nation renowned for its love of salty snacks, it stands to reason that professional roles would come into existence to ensure the humble crisp is of the very best possible quality. Eliminating oversized, undersized, overcooked or irregularly shaped specimens from our crisp packets plays a crucial part in this job.
9. Dinosaur Duster
For more than 30 years, Frank has been dusting 145m-year-old bones. As the one and only dinosaur duster at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington DC, he is something of a specialist. Five days a week in the early hours of the morning, he has the dinosaurs all to himself as he grooms them with a feather duster and a vacuum cleaner, keeping them spotless for the busy day ahead. (Source: The Guardian).
10. Professional Whistler
We all wish we could whistle while we work – and for some, that dream is very much a reality. Believe it or not, you can make a living from the art of whistling. Just ask Henry Brady, a 58-year-old Welsh whistling performer. But it takes more that just talent and a fair amount of stamina to make it as a pro. You’ll also need to master the arts of self-promotion and marketing.
11. Fortune Cookie Writer
If you’ve ever wondered where the words of wisdom inside your fortune cookie actually came from, this might just be the career for you. Playing an important part in completing te the dining experience, fortune writers need to find the right words to leave a pleasant taste in our mouths, whilst ensuring their work is both concise and thought-inspiring.
12. Dice Inspector
In the busiest casinos around the globe, ensuring every dice is perfect plays an important role in the smooth running of the night. The slightest imperfection or blemish on the surface, incorrect angle or imperfect proportion could lead to the die leaning more to one side, skewing results and costing a sizeable sum of money to the house. Dice inspectors hold the ultimate responsibility for ensuring each dice used is perfect, ensuring fair results.
13. Town Crier
Traditionally responsible for making pubic pronouncements on behalf of the courts, town criers can now also be employed independently to make public announcements on the streets or at corporate or private events. A loud voice, strong presence and a love of dressing up in elaborate finery are all important traits for success in this career choice,
14.Wrinkle Chaser
When you slip your feet into a brand-new pair of shoes, take a moment to admire their smooth, wrinkle-free design. Why? Because someone spent a lot of time and energy making sure your footwear is crease-free. At shoe companies, it’s a wrinkle chaser’s job to use a special iron to ensure shoes are smooth as can be when they leave the factory and head the shelves of our shoe shops.
15. Pet Detective
It may sound like something straight out of Hollywood, but real-life pet detectives, dedicated to investigating and recovering our much-loved pooches and felines, say their days bear little resemblance to the exploits of Ace Ventura. Often trained in military or police enforcement search and detection, these intrepid investigators use state of the art techniques to track down and return our missing dogs, cats, rabbits, horses or even ferrets.
Could you see yourself in one of these roles? Check out some of the unusual job vacancies available on www.adzuna.co.uk.