It’s a Rough Life: Looking for the best job ever?

Economy got you down? How about the weather? Looking to make a little more money but also get out of the rain?

Australia would like you to apply for what they are ever so casually calling The Best Job in the World: The Caretaker of the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef (their excess capital letters, not mine). You live on a teeny island for six months, get paid good money for it and tell the world about how totally awesome the experience is via blogs and photos. Responsibilities of the job include:

Explore and report back
There’s so much to see and do, so you’ll have plenty to write about in your weekly blog. And with so much life above and below the water, you’re sure to capture some entertaining moments for your video diary and photo gallery. To keep you busy, Tourism Queensland will organise a schedule of travel and events on the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef. Your schedule could include sampling a new luxury spa treatment at qualia on Hamilton Island, trying out new snorkelling gear on Heron Island, or bushwalking on Hinchinbrook Island.

Feed the fish
There are over 1,500 species of fish living in the Great Barrier Reef. Don’t worry – you won’t need to feed them all.

Clean the pool
The pool has an automatic filter, but if you happen to see a stray leaf floating on the surface it’s a great excuse to dive in and enjoy a few laps.

Collect the mail
You’ll have some time on your hands, so why not join the aerial postal service for a day? It’s a great opportunity to get a bird’s eye view of the reef and islands.

Among the selection criteria, you’ll find this slightly iffy phrase:

“Presentation skills (being media-friendly)”

… which sounds an awful lot like “Look pretty for the cameras!”

But I do particularly enjoy the last thing on the list of criteria:

“At least one year’s relevant experience”

… which would be what, exactly?

Still, nice work, if you can get it.