Ten Jobs You Wouldn’t Believe Exist

Posted 25th Aug 2017

We all have days when we dream we’d chosen a different career path, but perhaps you wish you’d taken a more unusual approach to your vocation of choice. If in fact you still do, then fear not…there are a multitude of different, unusual, strange and abhorrent or even down right desirable professions ready for you to make the switch to, if you think you’re brave enough.

So here’s our Ibell Recruitment & Staffing summary of ten jobs you wouldn’t, or maybe would, believe exist.

Five not so enviable ways to make a living…

1. The Paper Towel Sniffer

So that a paper towel can be marketed properly to the purchasing public, it must be extensively tested to ensure the product remains odorless before, during and after its use; up steps a sniffer - expert at ensuring no smell escapes.

2. The Mosquito Sting Researcher

In order to combat malaria, certain scientists must study the biting habits of the mosquito responsible for spreading the deadly disease. In order to do so, scientists in Brazil are called upon to offer themselves as bait. So in the early evening, when mosquito activity is busiest, a mosquito sting researcher finds a nice ‘buggy area’ and sets him or herself up inside a mosquito-netted tent, with a gap at the bottom. Mosquitoes duly fly in low and get trapped inside, where the researcher sits stoically, sacrificing his or her skin to science.
One veteran researcher, Helge Zieler, used to put himself on the menu twice a week and one evening managed to catch 500 Anopheles in 3 hours. The lucky mosquitos meanwhile got to bite him an estimated 3000 times.

3. The Odor Tester (Armpit Sniffer)

The development and efficacy of under-arm antiperspirants and deodorants must be put through the most rigorous of scrutiny - a well-trained nose must be thrust into an armpit for a good sniff. The dedication of these olfactory heroes is the reason we all smell as well as we do!

4. The Urine Farmer

Deer urine is popular with hunters to attract their quarry. The best urine being from a doe-in-heat and extracting such a product is not for the amateur. Urine farmers are trained experts at extracting the ripest, most pungent (we’re guessing) product possible. Not for us, but there are many brave souls who make an excellent living literally ‘taking the piss’.

5. The Cat Food Quality Tester

Some people really will ‘eat anything you put in front of them’ and if you’re one of those, this could be for you. Yes, there are people who test cat food for a living by touching, smelling and of course eating it. The thought of this alone will probably make most of us reach for the sick bag, but someone has to do it. Cat food after all is packed with all the nutrients necessary for a healthy cat, but Felix obviously cannot talk or write to evaluate the product himself.

Five that you might just be prepared to do for nothing…

1. The Water Slide Tester

Be prepared to spend days going down water slides to score them for fun, velocity, water use, and safety. Water slide testers travel a lot and can claim swimming trunks on expenses. Fancy a working interview…

2. The Director of Fun

A six-year-old boy in York actually has the enviable title of Director of Fun, after writing to the The National Railway Museum to be considered for an interview regarding the vacant position. His letter was so compelling that the museum created the post from where he now ensures all children, when visiting the museum, are having fun at all times.

3. The Private Island Caretaker

Fast becoming a more populous career, private island caretakers can earn handsome sums living on sun-kissed islands spending their days’ snorkeling, swimming, and basically living the dream. Some work is expected, but certainly not too much.

4. The Mermaid

Bask on sunny afternoons, use your giant tail to swim at your pleasure and generally look like a beautiful fish-woman hybrid…type thing. Locations around the world provide full training (mostly in safely swimming …with a large tail attached to you) for mermaids and expect successful applicants to enjoy being ogled and of course photographed by tourists for a reasonable rate of pay (global average of £48,000…not bad)

5. The Coconut Safety Engineer

Resorts around the world (well, the hot ones anyway) employ experts to test palm trees for ripe coconuts and culled them before they’ve fallen on the heads of unsuspecting hotel guests. These safety engineers spend their days climbing trees and knocking coconuts to the ground - perks include endless sunshine…and of course all the coconut milk they can drink.

So there you have it…some of the above may inspire you to explore a career change, whilst others might make you appreciate your current post just a tad more than you perhaps do on a bad day. It’s unlikely we’ll be advertising roles similar to the above anytime soon…but then you never know.