Jobs — like it or not — are here to stay. Some of them are vital to the society we know today. Others are there to add to the society. However, there is a specific niche for the weirdest jobs. To some, they are important. But for the most part — they are just odd. However, these rather unusual jobs didn’t come to exist overnight.
The odd part comes from the activity itself. Plenty of weird jobs raise the same generic question — “Why?” The answer is quite simple. They are useful! They are helpful enough to have a salary but weird enough that eyebrows will rise. So, many of the weirdest jobs will stick around for a while.
As the internet became the thing to have — the list of the weirdest jobs in the world rose. The job you didn’t know about yesterday became the weird job today. It’s normal. One ordinary job in Finland will raise eyebrows in a place like the United States.
If you are considering changing careers, why not join some of the weirdest jobs ever? Not only are they paying well (in most cases), but you will also have a good conversation starter. However, don’t rush to give your CV just yet! Stick around to find out the ins and outs of such jobs. Learn why some of them are odd due to the times we live in.
What Makes a Job “Weird”?
A job can be weird for several valid reasons. Usually, it is the culture that is in play. The more different the culture — the weirder a job will look for you. The weirdest jobs in America will look normal in a place like Sweden or Finland. Each job will have things that make it odd when viewed with a different cultural lens.
However, there are those odd jobs that are just ordinary things. For example, there is a job where you have to sleep. Just that. All day sleeping and getting paid for that. Some hotels will pay you the top dollar to test out their beds. You get the money for doing the 8 hours of the activity you do already.
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Legal Bank Robber
Imagine robbing a bank without the potential for punishment and the unpleasantness of the shower. You may work as a penetration tester, or, as they are called in the industry, a licensed bank robber. The role's objective is to evaluate the security measures in place, and in the past, the job simply involved breaking into the bank. Even while there are still fictitious robbers, penetration testing has expanded to include identity theft, computer hacking, calling operators to deceive them into giving over customer information, and even posing as police officers to install surveillance equipment in vaults. It sounds like a riot and like a profession that former secret agents would be good at.
Professional Sleeper
In order to evaluate the comfort of their beds, a hotel in Finland engaged a staff member to serve as a "professional sleeper." Each night, the person uses a different hotel bed and reviews them all to determine which one she prefers.
Professional Mourner
Hiring professional mourners is not rare in various societies. The family will engage professional mourners to attend the funeral service when a significant person passes away without any friends. The objective is to improve the deceased's reputation. These people can earn $40 to $100 (£30 to £75) every session and take part in the meal that follows the burial.
Movie Watcher
Many streaming services pay people to view and evaluate movies and TV episodes. They're only made public if they receive favorable reviews. You don't need any prior experience to enjoy movies, but you do need to be able to distinguish between good and terrible films. The income ranges from $12 to $15 (£9 to £11) per hour, which is not very high. Whatever the case, it is safe to conclude that most people would consider this to be their ideal career.
Zombie
Annual auditions for the zombie roles in London Dungeons' exhibitions are held, and with an average income of £30,000, it's clear that this is no dead-end profession. Really, it's quite simple: Your task would be to frighten visitors who knowingly pay for the opportunity to be pursued by fictitious strangers through dark passageways. If you're good, you can advance your profession by becoming a tormentor or perhaps Jack the Ripper.
Being a zombie is "no dead-end profession", eh? (I'll shut the door on my way out)
Online Dating Ghostwriter
Millions of profiles on various online dating platforms demonstrate how many individuals are looking for love. But since not everyone can sell themselves to the hunk or the beauty, some people hire a specialist to write their online dating profile. Enter the ghostwriter for online dating. Depending on your writing abilities, the pay will vary, but you can expect to make an average of $900 (£670) every month.
Oh wow - how do I apply (I met my now Wife on Plenty of Fish and it was my profile that attracted her - and several others ; I must point out, I'm no looker but am funny, quirky and empathetic. Must have done something right as we've been together for 10 years !!)
Iceberg Mover
They keep track of iceberg locations and offer safe detours around them. They could also need to tow the iceberg away from a specific location. The concept was developed following the Titanic disaster in 1911, and it undoubtedly prevented a great number of additional tragedies. The anticipated salary? An average iceberg mover makes around $20,000 (£15,000) annually.
Professional Apologizer
This may be your greatest suit if you have a strong "I'm sorry" or consistent apology quality. The professional apologizer is among the strangest professions we are considering. A person who apologizes on behalf of others in their place is known as a professional apologizer. They continually offer their condolences to a hurting individual until their objective is achieved.
Professional Snuggler
People who have serious previous trauma or who are lonely, depressed, ill, or have medical needs can find solace from professional cuddlers. It's not hard to become a professional cuddler, but you need empathy, decent values, and good ethics. Cuddlers frequently promote their services online and are paid between $20 and $40 (£15 and £30) per hour.
Paper Towel Sniffer
Let's face it: when you buy six rolls of paper towels, the aroma is what you care about the most. The paper towel sniffer, however, is a new kind of hero who will make sure that paper towel producers produce high-quality goods devoid of an offensive odor. Not all heroes have capes, but if you like to sniff paper, you could make $52,000 (£38,600) per year doing it.
"the aroma is what you care about the most" - that a thing? What's wrong with an odorless TP, cheaper and not requiring artificial perfume?
Professional Line Stander
A skilled line stander will do precisely what the term of the position implies: wait in line for others. It’s a position that is useful on significant occasions like Black Friday or the introduction of new products, like the iPhone. They are able to earn about $1,000 (£750) per week.
This might work outside the UK, but if you get someone standing in line for someone else then that person turns up it would incite a riot here .. You stand in line.. you do your own time 😂
Furniture Tester
This work is quite cool, as long as the furniture is not made of cactus. To evaluate the comfort of the furniture, you must sit, move around, and even sleep on it. It's strange how cool this job is.
Ostrich Babysitter
This task is simpler than that of a human babysitter. Why? Because all you have to do is watch the baby ostriches to make sure they don't peck one another.
Hangover Helpers Party Cleaners
By turning up at locations where parties with copious amounts of alcohol transpired, hangover helpers and party cleaners earn $20 per roommate. They arrive the morning after the party, delivering burritos and Gatorade to aid with the hangover and cleaning up all the trash the partygoers left behind. Marc Simons, the creator of Hangover Helpers Party Cleaners, began by cleaning party houses for some extra money before realizing he could build a business around it given that there are always people throwing parties and those same individuals never want to clean up the enormous mess.
$20 per roommate and you have to provide burritos and Gatorade? A burrito in Southern California runs about $10-11 and Gatorade like $1.50-ish. So if 3 roommates throw a party you're making $24 to clean up a whole apartment/house/whatever. Hard pass. Maybe $20 per party attendant and food for the hosts.
Panda Fluffer
Being an endangered species, pandas are famously challenging to encourage to procreate. China's Panda Fluffers utilize feather dusters and considerable caution to help them perform in order to get these reserved animals in the mood. A Panda Fluffer at the China Giant Panda Protection and Research Centre in Ya'an, Sichuan Province, can make 200,000 yuan (£22,900) per year.
Ok where do I sign up? I'll do it for panda cuddles no money needed 💖...oops read it too quickly ... I don't want to be a love guru for pandas 🤣
Rental Boyfriend
In Tokyo, finding a boyfriend is as simple as it gets if you have the money. Although I have no idea what the boyfriends will do, it seems like fun. The day the Japanese introduce the idea of "Rental Girlfriends," we'll be moving to Tokyo.
So...an escort? There should be zero shame about sex work but call it what it is.
Fortune Cookie Writer
The opportunity to write fortune cookies may have been right in front of you the entire time. They are independent contractors or staff writers who create unique and intriguing fortunes for fortune cookies. These individuals can earn about $40,000 (£30,200) annually.
Dog Food Taster
Dogs - the perfect best friends, so why not give them the best possible food? Dog food testers do an odd job that has quite a simple task - making sure the food your dog eats is safe for him, by first making sure it is safe for you, human.
What Are Useless Jobs Called?
The English language is full of wonderful and useful words. There is a word to describe everything — from different forms of wind to even useless jobs. Now, useless and weird jobs have some similarities. However, there is a big difference — odd jobs benefit society, even in a micro sense. Useless jobs, however, are complete BS. BS is the only term to describe such jobs perfectly.
Gross Stunt Tester
Admire programs like Survivor or I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here? You may have a career as a gross stunt tester if you've viewed the challenges and thought, "I could do that." You would need to practice and put all the obstacles to the test. You would be in charge of making sure that tasks are safe and contain the most grossness possible. The upside is that you may make up to $800 every day, albeit you have to question whether there is actually much competition for the positions.
Bed Warmer
Being a bed warmer is among the world's funniest jobs. Bed warmers may be useful if you enjoy sleeping in a warm, comforting bed, especially in the winter. These folks assist in keeping you warm and comfortable while you are in bed.
Google Maps Trekker
Want to trek and stroll in locations across the world that are difficult for cars to reach - Hawaii, the Grand Canyon, jungles, and other locations? Want to climb those trails while toting a massive camera around? Perfect! To do this, Google employs Google Map Trekkers. This can be the ideal career for a fit global traveler. It allows you to experience the great outdoors, witness breathtaking sights, and contribute to the mapping of the globe so that others can travel while seated at home. For hikers, explorers, and outdoor enthusiasts, this is the opportunity of a lifetime.
Professional Foreigner
These people are hired to dress professionally and shake hands with influential businessmen. They are occasionally hired to go to real estate events and act like foreigners and famous people. Many of these people can earn $1,000 (£750) each week for a certain task or event.
Bicycle Fisher
The world's capital city with the best cycling infrastructure is Amsterdam. It should come as no surprise that many of these two-wheelers find themselves in a canal, giving rise to a new line of work known as bicycle fishing. An estimated 14,000 rusted bikes are pulled out of Amsterdam's rivers each year.
Professional Mermaid
Wait a second. Do mermaids in fact exist? Maybe professionally, they do. These are certified mermaids who perform at events and instruct others on how to swim like one. At birthday celebrations, they can make about $300 (£230) per hour.
This is extremely common where I live in Florida, US. Weeki-Wachee mermaids get a breath through air tubes during their performances, then hold their breath while performing.
Intimacy Coordinator
You might have questioned how a love scene was arranged if you've ever seen a movie with one. Were the acts mentioned in the script? The intimacy coordinator, who provides guidance on the ideal scene and what is best for the performers in the event of simulated sexual intercourse or even a kiss, put it all together.
I've always wondered why tf people agree to have themselves uhhhhh... Loving each other on screen where everyone can see. I would feel ridiculous with the camera there and to know it was all an act.
Teddy Bear Surgeon
The title should actually be "Teddy Bear Repair Technician," but "surgeon" seems so much more appealing. It's this technician's job to sew arms, legs, and eyeballs back on "damaged" teddy bears in every major Build-A-Bear retailer. Additionally, there are numerous separate teddy bear hospitals. Basically, being able to sew is one of the necessary abilities. A teddy bear would be brought to the hospital if the person had the patience to cope with such a person.
Human Alarm Clocks
A company called Daily Wake Up Call can assist you in waking up each morning by allocating a real live person to do it. In addition to waking up their "bosses," human alarm clocks also call them to remind them of their daily obligations and timetables. The business has entered a highly lucrative industry that enables them to benefit from the bustle of others. And what difficulty can there possibly be in calling folks each morning to inform them of their daily tasks?
Fake Wedding Guest
These are guests who are paid to show up at weddings in order to make the occasion appear busy and give the bride, groom, or both a positive social image. Some couples would even go as far as to include fictitious guests in their entire wedding party.
Adult Toy Tester
Adult toy testers are employed to evaluate the novelty, aesthetic appeal, and utility of prototypes or new adult toy goods. Toy testers for adults can earn about $25 (£19) per hour.
Scuba Diving Pizza Delivery Man
If the existence of an underwater hotel in Florida wasn't odd enough, they also have a scuba diver who delivers pizza to them by swimming through the water, carrying it in a watertight case.
Cuidacarro
When you park your automobile in Costa Rica, you'll run into a cuidacarro. It's not as difficult as it sounds to do his job. A cuidacarro only watches your vehicle while you are away to prevent theft (unless he himself has taken a fancy to it).
Nail Polish Namer
Anyone who has ever painted their nails has certainly pondered where those distinctive—and even absurd—names for nail polish came from. It turns out that there isn't a single solution. Some businesses leave it up to the top executives to decide—Essie Weingarten of the well-known "Essie" brand once christened all of the brand’s nail polishes—while others hire creative experts from the advertising or marketing departments to handle the task.
Human Scarecrow
This may come as a surprise to you if you are familiar with scarecrows that are filled with straw. There are tales of people doing this as a job right now. They consistently chase the birds away while remaining in the spot of a fake scarecrow. One of the jobs you didn't know existed should be this one.
Hippotherapist
Hippotherapy literally translates as "treatment with the aid of the horse." You use horses' movement and therapeutic qualities to assist human patients in overcoming speech, physical, or mental health issues. But having experience with them and loving them is insufficient. Before you can specialize in this area, you must meet the requirements and obtain licensure as a physical therapist, occupational therapist, or speech-language pathologist.
I used to volunteer at a hippotherapy program. I was a horse-leader and followed the instructions on gait, speed, stopping and turning from the therapist during the session. I also held the horse steady while the participant was mounting or dismounting the horse. Hippotherapy is actually pretty demanding of the therapist, they would be a little tired out after the sessions.
Dice Quality Inspector
Unbeknownst to most people, dice need to have very precise dimensions and weight balances in order for you to have a reasonable probability of seeing any of the numbers face up when you roll a die. Any game you play with a die is inherently rigged since even the slightest imbalance can change the probabilities and alter the outcome. How can you guarantee that every die you produce is flawless? It is often the responsibility of a Dice Quality Inspector to conduct expert quality control tests to ensure that the dice adhere to all specifications. The dice won't be packaged until they have passed inspection and are deemed suitable for sale.
I would do this job so I could shout “NO DICE!!” when any of them failed.
Keeper Of The Cup (The Stanley Cup)
The National Hockey League winning club receives the Stanley Cup each year. There are no backups available in case the original Stanley Cup trophy is damaged. It is a sizable, extremely expensive cup. Due to the significance of the Stanley Cup, a "Keeper of the Cup" is always employed to guard the trophy and travel with it wherever it goes. Consider it a trophy for watching children.
What Are The Most Unstable Jobs?
Just because the weirdest jobs are unique doesn’t mean they are safe from disappearing. Actually, in the course of history, a lot of jobs disappeared. The most unstable jobs are the first to be on the chopping block. However, don’t confuse them with the BS jobs. They at least had some importance to society.
The majority of the weirdest jobs will, at some point, stop existing. Costs and negative factors will outweigh the economic benefits they bring. It’s the sad truth that a lot of jobs will face. Writing, painting, and so on will join the list of some of the weirdest jobs that pay well once AI picks up speed.
Feng Shui Consultant
Sometimes, one must connect with the inner self - with the spirit within you. In the eastern countries of Asia, it is usually called Chi. People hire feng shui professionals to arrange their residences, workplaces, gardens, and condominiums. Per consultation, you can easily earn $500 to $1,000 (£380 to £750).
Dog Surfing Instructor
Unbelievable as it may seem, there is a market for teaching dogs to surf. Professionals are hired to instruct owners and their pets in surfing. Additionally, instructors who specialize in teaching dogs can make about $13 (£10) per hour.
Train Pusher
You should see the trains in Japan if you think the London Underground is bad. The purpose of "Oshiyas" is to push passengers onto a train as quickly as possible by pushing them from outside until the doors close.
If it requires experience, you could start in a sardine cannery and then work your way up.
Soap Boiler
A soap boiler is what? In this job, fat is converted into neat soap, which is utilized to make bars and powders. Boilers for soap can earn $20 (£15) per hour.
Full-Time Netflix Viewer
Imagine receiving a daily salary to watch TV! For one fortunate employee, this wish has come true. To assist us viewers find the exact program we're looking for, whether it's a romantic crime movie based on classic literature or a clever talking-animal TV show, Netflix has employed someone to watch all of their content before it is made available to the general public.
How do we know his opinions meet my highly experienced TV show watching views? This is likened to a ‘critic’ of any other profession. I just don’t see a way to be that objective in every genre to be able to have a valid broad opinion for the masses. Case in point - I love music, many genres. But I can tell you, don’t ask me to opine on pop country or techno. I simply cannot be objective enough to judge these 2 types of music. TV/movies….again, I’m pretty broad….I have my favorite genres, but Anime or reality shows….you aren’t going to get an unbiased pov from me.
Water Slide Tester
Water slide testers evaluate the fun and safety of the water slides in resorts, amusement parks, and hotels. Just picture how wonderful it would be to show up for work each day.
All fun and games until there's actually something wrong with the slide
Professional Hitchhikers
The idea of hitchhiking is completely upside down in this situation. Professional hitchhikers are paid to ride in strangers' automobiles in Jakarta, Indonesia's capital. One of the strangest jobs is this one. Jakarta's poor infrastructure is to blame for the terrible traffic in the city. Three-in-one zones, which may only be accessible by cars carrying three passengers, were created by traffic officials to cut down on traffic bottlenecks. Poor Indonesians from Jakarta's outskirts are therefore seen waiting up on the route to hitchhike and expedite the driver's travel.
What happens if one person gets out, and you only have 2 in a three-in-one zone?
Golf Ball Diver
Ever wonder what happens to all the golf balls that fall into the water? These balls are located by golf ball divers, who then bring them back to the course so they can be cleaned and used once more. Consequently, if you enjoy diving, this odd job would be perfect for you, and you might make about $200 (£150) every day.
Marmite Taster
People often claim that you either love something or despise it, and in St. John Skelton's case, he really takes that statement to heart. He works with a team of marmite tasters to ensure that every batch of marmite has the proper flavor, texture, and consistency. He has consumed almost 3,000 jars of the substance during his thirty years of employment there!
Professional Paint-Dry Watcher
Ever have a job that was only somewhat more enjoyable than watching paint dry? In fact, there is a job that requires waiting for paint to dry. The main responsibility of the post is to paint cardboard sheets to test new paint's mixing capabilities and drying times.
Warden Of The Swans
Christopher Perrins, an emeritus fellow at Wolfson College in Oxford, holds this bizarre position, which is part-time. Swans on the Thames are counted every year by Perrins. Even though she only used her right of possession in the Windsor area, the Queen technically owned them all, therefore it matters to someone how many there are. If you believe that this is an outdated post that has no relevance today, you are mistaken. It was only made in 1993 after the Keeper of the Swans position was split into two positions due to concerns that it was too demanding.
Detecting Landmines With Rodents
The sad aftermath of any global conflict will most commonly be the harmful landmines. As millions of mines were buried during the Vietnam war, actions were taken to eliminate most of them and rodents, with their handlers, were tasked to fulfill this vital duty for a handsome reward.
Airplane Painter
Old airplane paintings must be updated with modern designs by an aviation painter. By doing this, individuals can earn about $20 (£15) per hour.