For those who love the thrill of waterslides, this is an enviable job. You travel the globe, testing waterslides at theme parks and rating them. Judging involves the 'thrill factor', the size of the splash at the end, as well as any safety issues. In 2013, First Choice Holidays advertised for someone to fill this role, and received 2,000 applications. The winner was Sebastian Smith, who now travels the world testing waterslides. He has an annual salary of 20,000 pounds.
3. Celebrity social media manager
Hanging out with celebrities, walking the red carpet and showing up to decadent events are all a part of the celebrity social media manager's role. Major celebrities, who can have millions of followers on Twitter and Instagram and likers on Facebook have fans waiting to hear about their every move and this is where a social media manager steps in.
Posting photos, greetings and general conversation, they keep stars in the public eye - an important part of being a modern-day celebrity.
Read: More about the life of LaQuish Wright, a celebrity social media manager.
4. Chief 'Funster'
Another promotion by Australian Tourism saw the appointment of Andrew Smith to travel around New South Wales having as much fun as possible - as a VIP. Going to events, skydiving and going to breweries are all a part of his job, which is to uncover 802,000 moments of fun - one for each square kilometre of the state.
Read: More about Andrew Smith and his role.
5. FIFA World Cup blogger
Attending the world's most popular football tournament is only a dream for many, but Titanbet is offering one lucky person a month's salary, paid airfares, hotel and goodies to attend the 2014 FIFA World Cup and to blog and tweet about the experience.
There's still three days left to apply for the role, and judging from the small numbers on their Facebook page, applicants should have a good chance to win.
Visit: The Titanbet website.
6. Luxury travel reviewer
If living the life of the rich and famous, while travelling the world for a year, sounds appealing, then this could be the ultimate job. Luxury Travel Intelligence, which also owns the Very First To website, advertised for a reviewer to join their company and enjoy up to $1 million worth of travel in five star hotels and resorts. Applicants required discretion, social skills, a love of travel, and appreciation of fine wine and food, culture and entertainment.
Visit: The Very First To website
7. LEGO builder
Lego has provided children with many hours of fun for the last eight decades, but for 12 lucky people, they get paid to create Lego sculptures as adults. While they are not employed by Lego, they run successful businesses as Lego Certified Professionals building sculptures for science centres, museums and art galleries.
Visit: The Lego Certified Professionals Facebook page
8. Face feeler
For those who love to touch and feel another person, becoming a professional face feeler might be the ultimate job. When razor companies claim that they make men's faces feel smoother than ever before, they rely on a face feeler to check their claims. After a man has shaved, the face feeler will run fingers along the jawline, the lips, and chin and back of the head to check how smooth the shave is. After rating it, they wash their hands and move on to the next person.
9. Mermaid
Mermaids are the stuff of little girls' dreams, but you can actually be a mermaid when you grow up. Weeki Wachee Spring opened in 1947 and has 35 mermaid positions available. They must spend large portions of the day under water, performing acrobatic acts and posing for visitors.
Watch: The story of three real-life mermaids
10. Master sommelier
A sommelier is trained in all things wine - from what wine is best for a meal, to what selection of wines a restaurant should choose and to train hospitality staff, with some becoming wine writers. With cutting edge knowledge of the wine industry, they are becoming increasingly popular in New Zealand as dining establishments realise the benefits of consulting with such experts.
Read: More about becoming a Master Sommelier
11. Looking after pandas
The China Giant Panda Protection and Research Centre in Ya'an, China is currently looking for panda caretakers. It comes with free meals and accommodation as well as an SUV and a salary of 200,000 Yuan. The role involves some writing and photography with one mission: "spending 365 days with the pandas and sharing in their joys and sorrows," organisers say. Applications close on July 15.
Read: More about the role of Panda Caretaker
- nzherald.co.nz
