There are definitely some crazy weird jobs out there! I guess the weirdest thing I’ve ever been employed for is a meteorite hunter. Sounds odd, but it’s got nothing on this list of the top 10 weirdest jobs in the world!
Not all of these jobs are available all over the world. Some are specific to some pretty weird situations, while others fit in with some distant traditional cultures. But one thing they have in common is they’re all things I’m sure you never expected you could get paid to do.
So, let’s take an in-depth look at the strangest jobs you can do – maybe one of them is your dream job!
Top 10 Weirdest Jobs in The World
10 Car Sitter
While in developed countries, this is a pretty weird-sounding job, in the developing world, car sitters are far more common than you might think. These automobile babysitters, called “cuidacarros” in Costa Rica. “Khon rap jang fao rot” in Thailand.
Basically, they stake out claims around festivals and other busy events. Simply set up an area, then compete to wave you into their parking spots. And for about $0.50, they make sure nobody robs your car while you’re out. It’s sort of a scam because they set up on public streets, but they really do provide a real service – security for your car while you go out and have fun!
9 Bicycle Fishers (Amsterdam)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrxfT5EQxgI
Amsterdam is a city famous for many things, from <ahem> coffee shops to canals. But one really unique feature of this city is just how many people use bicycles to get around.
The city is very flat and full of bike lanes and car-free bike paths, so it’s no wonder people use them to commute to school and work, and even just to do their grocery shopping.
What on earth is ‘bicycle tossing’…
But the combination of bikes with canals has created a really unique job – bicycle fishers. Using a boat that has a crane with a giant claw on it, these city workers pull bikes out of the canals daily. While some are blown in by gusts of wind, most find their way into the water following late-night revels. Apparently, bike tossing is pretty big in the Netherlands – who knew?
8 Professional Sleeper
Most of us would get fired or at least seriously reprimanded for sleeping on the job. But in this ultra-weird career, it’s totally the opposite. A professional sleeper is paid to sleep, but there’s, of course, always a catch.
They’re usually hired by mattress and pillow manufacturers, and hotels, and of course, they don’t only sleep. Their job is to give feedback about their sleep experiences with products or places, so they have to be great communicators and provide useful commentary.
Sleep for NASA…
Of course, some sleeping jobs are extra special. NASA once paid test subjects $18,000 to sleep for 70 days. People were asked to lay down most of the time on angled beds to help simulate a 70-day space flight. Unfortunately, staying in bed all the time can cause muscle atrophy, so if you’re thinking dream job, I’d say stick to testing pillows!
7 Professional Shocker (Toques Vendors)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2-83oeC0NA
Now, this is my kind of dream job! Imagine getting paid to shock people or whole groups of people with electricity? It would make me feel like Doctor Frankenstein!
In Mexico, and especially in Mexico City, toques is a common game to play with friends on a night out (and no, Canadians, I’m not talking about woolen hats!).
The game is pretty simple…
The toques vendor lets you hold onto two electrodes, then runs a current through it, giving you a mild but definitely uncomfortable electric shock. You can play individually to see how long you can hold on, or hold hands in a group and see who gives up first.
I don’t know about you, but spending my evenings electrocuting drunk people is what my high school career counselor told me I was best suited for!
6 Wedding Guest for Hire
I have to be honest. This job kind of blew my mind! It seems that instead of fighting off wedding crashers, in South Korea, it’s possible instead to hire wedding guests.
It seems that in this highly competitive, highly “show-offy” society, everything you do is strictly judged and evaluated. That includes everything from how your dress to the car you drive to the phone you use. And it can include how many people are at your wedding.
Only about $20 a wedding…
So if you’re a bride or groom with only a small circle of friends, you can hire wedding guests to flesh out your numbers. Guests charge only about $20 a wedding because they only have to show up and be there for a little while, and they can probably get free food out of the whole thing. At that price, why not?
5 Professional Mourner
Obviously, this is even weirder than hiring people you don’t know to join you in celebrating your wedding day. But the reasons for hiring professional mourners are sometimes the same as hiring wedding guests.
Some people don’t have a lot of friends or family, and others are just horrible, and nobody likes them. So if your family wants to make it look like you were a respected pillar of the community, they can hire professional mourners to join in the weeping and wailing.
China and India…
However, in some places like China and India, being a professional mourner is a well-known and even respected vocation since the days of old. Of course, it has its challenges like every job. The biggest occupational hazard is losing your voice from all that wailing. Still, I’ve had worse gigs!
4 Girlfriend/Boyfriend, Partner for Hire
We all know about hiring <ahem again> sexual partners, but that’s not what I’m talking about here. Leave it to the ultra-hard-working Japanese to run out of time for romantic partners.
But if you have a hankering for some company, or if you just want to stop your mom from worrying about you, why not rent a girl or boyfriend?
No hanky-panky allowed…
These girlfriends– and boyfriends-for-hire allow busy professionals to enjoy semi-romantic company when they need it with no strings attached. OK, I guess the purse strings are attached, but that’s it. It’s almost like dating but with no obligation at the end, and also definitely no hanky-panky.
A partner can also be hired to attend a social event with you, so you don’t feel single and awkward. If you really need some human contact, you can also hire a professional cuddler to sleep with you overnight or even just for an hour. Only spooning allowed, mind you.
3 Chicken Sexer
Ick! Don’t be gross? Whatever you were thinking, that’s not it.
The global chicken industry is absolutely enormous, with billions of birds born and slaughtered each year. That means billions of eggs and billions of chicks, too. And sorry boys, but here’s the bad news – female chickens are in high demand for breeding and for producing eggs.
Most of the cocks don’t ever grow up to crow – male chicks are mostly “discarded” as a byproduct of the industry! Since male chicks aren’t worth anything and are mouths to feed, the industry employs chicken sexers to weed them out.
Just one job…
A chicken sexer has just one job – to separate male and female chicks as quickly and accurately as possible. There are some differences, apparently, and if you can tell them apart accurately, this is actually a decent-paying job.
2 Pet Food Taster
I had a friend growing up who used to eat dog food for free. I wonder if he’s getting paid to do it now? As a pet food taster, your job is simple. Eat some pet food, usually for dogs and cats, and give your opinions.
“Why!?” is a bit of a more difficult question to answer. Dog and cats can be quite picky about their food based on the ingredients in it, how cooked it is, what the final texture is, etc. The problem is, if they don’t like it, they just don’t eat it and never tell you why.
Taste and texture…
Enter the pet food taster. While the food you give your dog might not be all that appetizing, it’s probably made from mostly the same things that humans eat. So a pet food taster can try it, indicate any serious problems, and even explain the intricacies of the taste and texture.
Come on; it can’t be that bad a job – free food!
1 Zombie
I guess it makes sense. You start out getting paid to sleep, then move up to being a professional shocker, and the only logical step from there is a zombie!
And it turns out that being a zombie is a pretty good gig. The past 20 years or so have fed us tons of zombie apocalypse TV and movies, and a global virus pandemic helped, too. Zombies are now one of the most popular monsters around, thanks to their lurching steps, their oozing grossness, and their penchant for brains.
Enroll in zombie school…
Why not, then, try for a job as a pro? TV shows and movies are constantly putting out casting calls for actors who can play convincing zombies, so it could be a specialty worth considering. The London Bridge Experience (yep, in London) hires zombies annually and offers a salary of about $41,000, and that’s nothing to sniff at, is it?
You may have to hit up a zombie school to get the moves right, but once you’ve got into this niche area, you’ll be surprised how much work there is for the living dead.
Even Weird Jobs Need A Resume!
In this day and age, who knows, but it’s best to be prepared! So, check out my resume advice on How To Address A Cover Letter, Job Titles On Resume, the Most Important Skills To Put On A Resume, Achievements To List On Your Resume, What Motivates You, or how about How To List Education On A Resume, Hobbies Interests To Put On Resume, How To Write A Letter of Interest, and of course the Most Important Skills To Put On A Resume.
But if you’re still feeling lost, we found some superb online advice with the Resume Format Guide, How to Write an Amazing IT Resume, how to Optimize Your Resume: DOs and DON’Ts the SamNova Way, the Resume Formats book, English for Academic CVs, Resumes, and Online Profiles, and Land Your Dream Job: Join the 2% Who Make it Past Resumé Screening, Resume Writing: 10 Ridiculously Simple Tips available online in 2023.
For creating an outstanding Linkedin profile, you’ll want to check out our Best Linkedin Profile Tips, Best Linkedin Recommendation Examples, and the Expert Resumes and Linkedin Profiles for Managers & Executives.
We also recommend reading up on CVs, Resumes, and LinkedIn: A Guide to Professional English, the LinkedIn For Dummies, Marketing Yourself in the Age of Digital: CVs, Applications, Interviews, Social Media, LinkedIn, or maybe How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile… And 18 Mistakes to Avoid, LinkedIn Profile Optimization For Dummies, as well as LinkedIn Riches: How To Use LinkedIn For Business, Sales and Marketing!, or Ignite Your LinkedIn Profile available online today.
Final Thoughts
So that’s my rundown of the strangest jobs in the world. Some are just quirky, while others are downright bizarre and make me question some of the core values of society at large! If you have a job that you think is even weirder, I’d love to know what it is.
As for me, I think I’ll try to combine some of these to see what happens. Would you leave your car with someone eating dog food and trying to shock you? Perhaps you want to hire me to go on a date with you dressed as a zombie?
But I am not, I repeat, not, messing around with chickens!
All the very best with your Weird Job hunting!