Rarely did such splendid hyperbole live up to promise. ‘The best job in the world’ went the headline: concise, all caps, XL font. Nothing clever. The position advertised was that of island caretaker; cleaning the pond, feeding the fish and collecting mails were among the job description. Perks included accommodation in a million-dollar villa, free transportation around the island and a pay package of A$ 100,000. Anyone could apply. Everyone did.
Chai wallah in the Himalayas
The 2009 campaign garnered about 40,000 applications from 200 countries. As far as the JD and perks went, it was indeed the best job in the whole world. The accompanying website was a drool, conjured up images of a modern-day Crusoe; probably the closest RL Stevenson would attend as office instead of being a bargee. But the bigger surprise was when the campaign was revealed to be a marketing gig for Queensland Tourism of Australia. Nevertheless it went on to become a rockstar in tourism promotional activities – generating over USD 200 million worth of publicity worldwide and carting away many coveted metals including a few from the Cannes. It has been the subject of documentaries and marketing studies since. And the reason behind some leaping off bridges for that eye-grabbing, list-shorting ‘why me’ video submissions; what if they were charge-sheeted.
Over the years the ‘best job’ has only gotten bigger and better: the campaign of 2013 saw six openings including the most-in-demand ‘Chief Funster,’ and ‘Taste Master’ and the applicant number swelling to nearly 10 times from the first edition. From just Queensland it has come to cover most of the continent-country.
In India tourism there have been a few marketing initiatives that went beyond your average print-and-television thinking. The Kerala Blog Express is a rare good one. But for most other states tourism marketing does not go much farther than press conferences, hosting bloggers for an event or the occasional photography and other contests organised through social media pages. Why creating some ‘best jobs’ for India would be a good idea. After all, nothing amplifies interest or enhances interactivity like a potential job offer: one reason attributed to the success of the original ‘best job’ campaign was its timing – the world was reeling under a recession in 2009. Not much has changed in the global scenario since then and ‘make in India’ is still underway.
Of course, it’d be possible only if the respective state tourism departments or the umbrella Incredible India body can chip in with the necessary permissions and some remuneration. This list is not comprehensive by any means – just consider it as a take-off point from where some really rad and effective ones can be landed.
All positions also require the winner to mandatorily update the designated page on the tourism website / blog with daily accounts and photographs.
Chinese nets manager
Priced catches
Position: Chinese fishing net manager
Responsibilities: Aid visitors’ understanding of the 500-year old cantilevered heritage with the help and support of locals. Collect pre-determined charges from tourists who want to sponsor a ‘dip’ and ensure that they get the catch. Alternately reimburse them adequately if they don’t want anything to do with the fish. Or hold yourself back if they just want to throw it back into the Arabian Sea.
Work area: Fort Kochi, Kerala
The World Wonder is just one
Position advertised: Guide to the unseen Agra
Responsibilities: Find out for yourself that there is more to Agra than the Taj Mahal. Some cues include the Red Taj and Mariam’s Tomb. Talk about them. Give directions to interested travellers, maybe even escort some of them personally. And see the added amazement in their eyes.
Work areas: Agra, Uttar Pradesh.
Why trek past when you can set shop?
Position advertised: Chai wallah in the Himalayas
Responsibilities: Sell tea, biscuits and other snacks to trekkers and locals. Ensure everyone uses the designated bins for trash. Instilling the habit would be handy. Organise weekend clean up drives with nearby villagers and tourists at hand.
Work areas: Popular trekking routes of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
River guides
What floats your boat…
Position: River and waterfall guide
Responsibilities: Taking tourists across picturesque rivers and waterfalls with the help of local boatmen. Involve locals in assigning rates to different types and duration of trips – and convince the community about the long-term benefits of a cohesive tariff plan. Nicely make everyone adhere to it. Put together task forces to comb the banks and beaches for plastic and other waste.
Work areas: Wherever there are rivers and waterfalls.
Calling modern day explorers
Position: New interest and itinerary developers
Responsibilities: From unearthing little known destinations or developing 3D bas relief programmes or devising new safari and trekking routes, you will be part of an elite team helping the central and state governments in designing new tourist interest activities and discovering new destinations.
Work areas: All over India
The regulars, but with a twist: For those looking to swell the ranks of nine-to-five, replete with pretty packages, there are the usual openings in IT or ITES across major metro cities. The lux-abnegating, selfless (read ‘unpaid’) voluntourist too has many options in a global south like India. But his stints with the rural communities has to be tweaked a bit to add some lustre to a fast fading sheen – and meaning – of voluntourism. Thus community teaching can be conducted in classrooms that are lying unused, or being used for anything but study – one can find plenty of them in Himalayan and central Indian hinterlands. This way attention can be brought to the plight of students in villages with schools where the teacher never turns up but draws his salaries sitting comfortable in his kirana store in the nearby town.
Voluntary construction of village halls and other public amenities has to be undertaken with earthquake-resistant materials – throwing light on the seismic danger that seems to strike at random these days. Being tucked away in the Himalayas is no more a guarantee for safety from furious temblors. Those good-hearted adventurers who ride motor bikes and camels into interior mountain and desert villages to donate medicines should try and find the wherewithal to set up proper clinics even if basic. Doctors from towns and cities should be attracted with opportunities to volunteer. This will not just bring primary healthcare to long-neglected areas but also ensure the safer disbursement of medicines.
Sounds like another ‘best job’ btw.
The best operate anywhere.
