Looking for a career change? Or are you a new graduate wondering what the heck what's next? I have the job for you. Pack your bags. The China Giant Panda Protection and Research Center in Ya'an, China is now recruiting caretakers. Your job duties will include hanging out and hugging and cuddling with pandas.
The World's Best Job Is Hiring: Panda Nanny
PANDAS, PEOPLE. Find your calling as a panda nanny. According to organizers, as a caretaker, you'll be tasked with "spending 365 days with the pandas and sharing in their joys and sorrows." Basically, you'll get paid to play with cute animals and be their best friend. It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it.
Maybe you'll get to push a panda down a slide:
The position pays 200,000 yuan ($32,000) a year, and includes free meals, transit and accommodations.
According to the recruiters' requirements, applicants should be at least 22 years old and have some basic knowledge of pandas. They should also have good writing skills and the ability to take pictures. I can do all these things. Forget this freaking blog. I'm moving to China to play with pandas.
"Many people at our center do the same job, but the salary was never that high," said Heng Yi, a publicity official at the panda center. "But we want more people to pay attention to giant pandas' protection work and participate."
The campaign will also recruit eight panda observers for a free three-day trip to the Bifengxia base.
Volunteers at the center, who account for 80 percent of the base's staff, are mostly from Japan, Europe and the United States, Heng said.
Ye Mingxin, a market manager for Ford Motor Co in China, a co-organizer of the recruitment campaign, said he does not think the job is easy.
"You need perseverance for this job. We expect that the applicants will be mainly white-collar workers from big cities. They are used to eating whatever they want, but inside the giant panda base, the choices will not be plentiful," Ye said.
The center is accepting applications now through July 15 at fun.sohu.com.
It beats grad school.
More here: Panda base on the hunt for caretakers