Across the globe, there are many weird jobs being performed. Some of them keep a significant number of folks employed, while other strange jobs are helping many people add some more money to their wallets.
But what are some of the most bizarre jobs around? Does it involve attending a funeral? What about milking snakes? Being a mermaid? And, most importantly, do they pay well? Let's just say that the next major job will be doing nothing and still getting paid!
We have compiled a guide of the 30 weirdest jobs in the world that could help tide you over until you’ve completed your job search.
If you prefer to watch along, check out our video instead:
1. Paranormal guide
Earning potential: $40 (£30) per hour
Believe it or not, there are jobs for paranormal guides in the United States and all over Europe. Essentially, you take a short course for about four to six weeks and become a guide. Then you lead tours through haunted homes, castles and mansions. You can make around $30–$40 (£22–£30) an hour exploring the unusual.
2. Milking snakes
Earning potential: $5,000 (£3,800) per month
There are jobs for milking snake venom in zoos, pharmaceutical companies, and academic research institutions. The reason for milking snake venom is to develop an anti-venom because thousands of people in Africa and India die from poisonous snake bites. The job pays anywhere from $2,000–$5,000 (£1,500–£3,800) a month.
3. Detecting landmines with rodents
Earning potential: $10 (£7.50) per day
During the Vietnam war, there were millions of landmines planted in the jungles of Laos and Cambodia, and some are still lurking underground. Cambodia imports large African rats with an extraordinary sense of smell. They can sniff out TNT better than any other animal. The rodent gets his favourite meal as a reward, and the handler makes $10 (£7.50) a day.
4. Dog food taster
Earning potential: $40,000 (£30,200) per year
There are approximately 90 million pet dogs in America. Since dogs cannot tell us what their food tastes like, dog food tasters are used to ensure the food that’s prepared for dogs is of high quality and taste. Dog food tasters work with all types of dog foods and treats. On average, they can make about $40,000 (£30,200) a year.
5. Feng Shui consultant
Earning potential: $1,000 (£750) per consult
The Chinese art of Feng Shui focuses on energy flow or Chi, and the right flow of energy is important for wellness, beauty, health and good fortune. People utilise Feng Shui experts to arrange their home, office, garden or condo. The Feng Shui consultant offers advice on lights, colour, and direction of energy flow. You can easily make $500–$1,000 (£380–£750) per consult.
6. Odour sniffer
Earning potential: $25 (£19) per hour
There is a multibillion-dollar fragrance industry making all types of perfume, deodorants, and cosmetic products. They employ odour sniffers who make sure that the product smells nice and also determine and confirm how long the fragrance lasts. Odour sniffers can make anywhere from $20–$25 (£15–£19) an hour.
7. Professional snuggler
Earning potential: $40 (£30) per hour
Professional snugglers offer comfort to people who feel lonely, depressed, have medical problems or have suffered severe past traumatic events. Becoming a professional cuddler is not difficult, but you have to have empathy, good ethics and morals. Cuddlers often advertise their business online and get paid anywhere from $20–$40 (£15–£30) per hour.
8. Intimacy coordinator
Earning potential: Unknown
If you’ve ever watched a motion picture that contained a love scene, you may have wondered how it was planned. Were the actions noted in the screenplay? Well, it was put together by an intimacy coordinator, someone who advises on the best scene and what is best for the actors in the event of simulated sexual intercourse or even a kiss.
9. Movie watcher
Earning potential: $15 (£11) per hour
Many streaming companies hire people to watch and rate TV shows and movies. They only release them if they are highly rated. You do not need any experience to be a movie watcher but must be able to tell the difference between a good movie and a bad one. The pay scale is not high and varies from $12–$15 (£9–£11) an hour. Whatever the case, it is safe to say that this is a dream job for most people.
10. Professional mourner
Earning potential: $100 (£75) per session
In some cultures, hiring professional mourners is not unusual. When an important person dies but has no friends, the family will hire professional mourners to participate in the funeral ceremony. The goal is to enhance the reputation of the deceased. These folks can make anywhere from $40–$100 (£30–£75) per session and also participate in the post-funeral eating ceremony.
11. Professional bridesmaid
Earning potential: $7,000 (£5,300) per month
The professional bridesmaid works for the bride. The work involves dress selection, fitting, shopping, arranging the bachelorette party, creating a registry for gifts and many other wedding-related things. While it requires no training, the person must know all the ins and outs of what goes on before a wedding. Professional bridesmaids can easily make up to $7,000 (£5,300) a month.
12. Iceberg mover
Earning potential: $20,000 (£15,000) per year
They track the location of icebergs and provide safe routes around them. They may also have to tow the iceberg out of a particular area. The idea came about after the Titanic tragedy in 1911 and has no doubt stopped many other tragedies from happening. The salary estimate? Your typical iceberg mover earns about $20,000 (£15,000) a year.
13. Dog surfing instructor
Earning potential: $13 (£10) per hour
Believe it or not, there is a demand to teach dogs to surf. Professionals are paid to teach dogs — and their owners — to surf. There are also instructors who teach dogs exclusively that can earn roughly $13 (£10) an hour.
14. Professional mermaid
Earning potential: $300 (£230) per hour
Wait a minute. Mermaids really exist? Well, perhaps professionally. These are licensed mermaids who perform at parties and teach others to swim like a mermaid. They can make around $300 (£230) per hour at birthday parties.
15. Face feelers
Earning potential: $25 (£19) per hour
These are sensory scientists who use their hands to judge the effectiveness of skin products like lotions, facial cleaners and razors. It requires some training, but these sensory scientists can make up to $25 (£19) per hour feeling different faces.
16. Professional foreigner
Earning potential: $1,000 (£750) per week
These are professionals who are paid to put on a suit and shake hands with important businessmen. They are sometimes paid to attend real-estate events and pose as foreigners and celebrities. Many of these individuals can make $1,000 (£750) a week for a particular assignment or event.
17. Professional line stander
Earning potential: $1,000 (£750) per week
A professional line stander will do exactly what the job title states: wait in line for other people. A job that’s useful during major events like Black Friday or new product launches, such as an iPhone release. They can make around $1,000 (£750) a week.
18. Fortune cookie writer
Earning potential: $40,000 (£30,200) per year
Perhaps your next lucrative career was right in front of you all along: a fortune cookie writer. They are freelancers or in-house writers who come up with creative and interesting fortunes for fortune cookies. These people can make around $40,000 (£30,200) a year.
19. Soap boiler
Earning potential: $20 (£15) per hour
What is a soap boiler? This is an occupation involves turning fat into neat soap, which is used for bars and powders. Soap boilers can make $20 (£15) per hour.
20. Human statue
Earning potential: $100 (£75) per hour
A human statue is a unique job that pays quite well if you find the right employment opportunity. The position is as the title states: you are a live mannequin draped in paint or clothes. Some retailers will hire a human statue to model apparel or add some uniqueness to their business, and some will pay handsomely for it! A human statue can earn roughly $100 (£75) per hour by simply standing still.
21. Aeroplane painter
Earning potential: $20 per hour
An aeroplane painter is responsible for refreshing the paintwork of old airplanes with fresh designs. People can make around $20 (£15) per hour doing this.
22. Dinkey operator
Earning potential: $24 (£18) per hour
What in the blue moon is a dinkey operator? Well, they work with dinkey engines — mostly within the rail industry — operating power controls and levels to transport timber, coal and rock. Dinkey operators can make around $24 (£18) per hour.
23. Golf ball diver
Earning potential: $200 (£150) per day
Have you ever wondered where all the golf balls go when they land in the water? Golf ball divers are hired to retrieve these balls and return them to the grounds to be cleaned and used again at a later date. So if you enjoy diving, this is a weird job that would be great for you, and you could earn around $200 (£150) per day.
24. Thief hunter
Earning potential: $50,000 (£37,100) per year
When the police cannot solve a crime, who are you going to call? A thief hunter. That's right. If you are a victim of petty crime or a pick-pocketer, a thief hunter will be sure to catch the culprit by utilising a broad array of tricks and tools to ensure they return your property. If you have an interest in working with criminals, you could earn around $50,000 (£37,100) per year.
25. Pet food tester
Earning potential: $27,000 per year
Sure, a human food tester is a common job. But a pet food tester? Indeed, eating dog kibble or a cat's salmon entrée may not sound delicious for most people, but the main role of a pet food tester is to test the pet food’s nutritional value, write reports and find ways of enhancing the food for our furry friends. Evidently, without too many candidates, the pay is generous. So, grab a bacon-wrapped chicken-flavoured puppy treat and start applying! If you’re successful, you could earn around $27,000 (£20,000) per year.
26. Online dating ghostwriter
Earning potential: $900 (£670) per month
Many people are desperate for love, which is clear by the wide variety of online dating websites and the millions of profiles. But not everyone can sell themselves to the hunk or the beauty, so some will outsource their online dating profile writing to a professional. Enter: the online dating ghostwriter. The salary will vary depending on your writing skills, but you can average around $900 (£670) a month.
27. Professional paint-dry watcher
Earning Potential: $40,000 (£29,700) per year
Have you ever had a job that was about as fun as watching paint dry? There is a professional occupation that actually involves watching paint dry. The crux of the position is to paint sheets of cardboard and determine how the new paint mixes and the length of time it takes to dry.
28. Paper towel sniffer
Earning potential: $52,000 (£38,600) per year
Let's be honest: the most important thing for you when purchasing six rolls of paper towel is their aroma. But there are new heroes out there who will ensure that paper towel manufacturers produce high-quality products without a putrid smell — the paper towel sniffer. Not all heroes wear capes, but if you enjoy sniffing pieces of paper, then you could earn $52,000 (£38,600) for the privilege.
29. Adult toy tester
Earning potential: $25 (£19) per hour
Adult toy testers are hired to test prototypes or new sex toy products to determine whether they are fun, visually appealing and useful. Sex toy testers can make around $25 (£19) per hour.
30. Fake wedding guest
Earning potential: $2,500 (£1,900) per wedding
They are people who are paid to attend a wedding so that the event seems populated and the bride or groom — or both — can project a good reputation and popularity within their social circle. Some couples will go as far as filling their entire wedding party with fake wedding guests.
Final thoughts
So, are you interested in making a career change or earning a few extra dollars a month? These may not be the most glamourous employment opportunities, but some of these weird jobs either remain in demand or are beginning to become lucrative endeavours, particularly for lazy people! Be it feeling faces or standing in line, there is always some avenue to explore to earn a living.
Have you ever considered changing careers to something quite bizarre? Let’s see who has the weirdest job!
This article is an updated version of an earlier article originally published on 22 November 2017. Currency conversions are based on rates supplied by XE.com on 13 December 2021.