Looking for a job that offers something different in the way of a challenge? Enjoy meeting people? Want to make a big splash in the world? An unusual employment opportunity awaits a female - or male - who knows how to swim well and be willing to do tank cleaning of the fish type.
The Rhyl SeaQuarium located in North Wales is currently seeking out a mermaid - or mer-man.
According to the the "employment opportunity" ad on the aquarium site under the title of "VACANCY – MERMAID/MERMAN":
"A unique and exciting opportunity has arisen (what an appropriate word for this story!) for a Mermaid or Mer-man within the Entertainments Team at the Rhyl SeaQuarium. Duties will include visitor presentations and demonstrations, photo opportunities with our visitors and Dive presentations."
This leads one to wonder how many if any, mermaids or mer-mans exist on this planet but then again, this isn't an issue since the person who gets the job will be wearing a costume, unless of course she or he is the real thing.
So to continue, the person who gets the job will be required to clean exhibits and take care of the animals in a 160,000 litre Ocean Display. Anyone reading this interested in submitting their application should have an outgoing personality, be able to communicate effectively with visitors and perform presentations to a wide range of age groups, both small and large.
This leads one to speculate the type of presentations a mermaid/mer-man would perform. Laze on a rock and sing sea-related ballads perhaps and/or swim around the tank with lots of tail swishing, for sure interacting with the sea creatures. Right now you're probably asking yourself what type of sea creatures are there? According to information on the site, there are more than 30 exhibits with species ranging from sea lions to lionfish, seahorses,sharks and rays. Presumably, the mermaid/mer-man would be required to swim with the fishes in the true sense of the word.
Furthermore, according to the information blurb, "they (whoever is hired) must be able to cope positively with the media interest and be comfortable with public appearance as well as being in front of a camera being photographed for visitor photo opportunities. Due to the public appearances, the successful applicant must be prepared to wear a Mermaid/Merman outfit, which will be specially made for the individual. They should also have a passion for marine life and be comfortable around many forms of marine life – including sharks"
Notice the dash and the two words at the end, "including sharks." Obviously - at least to moi - the seaquarium is aware that many people are hesitant when it comes to interacting with sharks. Fear of death springs to mind.
"Interested applicants should fill out the online application form and send their CV and cover letter to paul.tyson@seaquarium.co.uk expressing the reasons to why this role would suit you."
Closing date for applications is the November 5 and the successful candidate must be able to start on the 16th April 2011. BTW - the post is listed as a "temporary fixed term position initially for one week only with the possibility of an extension to a seasonal position till September 2011." Temporary fixed term position... So if I were to attempt translating this phrase, to moi, it means a post that will exist for a certain time period, in this case one week, but there is a chance that it could be extended. Slo in other words: this is not a career growth opportunity. Then again, perhaps few people would really want to work the rest of their lives dressed in a mermaid or mer-man suit, swimming around a tank doing...whatever a mermaid or mer-man does.
Any takers? What's a few sharks and rays anyway?
Showing posts with label jobs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jobs. Show all posts
Monday, November 01, 2010
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Wanted: witch - some experience would be helpful
Looking for a job that definitely could be classified as "different?"A tourist attraction, Wookey Hole, located near Wells, Somerset, England is advertising in the local Job Centre for a witch. Duties include teaching visitors about witchcraft and magic and the successful applicant should be a good cackler and not be allergic to cats. Sounds reasonable.
The person - it's open to both females and males - who replaces the current witch who retired, will receive a salary of £50,000 pro rata based on work during school holidays and weekends. The job duties will be focused on summer holidays including Halloween and Christmas.
Legend has it that the caves were home to the Wookey Witch who was turned to stone by Father Bernard who had been appointed by the Abbott of Glastonbury to rid villagers of her curse.
Right now you're probably asking yourselves how does one go about applying for this job?
Auditions for the role are being held on July 28 in front of a panel of judges who will assess applicants costume and character as well as the ability to perform witch tests.
Witch tests? As in curses and other witch stuff?
According to the people posting the vacancy:
- Interviews for the post will involve on-site assessment incorporating a range or standard tasks.
- Ambitious witches, looking for a key career move, should turn up dressed for work and bring any essential witch accoutrements.
- A limited range of potion ingredients will be available.
- We are witchless at the moment so we need to get the role filled as soon as possible.
- We are looking for someone who is friendly, a little mischievous and with lots of character.
No information regarding whether or not wands and/or brooms will be provided.
A photo of the current witch who is going into retirement can be found here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5769160/Witch-required-for-Wookey-Hole-Caves---must-be-able-to-cackle.html
The person - it's open to both females and males - who replaces the current witch who retired, will receive a salary of £50,000 pro rata based on work during school holidays and weekends. The job duties will be focused on summer holidays including Halloween and Christmas.
Legend has it that the caves were home to the Wookey Witch who was turned to stone by Father Bernard who had been appointed by the Abbott of Glastonbury to rid villagers of her curse.
Right now you're probably asking yourselves how does one go about applying for this job?
Auditions for the role are being held on July 28 in front of a panel of judges who will assess applicants costume and character as well as the ability to perform witch tests.
Witch tests? As in curses and other witch stuff?
According to the people posting the vacancy:
- Interviews for the post will involve on-site assessment incorporating a range or standard tasks.
- Ambitious witches, looking for a key career move, should turn up dressed for work and bring any essential witch accoutrements.
- A limited range of potion ingredients will be available.
- We are witchless at the moment so we need to get the role filled as soon as possible.
- We are looking for someone who is friendly, a little mischievous and with lots of character.
No information regarding whether or not wands and/or brooms will be provided.
A photo of the current witch who is going into retirement can be found here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5769160/Witch-required-for-Wookey-Hole-Caves---must-be-able-to-cackle.html
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Whoopee! The sounds of flatulence
I've frequently questioned some members of the scientific community in as far as their knack to acquire funding for - um - unusual experiments or studies. This one stinks - really!
An acoustics professor from the University of Salford is asking the public to rate the funniness of whoopee cushion sounds in order to advance human understanding of faux flatulence - and raise money for Comic Relief.
The professor, Trevor Cox, designed a website that features twenty whoopee cushion sounds. Each visitor hears six of these sounds, and is asked to grade them accord to the extent they make them laugh.
Okaaaaaay... Personally, I don't find flatulence amusing but then perhaps I'm in the minority.
I mean - c'mon - gimme a break! Like - who cares and more to the point, how much did the good professor receive for his study.
Here is the site the professor set up to listen to the sounds first-hand and if you feel so moved, vote: http://www.salford.ac.uk/news/details/831
Why anyone would be interested in studying this subject is also a good question.
An acoustics professor from the University of Salford is asking the public to rate the funniness of whoopee cushion sounds in order to advance human understanding of faux flatulence - and raise money for Comic Relief.
The professor, Trevor Cox, designed a website that features twenty whoopee cushion sounds. Each visitor hears six of these sounds, and is asked to grade them accord to the extent they make them laugh.
Okaaaaaay... Personally, I don't find flatulence amusing but then perhaps I'm in the minority.
I mean - c'mon - gimme a break! Like - who cares and more to the point, how much did the good professor receive for his study.
Here is the site the professor set up to listen to the sounds first-hand and if you feel so moved, vote: http://www.salford.ac.uk/news/details/831
Why anyone would be interested in studying this subject is also a good question.
Monday, May 26, 2008
There's gold in them thar California hills...again
Price of gas got you bloated? Running a little short of cash? You might consider visiting or even moving to California where there's a new Gold Rush, 160 years after gold fever struck.
It hit a new high of in excess of US$1000 per ounce earlier in the year and some believe there is money to be made from this precious mineral once more.
"You can pay your bills, if you live meagrely," says John Gurney, who gave up his job six months ago to become a full-time gold prospector.
John is standing in a shallow river in Jamestown, California, in the heart of Gold Country: in 1849, the same dream brought hundreds of thousands of people to towns like this.
He is panning for gold: he shovels rocks and dirt from the river bed into a bucket, sifts out the bigger pieces, transfers what's left into a ridged plastic panning bowl, and then, using a light movement back and forth, shakes the bowl, separating the lighter material from the heavier, including gold.
Each 20-minute session usually turns up a few tiny flecks.
"It's not a lot of money," John says, "but it adds up quite a bit... But you never know - you may hit the jackpot sometime."
This is the simplest way of gold prospecting.
The original 49ers - as they've become known - used this technique, as well as mining. Fortunes were made - and lost - in the wild towns that sprang up almost overnight along 200 miles of central California, an area they called the Motherlode.
Tourism is big business in the former gold-mining areas. Places like Jamestown and Columbia - which, in its heyday, nearly became California's state capital - have been mining tourists ever since. But now these ghost towns are stirring again, as more and more amateur prospectors try their luck.
Read the full story here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7378281.stm
Given the precarious financial situation with people losing homes and no income, perhaps gold fever will strike again.
Writers & Friends
www.jrslater.com/forum
It hit a new high of in excess of US$1000 per ounce earlier in the year and some believe there is money to be made from this precious mineral once more.
"You can pay your bills, if you live meagrely," says John Gurney, who gave up his job six months ago to become a full-time gold prospector.
John is standing in a shallow river in Jamestown, California, in the heart of Gold Country: in 1849, the same dream brought hundreds of thousands of people to towns like this.
He is panning for gold: he shovels rocks and dirt from the river bed into a bucket, sifts out the bigger pieces, transfers what's left into a ridged plastic panning bowl, and then, using a light movement back and forth, shakes the bowl, separating the lighter material from the heavier, including gold.
Each 20-minute session usually turns up a few tiny flecks.
"It's not a lot of money," John says, "but it adds up quite a bit... But you never know - you may hit the jackpot sometime."
This is the simplest way of gold prospecting.
The original 49ers - as they've become known - used this technique, as well as mining. Fortunes were made - and lost - in the wild towns that sprang up almost overnight along 200 miles of central California, an area they called the Motherlode.
Tourism is big business in the former gold-mining areas. Places like Jamestown and Columbia - which, in its heyday, nearly became California's state capital - have been mining tourists ever since. But now these ghost towns are stirring again, as more and more amateur prospectors try their luck.
Read the full story here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7378281.stm
Given the precarious financial situation with people losing homes and no income, perhaps gold fever will strike again.
Writers & Friends
www.jrslater.com/forum
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