Have you applied for the ultimate dream job yet?

There’s been a frenzy of interest in what is being described as the “best job in the world” by tourism officials in Australia. So much so that a website set up to accept applications crashed after receiving more than one million hits in three days.

Check out this story at the BBC website.

Apparently the job on a tropical island requires no formal qualifications except being willing to swim, snorkel, and sail. In return the successful applicant will receive a salary of approximately £70,000 for six months. They will also get to live rent-free in a three-bedroom villa, complete with pool. The new recruit will work for just 12 hours a month. Duties include feeding some of the hundreds of species of fish and collecting the island’s mail.

Excuse me if I offer a rather cynical explanation for the hype surrounding this ‘job’…

It’s long been appreciated in the travel and tourism industry that Australia has really struggled to hold on to market share as a holiday destination.

For those old enough to remember, the heyday for Australian tourism was the late 1980s, driven by a rising awareness of Australia due to new TV shows like Neighbours and Home and Away. Even more significant was the wild popularity of ‘Crocodile Dundee’ Paul Hogan and his amusing string of light hearted TV commercials produced on behalf of the Australian tourist board. See a famous one here on YouTube and the amusingly sexist Australian version.

Baz Luhrman’s epic movie Australia was hoped to do the same job for a new generation. But it’s widely regarded as something of a disappointment, as were the poorly received ‘Where the bloody hell are you?’ adverts that recently attempted to create an updated take on Paul Hogan’s relaxed Aussie humour.

I’m sorry to say that the advertised ‘dream job’ may be for real, but its purpose is not to ensure that a few fish get some snacks and a bit of post is delivered…..