Downside of the ‘best job in the world’
August 11, 2009 by Sam NarisiPosted in: Attracting talent, In This Week's E-Newsletter, Latest News & Views
This man was recently hired for what might be the world’s greatest job. So why’s he complaining?
Ben Southall of Great Britain recently won a contest held by Queensland, Australia. The prize: a six-month stint in what the Queensland government calls “the best job in the world.”
The gig: caretaker of an Australian tropical island. Southall’s duties include strolling the beach, snorkeling, sailing, eating exotic food and writing a blog to report the wonders of visiting Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef region to a global audience.
Oh, and the six-month assignment pays $150,000 Australian (about $120,000 USD).
So what’s the problem? Southall’s been too busy fulfilling media obligations to get a whole lot of vacationing and writing done. So far, he’s granted interviews to more than 50 media outlets and has a documentary crew following him for most of his waking hours, the Courier-Mail reports.
Since starting the job at the beginning of July, Southall’s only had time to update his blog seven times — much to the disappointment of the 94,000 people who’ve signed up for online updates.
A Tourism Queensland spokesperson said the office is looking for ways to free up Southall’s schedule, but right now, he “has not had the time to scratch himself” (which left us wondering what kind of insect life is on this island).
Sounds like a lot of jobs these days — most of which don’t involve exploring exotic locales. Something tells us Southall will still enjoy the gig.
Tags: Australia, best job in the world
August 14th, 2009 at 9:05 am
Poor guy. Hey, want to change jobs!!
With all the miro blogging and ability to mobile blog, how can you not update a blog these days??
“Southall’s been too busy fulfilling media obligations to get a whole lot of vacationing and writing done.”
Vacationing? Really? The job is the vacation! Ok buddy, go back to your home, and I will take this horrible job away from you!
What a joke!
August 14th, 2009 at 9:15 am
Don’t be so harsh Richard…he did sign up for it, but it might not be as simple as one would expect. Maybe they should offer him an assistant, who would enjoy the island with him as well -sign me up!
August 14th, 2009 at 9:59 am
What he can’t muliti-task?
August 14th, 2009 at 10:58 am
@HR-Lady
Harsh? Really? I pay you $120K to go to an island for 6 months and you have to report (blog) on what you are doing. You are followed around by cameras so the island can have footage of how great they are for marketing.
Does he really have the audacity to say there is not enough time to vacation?
I say again, go back home and let someone else deal with all the hard, terrible work taking care of an island.
August 14th, 2009 at 11:03 am
Hmm, you know, there are a lot of things that could make the “Best Job in the World” go really sour, (not that THAT kind of salary wouldn’t help to make it better!). Tropical Island, anyone want to surf in a hurricane? Not I. And as for the media, they could sour fresh milk! I can’t say that I blame the guy…but, if he wants to be replace, I would be willing to give it a shot-as long as I got the same salary.
August 14th, 2009 at 11:23 am
Poor guy. My heart bleeds purple Kool-Aid for him.
August 14th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Sounds like he needs a “girl friday” or a cocker spaniel. A little companionship would reduce his stress immensely. Nix the cameras for sure.
August 16th, 2009 at 8:50 am
Ok sounds to me like there are a couple of different issues going on here.
Winning a contest like this probably doesn’t give this gent much negotiating room, but there should be some ground rules for expectations. If he was put there primarily to update a blog on the vacationing opportunities then learn a little time management and get it done. Additionally, if he were smart he would have negotiated to minimize the cameras and media interviews. Perhaps the Queensland tourism bureau needs to re-evaluate what their expectations are from this contest. Continuing to stick a camera in the face of someone who is no longer enthusiastic about the project doesn’t lend it self to a good result. Surely it is not good press for them if the gent is complaining about the treatment he is receiving. Time to reevalute how to achieve the desired result.