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.
