Australia offers ‘best jobs in the world’

Start your morning routine by waking up the kangaroos, then swimming with dolphins and sea lions in the middle of the day, and finish your day checking the water temperature of the sea ― that’s all it takes do one of the “best jobs in the world.”

Tourism Australia is offering six “best jobs in the world” to young people around the world that pays $100,000 under a six-month contract, plus exciting and life-changing opportunities for young people struggling in the economic downturn.

Tourism Australia said Wednesday that they are hiring young travelers between 18 and 30 to become a “chief funster,” “Outback adventurer,” “park ranger,” “wildlife caretaker,” “lifestyle photographer,” and “taster master.” 

“We’ve taken one of the most successful tourism campaigns in recent times ― ‘Best Jobs in the World’ ― and made it bigger and better by coming up with a competition which represents the very best of our country ― our breathtaking landscapes and scenery, our unique nature and wild life, great food and wines and, of course, our huge sense of fun,” said Andrew McEvoy, managing director of Tourism Australia.

The campaign targets the youth segment, which contributed nearly 12 billion Australian dollars ($12.2 billion) in tourism spending and a quarter of all Australia’s international visitors.

“It currently represents 26 percent of our arrivals in Australia. That’s 1.6 million arrivals out of 6 million arrivals we receive every year. Specifically here in Korea, we receive 67,000 youth visitors and that represents 4 percent of all youth arrivals in Australia,” said Tim Jones, general manager of international operations at Tourism Australia, at a promotional press conference on the campaign held Wednesday in Seoul.

The campaign focuses particularly on international markets eligible for Australian working holiday visas, including South Korea, the U.K. and Ireland, the U.S. and Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan.

“This is a wonderful chance to reinforce and amplify our ‘There’s nothing like Australia’ message that Australia is a wonderful, world-class destination full of unique experiences, adventures and great places to explore,” said McEvoy.

The application is open until April 10 at www.australia.com/bestjobs or www.facebook.com/australianworkingholiday. If the application is confirmed, applicants are required to upload a 30-second video clip that shows why they are qualified for the job. About 150 applicants will be announced on April 24 on the first round, who will then go through a mission given by the tourism board. Winners will be announced on June 21 and start their duties on Aug. 1.

In 2009, Tourism Australia attracted a huge response to the “caretaker” job for Hamilton Island with more than 34,000 applicants. The winner Ben Southall from the U.K. was selected for the job that came with A$150,000 in salary and a luxury villa on the island.

By Lee Woo-young (wylee@heraldcorp.com)