Maybe you know someone with one. Maybe you just want one for yourself. Maybe you’re just curious about them. But incredibly odd jobs are out there, and some of them pay pretty well. (Some of them are also wildly gross.) Here are 45 bizarre jobs that we can’t believe actually exist.
The majority of average pay was sourced from ZipRecruiter.
1. Snake Milker
Pay: $2,800 per month
This isn’t actually milking, but getting venom from the snake. It’s a job that requires nerves of steel and an ability to move quickly should a snake decide it doesn’t like the process, but the brave can make roughly three grand a month in a job that doesn’t require a degree.
2. Body Part Model
Pay: $32 per hour
While having beautiful hands or feet can pay off, they don’t have to be perfect. There’s sometimes a need for ugly or even average limbs, too. You can also make a decent living from ears that look good next to a phone or jewelry.
3. Gross Stunt Tester
Pay: $86,000 per year
If you’ve seen gross stunts on reality TV, it turns out there’s someone behind the scenes making sure the tricks are not only doable, but safe. So yes, there really is a job perfect for that weird kid in your junior high class who ate bugs to get attention.
4. Professional Mourner
Pay: $28,000 per year
This seems sad for many reasons, but if no one is going to a funeral you’re overseeing, you can hire someone to sit in (and, in the case of professional mourners in China, even go to the wake afterward). Crying may cost extra.
5. Professional Cuddler
Pay: $40 to $80 per hour
While most people look to their furry pets for cuddling, there are people who will provide the service for those willing to shell out for it.
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6. Armpit Sniffer
Pay: $52,000 per year
If you have a heightened sense of smell and don’t mind sticking your nose into up to 60 strangers’ sweaty armpits per hour, this is the job for you. You’ll be helping deodorant manufacturers ensure they’re selling a product that doesn’t stink, literally and figuratively.
7. Legal Bank Robber
Pay: $127,000 per year
These tough customers are also known as Penetration Testers, as they’re also trying to identify weaknesses in a bank’s security system. This isn’t an easy job, but for those who’ve fantasized about making a teller fill a bag with cash, it’s probably fun.
8. Intimacy Coordinator
Pay: $47,000 per year
Having actors pretend to get hot and heavy in various states of undress isn’t as fun as it might seem. An intimacy coordinator oversees all moves to make sure nothing sparks a #metoo scandal.
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9. Professional Bridesmaid
Pay: $47,000 per year
While most bridesmaids find themselves paying for dresses, parties, and gifts for the bride, professional bridesmaids have those costs covered. This job may entail handling family tension or bridezillas, but it could also mean enjoying the fun part of a wedding.
10. Iceberg Mover
Pay: $41,000 per year
If you’re thinking, hey, the Titanic could have used that, guess what? After the massive ship sank following a collision with an iceberg, this job became a thing. Go figure.
11. Face Feeler
Pay: $90,000 per year
Otherwise known as a sensory scientist, this requires being able to discern changes in skin after a product is applied. The scientist must judge the smell, taste, and even sound of a product.
12. Golf Ball Diver
Pay: $20 per hour
For all the people who have hit a golf ball into a lake, there’s someone willing to fish out that ball. While it seems like a thankless task, it actually turns out to be sort of profitable.
13. Airplane Painter
Pay: $60,000 per year
Ever seen brightly painted planes at the airport? Well, someone has to paint them, and it’s not easy. You have to be on your feet while lugging around supplies, whether you’re creating a new design or just freshening up the old one.
14. Ice Rink Hand Holder
Pay: $61,000 per year
While this sounds fun, a timid skater can not only pull down someone else but create a collision. While a hand holder may just help a newbie, they usually function as an ice rink monitor, especially during the busy season around the holidays.
15. Online Dating Ghostwriter
Pay: $44,000 per year
Is your dating profile getting zero traffic? You may need a professional to take over. While results aren’t guaranteed, a ghost writer can probably make you sound slicker than you did when you posted a profile yourself.
16. Paper Towel Sniffer
Pay: $52,000 per year
Never noticed a smell from your paper towels? It turns out there’s a reason for that. A sniffer makes sure paper products, which are often recycled, don’t have a funky scent.
17. Chicken Sexer
Pay: $32,000 per year
It turns out that it’s hard to tell a hen from a rooster, as sex organs are located inside the bird. And, if you’re someone who isn’t eager to experience a rooster and his wake-up calls, it’s necessary to get help. A chicken sexer can usually determine who to let in the hen house with an anal exam.
18. Dog Food Taster
Pay: $32,000 per year
While gobbling down dog food doesn’t sound like a great job, it is necessary. A dog food taster mostly determines the nutritional value of food, though it also usually entails putting some in your mouth to make sure it might pass muster with real pups.
19. Line Stander
Pay: $18 per hour
For anyone who pined for the latest Apple product or a limited edition pair of sneakers, a line stander might be a worthwhile investment.
20. Furniture Tester
Pay: $41,000 per year
Nothing is worse than a bed or a sofa that’s lumpy or bumpy. A furniture tester determines what’s working and what isn’t, which may require more moving around than you might think.
21. Adult Toy Tester
Pay: $39,000 per year
Let’s not get into too much detail here. Suffice it to say, a tester determines whether the toy … gets the job done, and may note what could be improved.
22. Fortune Cookie Writer
Pay: $87,000 per year
Ever open up a fortune cookie and think, whoa, it’s like the cookie knows me? If so, you’ve got a fortune cookie writer to thank.
23. Flavor Chemist
Pay: $63,000 per year
Ever grab a uniquely-flavored drink or bag of chips out of curiosity? There are people whose job is to cook up those weird and wacky flavors. Some are great, and some … aren’t.
24. Zombie
Pay: $107,000 per year
Sure, you probably have to wear rags and walk around with your arms in front of you, calling for brains, but we bet it’s fun no matter what.
25. Party Cleaners
Pay: $34,000 per year
If you’re already cleaning up a messy house, why not charge a premium after a party? Your hangover will thank you.
26. Crime Scene Cleaner
Pay: $34,000 per year
You may not realize this, but if someone has been murdered in your home, you can’t just call any house cleaner to vacuum and dust. It’s necessary to get a crime scene cleaner who can handle any hazardous material issues that might arise.
27. Panda Fluffer
Pay: $59,000 per year
Pandas don’t procreate all that often, so sometimes they need a little help. Using feathers and other objects, these helpful souls get pandas in the mood (hopefully). If you’re eager to assist one of these cuddly animals, take note that this job only exists in China (so far!).
28. Train Pusher
Pay: $21 per hour
A train pusher probably has many different definitions in the U.S., but in Japan, there’s just one. People are stuffed onto trains and, to make sure every inch is utilized, a train pusher squeezes in every rider he or she can.
29. Professional Foreigner
Pay: $147,000 per year
While posing as a foreigner might be more doable in countries where you live as a foreigner, it’s a gig you could consider while you’re traveling. You will likely be asked to meet executives and wear corporate dress.
30. Listening Officer
Pay: $151,000 per year
If you’re addicted to social media, this is the job for you. Your duty would be finding out what others are saying about your company on social media, then passing that info along to executives.
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31. Professional Mermaid
Pay: $22 per hour
Want to get in touch with your inner Ariel? Then consider donning a mermaid tail, holding your breath, and diving into the water.
32. Feng Shui Consultant
Pay: $93,000 per year
Telling people to put rose quartz in a corner of their home or tie red ribbon around their sink pipes may be odd, but learning about feng shui and helping others incorporate its rules (your front door should be painted the right color for the direction it faces, for example) could be a rewarding job.
33. Dog Surfing Instructor
Pay: $59,000 per year
Want your dog to surf but don’t want to teach him yourself? There’s someone who’ll do it and won’t judge you at all.
34. Soap Boiler
Pay: $65,000 per year
While this could also be called a fat boiler, soap boiler sounds much better. A soap boiler basically boils fat until it becomes liquid that can be pressed into bars with added scent.
35. Movie Watcher
Pay: $2,500 per season
While most places call these people critics, a movie watcher is only tasked with giving a review, which is then posted if it’s favorable. It’s not Roger Ebert, but most people would jump at the chance to do this.
36. Ostrich Babysitter
Pay: $39,000 per year
Before you swoon over how cute this must be, the reason these birds need someone to watch over them isn’t that cute. They tend to peck one another, and if they target one of the weaker ostrich babies, there will be a grisly end.
37. Rental Boyfriend
Pay: $34,000 per year
This seems to be a trend only in Japan and in rom-com plots, but if you need a plus-one, it’s a quick fix. Because rental boyfriends are available online, you can pick one you wish you could date in real life based on appearance.
38. Bed Warmer
Pay: $25 per hour
While getting an electric blanket might be more efficient, you can also get someone to warm your sheets. Fingers crossed they don’t drool on your pillow.
39. Bicycle Fishing
Pay: $44,000
This is mostly a pastime in Amsterdam, where 14,000 bikes end up in canals every year. It’s great that someone is willing to fish them out, but it doesn’t seem like a job to strive for.
40. Teddy Bear Surgeon
Pay: $40,000
While this is probably more sewing than anything else, it does sound fancier to be a teddy bear surgeon. Your duties would likely include stuffing, stitching, and possibly cleaning. A side of empathy and tear-drying is helpful.
41. Fake Wedding Guest
Pay: $2,500 per wedding
While most people are trying to find ways to trim their guest lists, some people want lots of attention at their nuptials, even if it’s from strangers they have to pay to attend. If you have a fancy suit or dress and like talking to strangers, it can be a good way to make some extra cash and get a free meal (and some cake) to boot.
42. Makeup Namer
Pay: $57,000
Ever pick up a bottle of nail polish or lipstick and think, huh, that’s a weird name? Someone has to name this stuff, and you can bet every name is given a once-over by an executive or PR department.
43. Hippotherapist
Pay: $34,000
Before you get excited about a job working with hippos, it’s actually about treating physical, emotional, or mental issues with the aid of a horse. It’s a job with requirements, such as already being a physical therapist, occupational therapist, or speech-language pathologist.
