Pro sleeper
Qunar, a Chinese travel review site, has hired three secret reviewers this year to assess the thread count, wi-fi strength, slipper softness, and room service at top hotels throughout the country. Meanwhile, Travelodge employs a full-time bed guru to nap in all of the national hotel chain's rooms, testing the quality of each mattress. In 2006, that guy earned close to six figures. Generally, expect to earn $1,500 a month.
Chocolate eater
At Godiva, chocolate testers are trained like sommeliers for the job, learning to inspect for sheen and cracks, taking "bunny sniffs" for aroma notes, and savoring the texture of up to 50 bonbons a day. Food testers can earn anywhere from $24,000 up to $70,000, depending on the company. It may sound easy to do, but it's a hard job to get. Godiva tasters go to "chocolate school" to qualify, while other companies require "super-tasters," those born with uniquely potent taste-buds.
Cute pet aggregator
For most of us, kitten ogling is for break-time. But if you're a web editor for Cute Overload or a casting agent at True Entertainment, the production company behind Animal Planet's "Too Cute" you have to comb through adorable footage and photos of sloths, kittens, and puppies for a living. The average salary of an entry level staffer for a cute-animal site can range from $10 an hour to $40,000 a year depending on location, company and responsibilities.less
Mansion sitter
It's actually possible to live like a millionaire on $10,000 a year. One couple spent winter in the Pyranees and summer in Antibes, skimming leaves from their private pool, walking dogs, and chasing away burglars by simply occupying one mansion or another. Veteran house-sitters with killer reputations can charge around $200 a week to mind the mansion, that's in addition to room and board. For newbies, there's Luxuryhousesitting.com, a site that connects wanderers with high-end property owners in Florida, California, even Malta and the Virgin Islands.
TV watcher
There's a solid market for this gig. Fast-typing fingers can earn you a starting salary of $25,000 to caption TV shows for the hearing impaired as you watch them. Production assistants for clip shows like "Talk Soup" spend their days flipping channels in search of potential segments to pass along to producers, earning a few hundred a week. At Nielson, a team of media researchers stay glued to the tube, 8 hours a day, $10 an hour, watching out for any product placements across networks.less
Professional know-it-all
YouTube's partner program has turned self-made DIY videos into cash-money. The trick is to anticipate the things people want to know but afraid to ask. Can you draw a decent smokey eye? How well can you fold a paper airplane? Can you whistle? Super 'clicky' web tutorials on absurdly simple tasks can bank their makers up to $100k. "It's nice to get paid for doing absolutely nothing," the guy behind the popular "how to tie a tie" video told NPR.less
Spa critic
If you're going to have strong opinions, why not use them to get massages? Susie Ellis, C.E.O of Spafinder, has gotten thousands in her 20-year career. She's traveled the world as an intrepid reporter, testing back rubs and aromatherapy rituals for her online spa directory. Freelance writers and editors for spa sites and magazines can get all the same massage perks without any of those C.E.O. headaches, and earn between $20,000 and $90,000 a year.less
Resort consultant
According to one branding website, a popular mommy blogger was hired by a family resort to spend four days as a V.I.P. guest and offer feedback on how to improve their kid-friendly features. In addition to an all-expense paid vacation, she earned $1,200 for her time. Nice work if you can get it. Too bad the easiest jobs are the hardest to find.
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