Not everyone spends their days in an office staring at a computer screen or on the factory floor amidst the noise of a production process. Some people actually eschew these traditional forms of employment in favour of excitement and variety and, sometimes, those jobs just happen to come with very generous pay.
So here are the top 12 jobs (some of which you might never have heard of) which pay extraordinary amounts of money!
Crazy jobs, big money
Professional bridesmaid. There are some people who don’t get married in church or at their local register office. Often, they will fly to an exotic location which relations or friends cannot afford and so the bride will need a bridesmaid who she may never have met before. There are plenty of so-called ‘professional bridesmaids’ charging anything from £500 to £5,000 to hold the bride’s train walking up the aisle.
Lift mechanic. Ever been stuck in a lift with a group of people you’ve never met before or a guy with halitosis? It isn’t a pleasant experience, particularly if you are prone to anxiety. No wonder, then, that the men and women who ensure that our nation’s lifts continue to run safely can earn up to £75,000 a year.
Bomb disposal expert. There’s no more dangerous job that defusing an unexploded Second World War bomb or a suspicious package found in a shopping centre. The Corps of Royal Engineers is responsible for the training and safety of these brave men and women and can them pay up to £80,000 a year.
Live mannequin. Fancy standing dead still in a shop window wearing the latest fashion for hours? Believe it or not, there are actually people who do this for a living at some of the top London stores and they get paid £100 an hour to do it.
Body part model. Perhaps not as high profile as being a supermodel, but still very rewarding nonetheless. Body part models model one part of their body for advertisements including eyes, hands or legs to fill in for models who may not be 100 per cent perfect in any way. Pay? £1,000 for an afternoon’s work.
Fortune cookie writers. They are always at the bottom of the bag when you pick up your Chinese takeaway meal. Those slightly sickly biscuit things with the motto or saying rolled up inside. Somebody has to come up with profound sayings like: “Could I get some directions? (To where?) To your heart” and the going rate is apparently up to £70,000 a year.
Embalmers. Fancy preserving dead bodies for a vocation? Nope, though not. How about if we tell you the average salary? £50,000 a year. Perhaps not such a bad idea after all?
Street food vendor. OK cooking burgers or hot dogs on a street corner may not sound like a big money spinner but it can be. Those who ply their wares on some of London’s busiest streets can earn up to £90,000 a year.
Head-hunters. The days when head hunters travelled the world seeking out talent are gone. The internet has seen to that. Today, head-hunters do most of their business online, placing valuable people in sought-after positions. They can earn as much as £10,000 per placement.
Pet food taster. Mmmmm – that can of dog food looks so delicious. That must be one of the phrases you are least likely to hear but people do actually taste pet food for a living to ensure that it passes smell and flavour guidelines. You can earn up to £50,000 a year doing this.
Crime scene cleaner. After the forensics people have gone and before police tape is rolled back up, somebody has to go in and clean up the scene of a crime – particularly the most serious and unpleasant. The average salary for doing this unpleasant but vital job is £55,000.
Voiceover artist. If you’ve got dulcet tones and can spend hours in a recording booth watching adverts for chocolate biscuits or cartoons, then maybe you should consider becoming a voiceover artist where the going rate is up to £100,000 a year.
Oliver Jones has written for Solution Loans since 2015. His passion for personal finance comes through in the 150+ blog posts he's written since that time. His talent for explaining all things money means he's covered topics as diverse as...Read about Oliver Jones
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