I dreamed to be the Island Caretaker of the Great Barrier Reef (The best job in the world)

Member Name: curious_tan

Product:	The best job in the world
Date:	06/05/09 (164 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Free accommodation and high renumeration

Disadvantages: Only for 6 months contract

HAVE YOU DREAMED TO APPLY FOR THE BEST JOB IN THE WORLD? A job that provides the opportunity to care for the environment and at the same time having a luxurious living in an island, aside from the six-digits pay? To tell you the truth, I dreamed about it three months ago! This is because I am desperate to change my work environment at the moment. I started this research work 3 years ago and Im struggling to finish it. I don't have regrets of doing it, but as the time passes by, my focus and determination to complete it is totally diminishing which worries me sometimes.

As early as of 2009, Im in the process of looking for possible job opportunities, hoping that at the later part of the year, I will get the "best job in the world". One of them is the job offered by the Queensland Tourism as the "island caretaker" of the Great Barrier Reef GBR), Queensland, Australia.

The location is not new to me since I lived in Brisbane for 2 years but I did not able to visit this huge marine ecosystem. But maybe this time, I will be able to visit this world heritage site because of this job search posted online which also caught the imaginations of other people around the world.

WHAT IS THIS GLOBAL JOB SEARCH? I found the online ad through Yahoo!news on the 12th January when Queensland Tourism (QT) announced the new position - island caretaker of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). The online application started on the 10th January and ended on the 22nd of February. Everybody is invited to apply as long as you have the following qualifications.

WHAT ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED? Well, QT emphasized that there is no definitive educational and experience requirements, thus a broad range of experience will be accepted. However, the successful candidate should possess: good swimming skills, enthusiasm for diving and snorkeling, good written and verbal English skills, excellent interpersonal communication skills and engage with other people, with adventurous attitudes to try new things, and the passion for the outdoors.

Since I have this qualification, without any hesitation I submitted/uploaded a 60-seconds video application which highlighted why I do want the job, including my basic knowledge about this world heritage site as well as meeting the basic qualifications such as swimming and blogging. As part of the submission, I filled-up a brief application form online and forwarded thru the official website: www.islandreefjob.com.

It took me two weeks to finally recorded and edited my video clip using my Sony digital camera. While waiting for the approval of my application and the video will be downloaded to the official site of QT, I already did preliminary marketing of my ultimate quest for this job by having new blog dedicated to my application, including several posts to my other travel blogs and community sites. After 12 days of waiting, I finally got an email from QT that my video is already available in the official site and I could start asking my friends or anybody to watch and of course to vote. However, the votes will not be the determinant for being shortlisted by the organizer, TQ will solely judge each candidate by their video clip application.

HOW THE SELECTION PROCESS WORKS? It is expected that 30,000 applications will be screened by QT towards the last day of submission. My application will be one of the candidates to be subjected in the initial selection of the 50 shortlisted candidates and one "wildcard candidate will be picked by online voting. Eleven finalists will take the final interview to be held in the GBR.

When the application was closed in February, it turned out that almost 35,000 people submitted their applications around the world, where the United States of America got the highest submission, followed by Canada, UK and Australia.

WHAT IS THE CATCH FOR THIS HYPE SEARCH? For me, If I could get in the top 50 shortlist, I will be delighted to ask my friends and online community friends to cast their votes - aiming for the wildcard position. If I could get the attention of the organizer, QT, there is a chance that I will be able to get more votes in support to my quest. If I could also persuade the organizer through my blogs and travel sites that Im the right person for the job - willing to learn new things and challenges. My existing blogs and online review sites could enhance my popularity from the rest of the finalists.

Then if I could get the top 16 finalists, I will be happy to travel to Australia to prove to them that Im the best applicant for the best job. My travel will be shouldered by the organiser from UK to Queensland.

If I could get the job, I will be able to sign a six-month contract and based on luxurious Hamilton Island, including a house and an office space. My key responsibilities includes: exploring the islands of GBR and discover what this heritage area has to offer especially for tourists and the like. I will be feeding the fish, clean the swimming pool, and collect the mail. I will also be required to do weekly reports thru blogging which entails posting of photos and videos about the area, including regular media exposure.

Finally, if I could get this offer, I will start my work in July and get a contract salary of £70,000 (A$150,000). If this will happen, I will promise to share my blessings in my home country, helping young children to attend primary and secondary schools. My plan to have a mini-library or information centre in my hometown will come true, benefitting both children and adults.

Ultimately, if I could get this best job in the world - the island caretaker, this is my big opportunity to understand the importance of caring our seas and oceans - including the living creatures under it. In some way, I could help QT to manage the Great Barrier Reef in a "sustainable manner" and to prevent this place to be "bleached-out in 25 years time due to global warming. If I could bring this dream into reality, by the end of my contract as the island caretaker, I have already visited and explored the 2,600 kilometres of this world's largest coral reef system; covering more than 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands; more than 1500 species of fish, 4,000 types of mollusk, 400 different types of coral. Finally, I have seen the most dangerous water creatures: sharks, box jellyfish, scorpion fish, and the blue-ringed octopus.

ON THE OTHER HAND, IF I COULD NOT GET THIS EMPLOYMENT, I will continue to inspire others thru my blogs. Having this application is fun and the opportunity to meet friendly people in the internet - people with the same inspirations in life. People who want to explore and travel; and most importantly people who want to protect our environment and make a difference. But again, If I could get this best job in the world, I will be the happiest living creature to explore this world's largest living organism.

BUT THIS IS THE BIG QUESTION. WHAT IS THE STATUS OF MY APPLICATION NOW? Unfortunately, I was not lucky enough to impress the Tourism Queensland that Im capable to do the job. My video application was not good enough to convince Tourism Queensland that Im the right person for the position. No regrets of doing this, besides I gained more online friends and surprisingly, I was able to reunite with old friends who happened to watch my clip! With this application, I also created a separate blog which I will continue to post my travels to Australia and updates about GBR. Even I was not selected I will pursue my dream to visit the Great Barrier Reef, maybe not as the island caretaker but a "visitor" or a "researcher".

The top 50 was announced in March and then finally the top 16 semi-finalists were picked last month. Sixteen finalists successfully made an excellent impression to the organizer and they are currently in Australia for series of challenges and interviews vying for the ultimate best job in the world! Aside from the video application, the finalists were selected based on the 500 words' essay and the psychometric test.

Today (May 6) is the judgment day when the Queensland Tourism will choice the winner among the top contenders for the job from Korea, China, Taiwan, Canada, Australia, USA, Singapore, France, UK, Netherlands, Japan, Ireland, India and Germany. My personal bet is James Hill, an Australian photographer who happened to work in London for years which I think he has the personality to be the island caretaker.

Check it out at www.islandreefjob.com for the result later today.

SO THIS IS IT, I dreamed to be the island caretaker - the best job in the world, but unluckily this position is not meant for me!

Summary: The best job in the world was not meant for me