Entry was at: http://www.islandreefjob.com
Results were to be published: 07/05/09


Note: Website is VERY BUSY and VERY SLOW at the moment!

It's a tough one. Grey skies or blue? Icy pavements or white sand? Tube commute or a skip down the beach? Office job, or getting paid to lounge around on a tropical beach?

Tourism Queensland has created a new position, which, in their words, is the best job in the world: "Caretaker of the Island of the Great Barrier Reef".

The job involves living on one of 900 islands strung across the turquoise waters of the world's largest barrier reef. Accommodation in a three-bedroom house on Hamilton Island is included, as are return airfares and a A$150,000 salary (around £69,000).

Key responsibilities during the six-month contract include exploring the islands of the Great Barrier Reef and reporting back to the tourist office with blogs, pictures and media interviews. Oh, and cleaning the pool, which is attached to the house.

Applicants need to be over 18, but no other skills are required other than good communication and swimming skills, although candidates should have 'at least one year's relevant experience'. Whether this means a year's experience of lounging around on a tropical beach is unclear.

This is, of course, little more than a simple (and brilliant) PR coup. The job really will exist, but will serve as an excellent marketing tool for Queensland Tourism, rather than providing any benefit - other than increased tourist numbers - to the Great Barrier Reef.

But that's unlikely to put off applicants, who need to make a 60-second video outlining why they should get the job. A shortlist of 10 candidates will be flown out to Queensland for a final selection process, and the lucky winner will then be settled in to their new home.

The website, with full application details, is proving rather busy today...



1. Applications to fill The Best Job in the World, Island Caretaker on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef open at 2:00pm UTC (formerly known as GMT) 9th January 2009.

2. To apply potential candidates need to create a 60 second or less application video in English, explaining why they are the best person for the job in an entertaining way. You’ll also have to complete a short online application form and upload the video to www.islandreefjob.com

3. All applicants must be over 18 and eligible for a visa.

4. By applying for this role applicants accept the full terms and conditions.


5. Applications close at 11:59pm UTC 22nd February 2009.

Quality Assurance
6. Once received all video applications will be reviewed by Tourism Queensland representatives for quality assurance.

7. Applications containing nudity, profanity, obscenity, poor sound and vision quality or submitted with an incomplete or inaccurate application form, will not be accepted.

8. All applicants will receive email notification from Tourism Queensland upon receipt of the application video.

9. All accepted application videos will be uploaded to www.islandreefjob.com for public viewing.

Short List
10. Tourism Queensland and its representatives in international markets, along with media partners, will short list all applications to select the top 50 between 23rd February and 2nd March 2009.

11. Applicants being considered for the short list may be contacted between 23rd February and 2nd March 2009 to undergo online testing.

12. From 11:59pm UTC 2nd March 2009 the top 50 short-listed applicants will be displayed on www.islandreefjob.com

13. The top 50 short-listed applicants will be required to submit additional information to support their application including, but not limited to:

Photo of themselves
300–500 words:
What is your story? (Tell us a little about your background, previous employment, family, where you live.)
What is most important to you in life?
If successful in gaining The Best Job in the World with Tourism Queensland, who will be joining you on your journey to the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef (partner and/or children)?
Tell us about them (partner and/or children).
Anything else you would like to share about yourself.
14. From 11:59pm UTC 2nd March 2009 visitors to www.islandreefjob.com have the chance to vote for their favourite applicant.

15. Voting for the Wild Card candidate closes at 11:59 UTC 24th March 2009.

16. The applicant with the highest number of votes will be selected as the Wild Card candidate and will take part in the final interview event.

17. From the top 50 short-listed applications, Tourism Queensland and its representatives in international markets along with media partners will select 10 candidates for the final interview event.

18. The final 11 short-listed applicants (10 selected by Tourism Queensland, 1 Wild Card) will be invited to attend the final interview event which will be held on a number of Islands of the Great Barrier Reef.

19. The final 11 short-listed applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements: identification verification, health checks, police checks, visa eligibility, psychometric assessment and assessment of written English.

20. Details of the final 11 applicants who will attend the interview event will be displayed on www.islandreefjob.com from 11.00pm UTC 2nd April 2009.

Interview Event
21. From 3rd to 6th May the final 11 applicants will participate in an extensive interview selection process which will be held on a number of the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef.

22. Economy air travel (return to and from the interview destination and the airport in your closest capital city) and hotel accommodation (in Australia) will be arranged and paid for by Tourism Queensland. Tourism Queensland recommends that all short-listed applicants obtain comprehensive travel insurance (at their own expense) prior to attending interviews.

23. Visa applications and associated costs will be undertaken by Tourism Queensland for each of the 11 short-listed applicants.

24. The interview selection process will involve participation in a formal interview and various activities. Activities may include team challenges, physical, skill based and aptitude tests. All short-listed applicants must be willing to participate in these activities.

25. Tourism Queensland will announce the appointment of the successful applicant at a media function on the evening of the 6th May 2009 and details will be displayed on www.islandreefjob.com

Employment
26. The successful applicant will be required to extend an additional day (7th May) following the interview event to undertake their first official duty at the opening function of Corroboree (a tourism trade event for UK and European travel agents).

27. Following the interview event the successful applicant will return home on 8th May 2009.

28. From 8th May to 1st July employment and visa details will be finalised.

29. The visa application and associated costs will be undertaken by Tourism Queensland.

30. The six month employment tenure with Tourism Queensland commences 1st July 2009.

31. Whilst employed for Tourism Queensland the employee will be required to participate in a number of set itineraries that allow them to experience and immerse themselves in the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef and showcase their unique experiences through a video diary, plus submitting diary/blog entries of their experiences, which will also be uploaded to the website.

My hubby would die for this job - not sure his normal work would be too impressed about him taking off for 6 months though. I guess $150,000 would compensate him for a couple of years work - so he could always find another job after the six months

And I am on mat leave at the moment...

I am sure I could put up with the inconvenience of living on an island for 6 months for $150,000!!! Seems like a very long and tough application process though...

You would also have to contribute to a regular blog with interesting stories.....

Still, seems like a fun excercise!

QUEENSLAND Treasurer Andrew Fraser has criticised a move by Tourism Queensland to create a video which the government agency allowed to be passed off as a job competition entry.

Thousands of desperate job seekers have entered a competition to provide a 60-second video to become Hamilton Island's new caretaker, which has an annual salary of $150,000.

Among the videos entered is that of a woman visiting a tattoo parlour to have a 10cm tattoo spruiking her love for the Great Barrier Reef engraved on her arm.

Media outlets across the world reported the entry as legitimate.

But advertising and marketing internet blog Mumbrella said the video in fact featured Rhiannon Craig, a digital project manager at the Cummins Nitro agency in Brisbane, which created the job campaign, and the tattoo was a transfer.

Tourism Queensland confirmed to the Mumbrella website the video was a fake entry.

"It was supposed to show people the level of creativity we were looking for," Tourism Queensland said.

Mr Fraser told reporters in Brisbane on Monday he was not aware of the bogus entry, but thought it would be inappropriate for Tourism Queensland to plant it.

"Obviously what we've got is an exercise in them getting a lot of attention, that's certainly been achieved worldwide, but I'm not aware of this particular circumstance," Mr Fraser told reporters.

"If that was the case, then certainly I would have a dim view of that."

An announcement on the island job will be made on May 6 with the contract beginning on July 1.

Comment was being sought from Tourism Queensland

"which has an annual salary of $150,000."

So I guess that means you get $75k for the 6mths?

I thought it was $150k for the 6 months ?

More than 9000 people from 162 countries have joined the race to score a $150,000 tropical island dream job on Queensland's Great Barrier Reef.

Tourism Queensland's Best Job in the World promotion gained worldwide attention when it launched earlier this month, offering a six-month gig in which the successful applicant will live in a luxury Hamilton Island villa, explore the reef, its islands and wildlife, swim, snorkel and blog about it.

Tourism Minister Desley Boyle said the the campaign was arguably one of the most successful tourism campaigns ever, attracting more than 2.3 million people to its website.

"We have been absolutely thrilled by the response which has seen people from Paris to Mongolia and Kazakhstan to Chile logging onto the website," she said.

"They have been talking about it everywhere from online blog sites to local pubs, from work places to around the dinner table at night it has captivated the world."

Applicants' 60-second video clips uploaded to the competition's website show eager job hunters from Mongolia, Romania, Turkey, Brazil, Canada and the Vatican bragging, begging and singing for the job.

Video applications can be submitted until February 22 and the island caretaker will be named on May 6.

Video submissions can be viewed at www.islandreefjob.com

What's reall bugging me about this comp is that I submitted my video with 29 days to go and I received my confirmation email to say it went through and that I would be sent another went it was available for viewing and am still waiting... it's now 18 days to go ggggrrrr I hope it's chosen on quality not quantity if they are going to take this long. Will let you all know if it ever makes it onto the site.

Good luck to any lotto people who have entered this one. What a life changing job itwould be for someone.

am I the only one who entered??

Yes good luck to everyone that entered. Hope you get through and win the position.

Wild Card voting begins:

http://www.islandreefjob.com/#/shortlisted-applicants

It's time to have your say.

In addition to the 10 candidates chosen by Tourism Queensland's Selection Panel, we're offering the world's most popular candidate
a Wild Card to the best job interview in the world.

Candidates will travel to Hamilton Island and take part in an
action-packed, four-day interview program. The Selection Panel
will make its final decision and announce the successful applicant
on May 6th.

did any Lottoers get short-listed... have noticed plenty of o/s people short-listed, would prefer an Aussie to get this fabulous opportunity

Voted. Check out Davids video, I thought he did well.