By Brian Park
Executive In-Depth Editor|
The story: In the United Kingdom, Jamie Fox, a college graduate who majored in music and English, was somehow able to get hired as a human scarecrow in a ten-acre field from aylsham farmer William Youngs, where supposedly the birds are not frightened off by regular scarecrows.
His job description includes him wearing a bright orange suit and playing the accordion, ukulele and a cowbell to scare away birds all for 250 euros per week, which is roughly 327 dollars.
Fox wanted to save up for a trip to New Zealand, and his new job will help pay for that. Even his friends are “slightly envious”.
“I get to sit and read for a lot of the time but whenever I see the partridges, I have to get up and scare them off,” Fox told the BBC.
To read the full story click here!
My take: This would officially be the best job ever. Many Prospect students work at supermarkets, restaurants, and cafés nearby, requiring lots of attention and focus to do the job correctly, and they usually offer close to minimum wage to part-time working teenagers.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the Illinois minimum wage is $8.25 and even above the federal minimum wage at $7.25. That’s like working 40 hours per week at minimum wage to earn the same amount Mr. Fox is earning by basically doing nothing.
If any of the Prospect students who have part-time jobs at Marianos, Panda Express or somewhere else just happen to know a local corn farmer who lives about 30 minutes north, I highly suggest they wave this story in front of his or her face and persuade them that straw scarecrows these days are too outdated. Personally, the last time I ever saw a scarecrow was actually. . . wait, I don’t remember.
Better yet, the job would benefit the student more than the farmer because during that time, student workers can work on their homework, enjoy the great outdoors of the cornfield, get some exercise by chasing after crows, and ultimately earn some money to save for college.
And since Halloween is fast approaching, actually dressing up as a human scarecrow might not be a bad idea. Also, I’m pretty sure there will be other Halloween stuff online coming soon, like a top Halloween movie list and a photo collage of crazy Halloween outfits, so make sure to check daily on Prospectornow.com!