If you’ve ever dreamed of saying goodbye to your nine-to-five and escaping to a secluded island — look no further. A luxury resort in the Maldives is hiring a “barefoot bookseller” and the job is open to anybody in the world. Pretty dreamy, right? If you’re not ready for a cold and snowy Canadian winter, how about spending Christmas on the beach in the Maldives? Soneva Fushi, a desert island resort on Kunfunadhoo Island, and their partner Ultimate Library are searching for someone special to help run their day-to-day book business. They're currently hiring a “barefoot bookseller” to help with their Pop-Up Bookshop and to organize special events. The job listing describes the role as “the ultimate vacancy for a desert island bibliophile: barefoot bookselling, in one of the most beautiful places in the world.” The role starts in October and will run until around April 2021. The lucky employee will get remote training for the job, before they’re flown out to the Maldives to start their new nine-to-five. The best part is that it's open to applicants from all over the world, providing they have excellent verbal English skills. Editor's Choice: Statistics Canada Is Hiring 'Interviewers' Right Now & You Don't Need Any Experience View this post on Instagram 🌴APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN FOR BAREFOOT BOOKSELLER 2020! 🌴 Could you be our next Barefoot Bookseller? Do you have proven experience in publishing or bookselling? Fancy getting away from it all to sell books on a desert island in the Maldives? Are you passionate about reading, an excellent communicator and love writing? If this sounds like you then you'd be perfect for our Barefoot Bookseller 2020. Follow the link to the website to apply for the role. Please make sure you read the terms and conditions before applying. Please note that you must fill in the form in the bio for your application to be considered. 📷: @julesandbeyond 🌎: @discoversoneva A post shared by The Barefoot Bookseller (@barefootbookseller) on Sep 10, 2020 at 4:14am PDT What is a 'barefoot bookseller'? The role, in a nutshell, is to run the island resort’s bookshop. However, there’s plenty of responsibility with this position! On a day-to-day basis, the bookseller will run the store. This will include engaging with customers and visiting authors, as well as being responsible for sales and stock management. The employee will also have to take control of the Barefoot Bookseller social media accounts, creating engaging content and writing regular blog posts and newsletters. The company is looking for somebody who will be able to provide guests with “unforgettable literary experiences” by hosting events like writing classes and personal reading consultations. Finally, the role requires regular communication with the resort’s marketing teams to plan future events and potential collaborations. View this post on Instagram Happy World Book Day from the jungle! 🌴📚 Today has been happily spent sharing coffee, cakes, prosecco, and book recommendations with the wonderful people @discoversoneva. Tonight: a glass of something refreshing myself and finishing my first ever Jane Austen novel. What's your favourite classic novel? 📷 @wanderliss_ A post shared by The Barefoot Bookseller (@barefootbookseller) on Mar 5, 2020 at 3:49am PST Who can apply? While this position is open to anybody from anywhere in the world, the company is looking for a pretty particular skill set! First and foremost, the job listing explains that applicants must be passionate about books and reading. Knowledge of classical and modern literature is important, as is experience in bookselling or publishing. The ideal candidate will have great social media skills and will know how to keep-up with online trends. Additionally, they’ll have experience with content-creating and have a sense of “fun and creativity.” Applicants should be prepared to “fit in with the distinctive Soneva culture” and have a can-do attitude, says the job description. View this post on Instagram Really exciting day here in @discoversoneva as @thenaturalnavigator (world expert in natural navigation and New York Times bestselling author!) is treating our guests to a once in a lifetime natural navigation course! They'll be learning techniques from his book How to Read Water and putting them into practice, so they'll be able to recognise clues and patterns in everything from puddles to the sea. And I don't know about you, but I think we're in the ideal setting for it! Meeting at By the Bar 3pm Soneva time, come join and I promise you will never look at water in the same way again! 🌊 . . #discoversoneva #sonevafushi #tristangooley #howtoreadwater #bookstagram #instabook #igreads #bibliophile #bookish #sea #beach #naturalnavigation #maldives #maldivesinsider #travelblog #travelmaldives #maldivesresorts #travel A post shared by The Barefoot Bookseller (@barefootbookseller) on Apr 2, 2019 at 8:25pm PDT What's the catch? Well, the catch is that you’ll be required to live on the remote island for the duration of your 6-month contract. In addition, you can expect this to be a pretty popular opening, so it’s going to get competitive. Last year, the company received thousands of applications for the role. Ultimate Library also hasn’t shared the starting salary for this position, so it’s hard to know exactly how much money you can make there! Applications close on October 30, 2020.
