Ten honeymoon couples are in Kinsale this weekend for the final of the Ultimate Job in Ireland competition, organised by Runaway Bride Groom in association with The Irish Times.
The six-month job, which has a salary of €20,000, will involve visiting some of the world’s most romantic wedding and honeymoon destinations. The winning couple will visit Zanzibar, Mauritius, Thailand and elsewhere to sample wedding menus, champagne and spa treatments and to put honeymoon suites to the test.
The finalists include couples from Ireland, Britain, the US, Canada, Australia, South Africa and Brazil. Bookmaker Paddy Power has opened a book on which of the couples will land the dream job in Kinsale, where they’ll face a judging panel and a range of challenges and interviews. They’ll be staying at Ballinacurra House, where Michael Jackson spent time before his death last year.
In addition, Oprah Winfrey has asked for the winners to appear on her show, and a Hollywood company wants to produce a reality-TV show for the next competition.
“The international response to the Ultimate Job has been phenomenal and has really fired up the imagination,” says Rosemarie Meleady of Runaway Bride & Groom.
The successful couple will start preparing for their first trip as soon as they are named the winners, flying out on May 21st, just for starters, for a week each in Zanzibar, Mauritius and, to go on a private escorted safari, Kenya.