Ever dreamed of living on a remote island and being paid for it? Birdwatch Ireland needs two people this summer to study and protect the Roseate Tern on Rockabill Island, 7km off the north Dublin coast.
The adventurous island castaways will be paid €400 a week, but the jobs are not for the faint-hearted and sleepwalkers need not apply.
The wardens will be perched atop high rocky outcrops on two tiny islands (Rock and Bill), where there is a lighthouse and “just enough room to stretch the legs”.
The three-month jobs entail monitoring and protecting the migrant Roseate, Common and Arctic terns during the summer breeding season. Birdwatch Ireland development officer Niall Hatch says it's a "feather in the cap" for anyone wishing to advance their career in environmental or similar sciences.
“Some people absolutely thrive in that environment, but having screaming seabirds around you for 24 hours a day and being so isolated . . . is tough and not for everyone.”
The successful applicants will be dropped off by boat with supplies and will have two long weekends off the island – weather permitting.
Closing date is noon today.