How to Get Paid to Play With Baby Pandas All Day Long

Updated 6/19/2020

Dream job alert: The Giant Panda Protection and Research Center is hiring panda nannies.

Would you be interested in a job that pays more than $30,000 a year, gives you a free SUV to get around, and provides you with room and board? Oh, and what if we throw in that the only “work” you have to do is play with baby pandas all day long?

Yep, we think that would be just about the most amazing job ever, too. And luckily, it’s also a real one.

According to Chinadaily USA, the Giant Panda Protection and Research Center in China’s Sichuan province is hiring full-time panda cub caretakers. We repeat: full-time panda cub caretakers!

“Your work has only one mission: spending 365 days with the pandas and sharing in their joys and sorrows,” the article reports. You also have to be over age 22, have writing skills and the ability to take photos, and know a lot about pandas. (Um, they are black, white, and adorable. Enough?)

Here’s a short video that explains more about the job:

You can learn more and apply at fun.sohu.com. Oh, and fair warning: The Muse may shut down while every single employee here rushes to update their resumes.

Photo of baby panda courtesy of Shutterstock.

Elliott Bell was formerly The Muse's Director of Marketing. He is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, but opted for startups over 16-hour days as a line cook (for the better hours, of course). Previously, Elliott spent six years making Seamless.com into a nationally known brand, and one month as a culinary assistant on Iron Chef America. When he isn't working, he can be found playing tennis, making chicken stock, or understanding the meaning of rap lyrics on rapgenius.com.