Traffic zebras and professional carpoolers – if you fancy one of these unique jobs, you'll most likely have to move to another country.
When a curious person used question and answer forum Quora to ask about jobs that only existed in one country, they may not have expected the varied answers they got.
Nepal: Honey Hunters
“Honey hunting, the collection of Honey from the nests of wild Bees built on steep cliffs is an age-old tradition,” Shree Khanal said. “Local honey hunters show their exceptional skills by hanging themselves from cliffs as high as 300 meters using Bamboo ladders and hemp ropes, while harvesting the honeycombs. Everyone is thrilled to watch honey hunters at work.”
India: “Insurance” for illegal travel
You’ve probably seen pictures or read reports about the serious overloading of some trains in India, as people cling to the outside or ride on the roof to get to their destination. The activity is illegal, but it’s also insurable, Sreeram N Ramasubramanian said.
“This ‘insurance scheme’ guarantees the commuter ticket-less travel for a monthly premium of about Rs. 100, guarding the commuter against any inspection by the Railway authorities or the police,” he wrote. “If the passenger is caught, he pays the fine and produces the receipt upon which the entire fine amount is reimbursed. The fundamental premise of this business is based on the fact that the number of people who sign up is significantly more than the average number of people who would get caught, enabling the racket to make a handsome profit in the process.”
Indonesia: Professional carpoolers
Want to use the carpool lane even though you travel alone? Just pay someone to sit in the front seat!
“It's a job people refer as 'Joki',” Melisa Sudirman said. “Joki is a person that you can find on streets looking for a car that wants to hire him/her as an additional passenger so that they pass the required 3 person in one car regulation along three-in-one streets.” This regulation is only applied in selected streets in specified hours, particularly in business hour time and crowded streets.
Bolivia: Traffic Zebras
Their job is to help enforce road safety in the city.
“[In] an initiative sponsored by city authorities, people dressed in zebra costumes go in the intersections and make sure vehicles stop at red lights and that pedestrians wait until it’s safe to cross,” Andrea Guzman said. “If you stop with your car in the pedestrian crosswalks, zebras will make a show. They will cry, get on top of your vehicle and give you donkey ears.”
Young people are employed by the Mama Zebra program, which helps them find jobs and use that money towards education.
