When someone asks “What do you do?”, teacher, doctor, lawyer or engineer are the usual responses, not professional sleeper or pet food tester.

Although they are different, these 17 unusual jobs come with a handsome pay cheque.

1. Horse exerciser: Annual salary – US$50,000- US$70,000

A horse exerciser is primarily responsible for training or conditioning horses and preparing them for horse races.

Hippotherapy (“hippo” means horse in Greek) is a type of therapy that uses horses to treat patients with physical and mental disorders.

2. Panda fluffer: Annual salary – US$22,900 or more

Ever watched videos of panda caretakers in China playing with baby pandas and envied them?

Well, a panda fluffer’s job is tricky as they need to get these shy animals in the mood to mate because they are by nature lazy or unwilling to do the deed.

3. Professional mourner: Earnings per hour – US$45 onwards

Who would have thought that a professional mourner is a real job? If one is the type to weep easily, forget acting, this job might be the right one.

4. Professional sleeper: 2 months’ earnings – US$18,000

Nasa has posted ads looking for volunteers to become professional sleepers. The job is to help study the effects on the human body of lying still for a long time. The pay is a catch too!

5. Pro queuer: Daily earnings – US$100 onwards

People actually do pay other people to queue on their behalf. So, for an extremely patient person, or someone who does not have better things to do, this might just be the right side-gig.

6. Acoustics consultant: Annual salary – US$18,000 or more

Acoustics consultants measure how different materials react to noise vibrations such as in the office meeting room and so on.

7. Golf ball diver: Daily pay – US$150 onwards

A golf ball diver is not diving to explore the beauty of the underwater world, the job is to dive into the water features of a golf course and retrieve lost golf balls. Just remember there can be some nasty predators in the water.

8. Certified ethical hacker: Annual salary – US$157,000 or more

Now anyone can be a professional hacker, lawfully and legitimately, by assessing the security of any targeted system to look for weaknesses.

9. Ice cream taster: Annual salary – US$40,000 to US$100,000

Love ice cream, in possession of killer taste buds?

Also known as a food scientist or taste master, these people are paid big bucks to test ice cream on its appearance, smell, taste and texture. Dream job.

10. Crime scene cleaner: Annual salary – US$50,000 to US$76,000

This unusual job is not for the faint of heart because even police officers cannot stand it.

That’s why they need hardcore people to clean up the blood and/or body parts left behind after a crime.

11. Master sommelier: Annual salary – US$80,000 or more

For those who love wine and pairing it with food, why not sign up to be a master sommelier? It is well-respected work that comes with handsome pay.

A sommelier also gets to travel to vineyards across the world to identify the perfect wine, and not to forget working in a high-end restaurant.

12. Pet food tester: Annual salary – US$34,000 to US$100,000

Would you taste cat or dog food for a living? It may sound a bit wacky but is considered a highly skilled job.

It includes smelling and tasting the kibble for flavour and texture to tempt the appetites of furry friends. But don’t worry, the food does not have to be swallowed.

13. Water slide tester: Annual salary – US$30,000 or more

This is the ultimate dream job. It requires a person to test the fun and safety of water slides, and they get to travel the world and stay in lavish five-star hotels while doing it.

14. Embalmer: Annual salary – US$45,000 or more

Embalming is not a job for everyone, but the pay is decent. Embalmers prepare bodies for the final viewing by family members.

This includes applying makeup or disguising injuries so the person looks like they did while alive.

15. Professional snuggler: Earnings per hour – US$60 onwards

Some consider it a rewarding job, others disagree with the entire concept.

This unusual job offers platonic companionship for those in need. A snuggler works with people of all ages, races and backgrounds.

16. Human mannequin: Earnings per hour – US$300 onwards

Being a human mannequin sounds like fun. People get to play dress-up as a legitimate career, but it comes with a price.

Like a runway model, one needs to stay in shape and maintain one’s posture and ideal proportions. But it is definitely worth the pay.

17. Professional bridesmaid: Earnings per hour – US$100 onwards

A professional bridesmaid is not just a bride’s maid for the special day.

She helps with the organisation of the wedding and if any problems occur, may need to replace the absent DJ, act as an usher and even be the photographer or videographer. It’s a challenging gig for sure.

Not all of these unusual jobs are available here in Malaysia, but it might be worth taking a chance on the ones that are to earn a little extra income.

This article first appeared in jobstore.com.

Jobstore is an online job site that specialises in providing jobseekers with the latest job opportunities by matching talented individuals