There isn't much to laugh about in the travel industry around the COVID-19 pandemic, but Ryanair has published a spoof job advertisement that is drawing a wry smile from many people. According to the listing on its career portal, the exasperated airline is seeking a schoolboy or girl to put together Ireland's Green list on behalf of the country's leaders.
The tongue-in-cheek job listing is typical of the madcap sense of humor for which CEO Michael O'Leary is famous. It appears to be poking fun at the Irish Government and its drawing up of the Green List (the list of countries people in Ireland can travel to without quarantining on return), which has come in for some criticism. The list effective September 21 only includes seven countries deemed safe while the list published on July 21 contained 15 countries, causing Ryanair to issue a press release describing the move as “chaotic mismanagement” of travel and a “nonsensical decision.”
The advert specifies that the airline is looking for a Junior Cert or transition year student on behalf of the Irish Government. The Junior Cert is a state exam Irish students take aged 15, and transition year comes a year later. It represents the year where pupils take a break from the grind of state exam curricula to study alternative subjects, embark on work experience and set up mini companies.
Clearly lacking faith in the methodology used by the government, the ad states that the successful candidate will have sole responsibility for compiling Ireland's Green list on a weekly basis, based on games such as bingo, snap, charades, pin the tail on the donkey, darts, Scrabble and the Irish National Lottery or EuroMillions. "No prior experience is required and preference will be given to applicants who have attention to detail and are very good at analysing data, [as] this is something we are lacking in the team at the moment," it deadpans.
The cheeky advert also states that the winning applicant will also be responsible for ensuring that the bar at Government headquarters is "sufficiently stocked with Guinness (Beamish) nuts and it is kept clean and tidy."
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