So no one told you that life a year into a global pandemic was going to be this way? (No jaunty claps—the virus doesn’t deserve it.) Maybe you started off strong: making the banana bread, doing the puzzles, learning how to knit and garden.
Or perhaps you’ve been busier than ever this year, between work and household responsibilities (and also staying alive during a pandemic), and you haven’t even come close to feeling even the slightest bit bored, because all you do is get stuff done, sleep a few hours, and do it all again the next day.
Either way, you’re probably looking for something else to do now—possibly as a way to unwind. Well, if you’re a fan of poorly aging sitcoms, you might be interested in entering the latest dream job contest: The One Where You Get Paid $1,000 to Watch Friends. Here’s what to know.
What the job entails
The 1990s produced some excellent sitcoms, but the team at BestValueSchools.org—a site that ranks and helps match people with colleges based on their needs and budget—has selected Friends as the show they will pay people to watch. (Which, now that I think about it, actually does make sense.)
The assignment is simple: Watch the first five seasons of Friends (that’s 121 episodes) and post about your experience on your social media channels as you watch, tagging @bestvalueschools.org and using the hashtag #bestvalueschools.org. Then, once you’ve finishing viewing, you have to rank your favorite episodes and post them online. That’s it.
What you get, if selected
Up to five lucky winners will be “hired” for the position. They will each receive $1,000 for their efforts, which—in case you’re curious—works out to around $22/hour.
In addition to the cash, the winner(s) will also receive a $100 Door Dash gift card, and a “Friends TV Show-Watching Kit,” which includes the following products from Hot Topic, Etsy and the NBC Store, and is valued at $180:
Also, one lucky winner will receive all 10 seasons of Friends on Blu-ray—though it’s unclear if it’s one of the five big winners, or a consolation prize for someone else.
And actually, that raises another good point: It’s up to you to access the show. If you already have the DVDs—or a subscription/login to HBO Max, where it’s currently streaming—then you’re all set. Otherwise you’ll have to purchase each of the seasons/episodes from Amazon Prime Video, iTunes or GooglePlay.
How to apply
In order to qualify for the position, you must be:
At least 18 years old
Allowed to work in the United States
An active social media user
Able to access the first five seasons of Friends
If you tick those boxes, simply fill out this form (you’ll need to scroll to the bottom of the page to find it), including explaining why you’re the right person for the job (in approximately 200 words). And put some effort into your responses—the winner(s) will be selected based on that portion of the written exam.
All applications must be received by March 31, 2021, and the winner(s) will be notified within the following week.