Some people spend their professional lives undertaking eerie errands on a daily basis and reed.co.uk has revealed the top 10 scariest professions in the UK, ranked by average yearly salary.
Which one would you go for…if your life depended on it?
1. Pathologist
This one reaches the top of the list, so if seeing dead people every day floats your boat, or you can visualise the cash in those corpses’ eyes, then performing autopsies is the job for you.
Salary: £47, 443
2. Oil Rig Worker
Okay, initially this job doesn’t sound that spooky; but think about it…. Imagine being out at sea, on that big oil rig, all on your own. This job usually consists of performing routine physical labour and maintenance on oil rigs and pipelines, both on and off shore. If you hammer the rig and it echoes, legend has it you’re actually not alone after all…..sounding more unnerving now? If not, then get out there and start applying.
Salary: £46, 917
3. Abattoir worker
Have you ever wondered whether those animals that abattoir workers slaughter come back for revenge? I imagine it can play on workers’ minds as they humanely kill the cattle and prepare their carcasses for the meat market. If anything is spooky, it’s a sheep ghost.
Salary: £30, 167
4. Phlebotomist
The reward for taking people’s blood is quite tidy, it turns out. These specialised clinical support workers collect blood from patients for examination in laboratories…or so they say. Maybe it’s the “victims” rather than the phlebotomists that should be on edge here. One day, as you lay back, it may actually be a vampire that drains you of blood…..or not. Who knows?
Salary: £27, 208
5. Sewage worker
This one pays pretty well too, so worth a try if you don’t mind the odd dark and dank conditions. These workers need to operate the systems in wastewater plants that clean up water and dispose of sewage, chemicals and other effluents. I think I’ve seen a few films (not sure if any were documentaries) where gooey green monsters with razor sharp teeth were born from that mixture of ingredients… Just something to consider if you’re keen on this position.
Salary: £27, 208
6. Embalmer
What could be more sinister than trying to bring dead people back to life? Well, that’s practically the job of these fellows. To be fair though, preserving bodies to make them look more life-like might actually earn embalmers a few points with the spirits that pass, enabling them to steer clear from any unpleasant encounters with ghosts, at least.
Salary: £27,035
7. Archaeologist
Who doesn’t love a good dig, then to find a human hand reaching up at you? I can imagine I would have a few concerns. Firstly, is the body ancient or fresh (the latter of which would raise the additional fear of a hack murderer hiding in the bushes)? And how on earth is a dead body moving…..Creepy stuff. Not too sure studying human activity of the past is for me, but if you’re intrigued, then get searching the jobs pages.
Salary: £26,500
8. School caretaker
An empty old school can be eerie late at night when you’re there all alone. Really, though, it’s a tough choice between that and having loads of annoying kids running around. You might actually be glad of the peace and quiet….until a phantom appears from the shadows that is.
Salary: £16, 715
9. Gravedigger
Digging a grave can keep you fit while also being rewarding, since you are preparing a body’s last place of rest, after all. On a bad day, though, you might get dragged into a grave by a lost soul…
Salary: £15,347
10. Night security at a hotel/ museum
Hanging around an empty building alone all night is bound to give anyone a case of the heebie jeebies. There are so many spooky horror stories based around this scenario; but when there are no psycho ghosts around to bother you, it can actually be quite a relaxing job.
Salary: £14, 150
All of the jobs listed above have been advertised on reed.co.uk in the last 12 months.
If they give you the creeps, then there are plenty more jobs to choose from too, thankfully.
