Those browsing the classified section on the New York Foundation of the Arts website last week may have stumbled upon a listing a full-time “Executive/Personal Assistant” for a “high-profile art couple.” It was quickly dubbed the “the worst job ever” by the New York Times on Sunday.
The successful candidate, the listing said, would need “a high level of discretion” and take on the wide range of tasks, including being a caretaker for a child, dogs, chef, nannies, landscapers, housekeeper, and guests. While the official rundown of responsibilities may have seemed like a task for an entire staff —not one person—for those of us who have worked in the art world, the listing hardly seemed surprising.
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(Full disclosure: this writer—just two years shy of a decade working in the scene—has experienced such demands in a number of different assistant roles.)
Though most job descriptions don’t often boast such menial tasks outright, among the art world it is often an unspoken requirement of the job. In many jobs, it is the expectation that worker bees will pick up any and all tasks hurled at them in the hopes of one day “making it.” This is hardly a one-off situation.
Below is a look at some of the other bad jobs offered over the last few years in the art world.
Source: artnews.com