14 DAY TRIAL // Google is looking for test drivers for its Self-Driving Car project, and the company is willing to pay its new employees up to $20 per hour just to cruise around and take notes.
At the start of April 2016, Google announced that its Self-Driving Car project would be expanding to its fourth town, Phoenix, Arizona, after the company had already had a presence on the roads of Mountain View (California), Kirkland (Washington), and Austin (Texas).
At the bottom of the second page in its Google Self-Driving Car Project Monthly Report for April 2016, Google followed up on its new expansion plan by announcing it would also begin hiring test drivers from the Phoenix area.
The announcement contained a link that pointed readers to a job listing where Phoenix residents could apply for the test driver position with their resume or LinkedIn profile.
Test drivers must be able to type 40 words per minute
The company says it's looking for people willing to work individually or in groups of 2 to 10 people, capable of monitoring the car's autonomous driving software with "constant focus."
Applicants must be willing to work 6 to 8 hours per day, five days a week, must have a BS/BA degree, a valid driver's license, no criminal record, and the ability to type at least 40 words per minute.
Before getting the job, applications will also have to pass a number of training checkpoints, both in and out of the car, and they'll be expected to keep all project details confidential.
Google will pay $20 for a fairly trivial job
If they get the job, they'll be expected to test Google's cars, continually watch the car's self-driving systems, intervene if necessary, note down any out-of-the-ordinary details, and file daily oral or written reports for the engineering team.
The company will be paying test drivers $20 per hour, which is way above the current $7.25 per hour minimum wage in the US. That means a driver's salary will vary between $3,500 and $4,000 per month. Not bad for a fairly trivial job.
The full Google ad is available below. If you're interested and live in Phoenix, you can apply via HireArt.