TAIPEI: A freelance interpreter from Taipei county, northern Taiwan, has won the wild card entry into the final competition for what's advertised as "the best job in the world" - specifically, caretaker for a group of islands on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. She captured 150,000 votes in the online competition for the job.

After learning about the result, announced yesterday, Clare Wang said she felt "amazing" throughout the entire selection process.

She expressed particular happiness that the recruitment drive injected positive energy into Taiwan after Internet users around the island flooded the online poll with votes in support of her bid to make a dream come true.

The Great Barrier Reef islands caretaker recruitment drive was launched worldwide by Australia's Tourism Queensland, the tourism promotion authority of the Queensland state government. The contest drew over 34,000 applicants from 200 countries and regions.

Wang won the only wild card position, allowing her to compete with 10 other short-listed candidates for the six-month contract. The winner will go to work on Hamilton Island for a salary package of A$150,000 (around NT$3.5 million).

Key responsibilities of the job include exploring the islands of the Great Barrier Reef and reporting personal adventure experiences and discoveries to Tourism Queensland as well as to the world, according to the recruiter.

Asked what she thinks may be her competitive edge, the 30-year-old Wang, who graduated from the Graduate Institute of Translation and Interpretation of National Taiwan Normal University, said she thinks it is her English proficiency.

"I speak English and Chinese. Buy one, get one free," she said.

Wang said she is scheduled to leave for Australia in early April to prepare for the final interview, slated for May 3 in Queensland. She will have to wait until May 6 to find out whether she will be the lucky winner of "the best job in the world".

China Daily/CNA

(HK Edition 03/26/2009 page1)