Yahoo Finance Get paid to not drive a Google autonomous car
How’s getting paid US$20 an hour to sit behind the wheel of one of Google’s self-driving cars — but not drive unless absolutely necessary — sound?
Well, if that’s music to your ears, you may be in luck. The tech giant is hiring vehicle operators as part of its tests in the Phoenix, Ariz., area on its self-driving car project, according to The Arizona Republic.
The new hires will be responsible for “operating” the company’s autonomous Lexus SUVs for six to eight hours a day, five days a week. They will work in teams, with one person behind the wheel ready to take over in case of an emergency and another sitting shotgun typing notes on a laptop.
Besides keeping an airtight lid on all the project’s details, the jobs requirements are relatively low.
ALSO READ: Startup wants to put self-driving big rigs on US highways
The self-driving vehicle operators are expected to have a bachelor’s degree, no criminal history, a clean driving record and the ability to type at least 40 words per minute.
“The role of test driver is so new that there isn’t a particular type of person that we look for,” Brian Torcellini, head of operations of Google's self-driving car testing program, told The Arizona Republic.
"We’ve hired people from all types of backgrounds, from English teachers to orbital welders. In general, they need to be excellent drivers who pay really close attention to the road and can predict the social aspects of driving."
Torcellini added that local drivers would be “great” because of their knowledge of the roads in the Phoenix area and its “driving norms.”
