There really is no excuse for staying in a boring job

There's a million different ways to earn a dollar Down Under, and many of them don't involve the standard nine-to-five office job.

Australia is a big country that boasts a wide range of industries, so it's not surprising that there's pretty much a job to suit every interest. Here's our list of the five most unusual jobs.

1. Senior submarine cook

When the Royal Australian Navy advertised that it was willing to pay up to $200,000 for senior submarine cooks, it attracted worldwide media attention. It seems that there aren't too many individuals with the cooking skills and organisational ability to produce morale-boosting food in a cramped galley. While you'll need to learn your submariner skills elsewhere, you can get the ball rolling by doing a cooking course at TAFE NSW.

2. Construction diver

Australia is the middle of a resources boom and many of those resources are being extracted from under the sea, necessitating the building and maintenance of offshore platforms by divers. Construction diver employers prefer to hire those with a metals and engineering background, so doing a TAFE course in fitting, plumbing or welding will increase your employability.

3. Crop duster pilot

With Australia fast becoming Asia's food bowl, there's lots of work for pilots who can spray pesticides on the nation's crops. The good news is that it pays well; the bad news is it can be dangerous and involves a lot of expensive training and licencing requirements.

4. Shark tagger

Those tags that allow marine biologists to track the movements of great white sharks don't magically attach themselves. If you're willing to haul a shark onto a boat and help with the surgical implantation of a tracking device before throwing it back in the water, you probably won't find yourself competing for jobs with too many others.

5. Koala catcher

As part of a campaign to lure British workers, the government of South Australia has advertised a number of attention-grabbing job vacancies in the UK, including ones for people to help control Adelaide's koala population.

With so many exciting options on offer, there really is no excuse for staying in a boring job. With a little research and possibly a bit of training, you can find yourself doing work that you previously didn't even realise existed.

Image courtesy of Rachael Dunk