Could this be the best job in the world?
Applications are open for people who want to spend a year selling books barefoot on a desert island.
Private Kunfunadhoo in the Maldives is home to a high-end resort where villas cost up to £30,000 a night.
And it is seeking a bibliophile who is adventurous, outgoing and creative, The Observer reports
The year-long contract starting in October pays £620 a month but the successful candidate will be able to top that up by running literature classes for the resort's rich guests.
The job forbids footwear, as all shoes are banned on the Indian Ocean island, while newspapers are also frowned upon.
It requires the seller to run the shop single-handed, introducing themselves to guests and making personalised recommendations while also covering stock-takes and accounting.
Spokesman for Ultimate Library, which runs the bookshop at the Soneva Fushi resort and compiles custom collections for resort and hotel libraries across the globe, said: “The applicant will be there on their own, so they’re pretty much running the whole thing themselves.”
He is ideally looking for someone with experience working in publishing or a book shop.
The successful candidate will be able to live and eat for free at the resort, where there is a gym, spa, water sports and a private beach for staff.
Soneva Fushi is billed as "a natural treasure nestled in the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and one of the largest islands in the Maldives."
It is said to "hold magical experiences at every turn, from dining in the treetops of our rainforest, to barefoot luxury on a desert island. This is where one-of-a-kind experiences are made every day."
Villas at the resort range from just under £2,000 to £30,000 a night – although the most expensive nine-bed compound does sleep 20.
McQueen added: “The ethos of the island is: no shoes, no news. They encourage guests to reconnect with the ground.
Guests are encouraged to undertake a digital detox and allow barefoot butlers to attend to their every need.
"Turbocharged Londoner" Georgie Polhill, 27, came back from the island a "very different person" having learnt and entirely new culture and made friends for life in her six months as a bookseller there.
She said the biggest challenge was getting used to the slow pace of life on Kunfunadhoo .
“If you tried to fight it too much and harry everyone on to get things done, you would absolutely burst a blood vessel," she said.
She had previously worked at a book shop in London but is starting a new job in theatre on Monday.
She added wearing shoes again "definitely felt weird at first. I was so unused to wearing anything around my toes and my heels.”
In May, the Scottish government offered people £50,000 to move to beautiful, remote islands in a 100-plot scheme worth £5 million and intended to reverse depopulation trends.
