Do you think you have it bad at work? Well perhaps you should be thankful you're not doing one of these jobs. Read on to check out our round-up of the worst professions in the world and what they pay. All dollar values in US dollars.
The idea of eating fishy cat treats or rabbit-flavoured dog food is enough to make the average person retch but pet food tasting is an actual career. Pet food gourmets must have a refined palate as well as an understanding of animal nutrition. Professional dog food taster Philip Wells (pictured) told The Guardian that an entry-level salary starts at $27,400 (£20k) a year though $68,800 (£50k) or more is "easily achievable" for an experienced taster. A lucrative career if you're blessed with a strong stomach.
Described as one of the worst jobs in the British Army, guarding Buckingham Palace requires standing completely still for hours on end in all weather, as well as being able to keep a straight face when dealing with annoying tourists. The soldiers must also be pristine-looking at all times. The starting salary for the role is estimated at $27,400 (£20k) per year.
Professional poop scooper and founder of the Association of Professional Animal Waste Specialists, Tim Stone, once said he earns a not-too-shabby $76,900 (£56k) per year picking up dog mess. He removes canine poo from gardens in upscale Santa Clarita, California. In 2003, Tim wrote a book, The Professional Scoop Master - A Guide to Starting and Running Your Own Dog Poop Pick Up Service, to help other budding entrepreneurs get into the business.
You also need a robust constitution to cope with this stomach-churning role – portable toilet cleaner. "Servicing" the toilets involves jet-washing the cubicles then using a giant hose to suck out raw sewage. The average salary for this very noble job is around $36,000 (£26.2k) per year.
This highly dangerous job, where workers clear out sewers by hand without protective clothing, reportedly claimed the lives of 340 people between 2015 and 2020 in India. The Indian government has made the practice illegal, however the country's poorest people regularly break the law and risk their lives for a measly $2.75 (£2) per hour.
Vertigo sufferers look away now. This hair-raising role involves climbing up precarious-looking communications antennas to carry out essential maintenance work such as changing light bulbs or fixing broken cables. The average annual salary is $45,000 (£32.7k) per year, but experienced workers can reportedly earn much more lucrative sums.
What could possibly go wrong? Accidents are reassuringly few and far between but they do happen. During a live broadcast of Lithuania's Got Talent in 2015, a knife thrower made his assistant bleed following several bad misses and circus performer Jayde Hanson cut his assistant's head during a knife-throwing demo on UK TV show This Morning back in 2003. A. recent job advert claimed to be paying $29,000 (£21k) for the dicey role.
Reckon you've got a boring job? Here's one to out-dull even the most tedious of occupations. Scientist Dr Thomas Curwen is paid by paint company Dulux to literally watch paint dry. He stares at walls for lengthy periods of time and looks through microscope lenses to analyse the drying properties of matte and emulsion paints. The estimated average annual salary for the role is $61,406 (£44.7k) per year.
Even more unpleasant, professional fart smelling is a booming trade in China. Pro smellers use techniques derived from traditional Chinese medicine to diagnose a patient's ailments based on the smell of their flatulence. Revolting but nonetheless skilful, fart smellers apparently earn around $6,000 (£4.3k) per month.
Mucking out a horse's stable entails more than just cleaning up piles of equine mess – you have to engage in regular "sheath cleaning" too. It's as ominous as it sounds and involves cleaning away deposits from a stallion's you know what... And if that wasn't bad enough, cleaners risk getting kicked while they sort out the horse's bits. The average estimated salary is $25,836 (£18.8k) per year.
Chicken sexers are hired by large factory farms to find out whether newborn chicks are male or female. To do this, they have to hold the chick in a special way then squeeze excrement out of the birds to check their reproductive organs. Again and again for days on end. Chicken sexers take home a salary of around $41,000-$54,000 (£30k-£40k) per year.
If you've ever seen the Deadliest Catch show on the Discovery Channel, you'll know how dangerous and unpleasant Alaskan crab fishing is in the treacherous Bering Sea. Risk of injury and even death is high, and as a result the fishermen and women make a hefty wage. Boat Captain Kenny Ripka says he makes between $150,000-$170,000 (£109k-£124k) per year from his dangerous career, while deckhands also take home a tidy sum of between $15,000-$50,000 (£10k-£36k) for a couple of months' work aboard a ship.
While many people seem to get a strange satisfaction watching spots and cysts being squeezed and burst, most wouldn't want to do it 24/7. Fortunately, dermatologist and YouTuber Dr Sandra Lee, AKA Dr Pimple Popper, is more than willing to spend her days squeezing spots for a living. It's estimated Dr Sandra Lee has made millions from her unusually icky career.
South Africa's "zama zamas" risk their lives mining gold from the country's many abandoned mines. A health and safety nightmare, the clandestine miners work in atrocious conditions with gas explosions and tunnel collapses an ever-present threat. According to The New Humanitarian, a zama zama can make between $28,600-$57,140 (£20.6k-£41k) from one stint of up to six months underground.
Cleaning up after a violent crime must be one of the most gruesome jobs in the world, but somebody's gotta do it. Specialised crime scene sanitary officers wear hazmat suits to deal with the grisly aftermath. Not a job for the faint of heart, the average estimated salary is around $37,000 (£27k) per year.
Another job for those with a constitution of steel: vomit cleaner at a theme park. Rhys Owen was hired in 2009 as the official vomit collector for Thorpe Park in the UK. During the summer season the unlucky employee had to spend his days hanging out under the theme park's roller coasters mopping up people's puke and getting paid a reported $25,000 ($18k) per year for the privilege.
Holiday mosquito bites are irritating enough but imagine if you had to put up with being feasted on by the critters every single day? Scientists researching the Anopheles darlingi mosquito in Brazil have to use themselves as bait to entrap the bugs, which are resistant to other methods. Suffering for science, the researchers average 17 bites per minute. A typical salary for an entomologist (insect expert) is about $62,290 (£45k) per year.
If the mere sight of blood freaks you out, this job is most definitely not for you. Black pudding is made from pig's or cow's blood and artisan makers have to work with vats of the stuff to produce this classic breakfast favourite. The smell and sight of all that blood has been known to make newbies gag and run for the nearest toilet. While the salary for a black pudding maker specifically is unclear, sausage makers earn an average $34,926 (£25.2k) per year, according to Comparably.
Warzone security contractors protect VIPs in some of the world's most dangerous conflict zones. Dubbed "the worst job in the world with the best pay", the contractors, who tend to be extra-tough ex-military types, can earn hundreds of thousands of dollars a year guarding wealthy clients.
Roadkill collectors cruise the highways looking for dead animals. They clear the highways of everything from dead deer to bears, putting themselves at risk of injury and death from oncoming traffic. As with other grim jobs, roadkill collectors earn a premium salary with the most successful collectors earning upwards of $72,000 (£52.5k) per year.
Podiatrists specialise in feet and treat the sort of nauseating cases most healthcare workers would do anything to avoid, from cheesy fungal outbreaks to pus-filled ingrown toenails to severe diabetic gangrene. For these thankless tasks, podiatrists don't do too badly at all – they're paid an average of £126,000 (£91k) per year.
Cosmetics companies actually hire armpit sniffers to test the staying power of their antiperspirant deodorants. Candidates, who aren't grossed out by the job spec, require a super-sensitive sense of smell and may have to sniff up to 60 armpits an hour. Apparently, top earners in the profession can take home around $100,000 (£72.9k) per year. If you're not squeamish this career could be a nice earner.
Who doesn't get bored waiting in a long line? Some people hate the inconvenience so much that they'll actually pay someone else do to it for them. Events like product launches and ticket releases are big business for those in the queue waiting profession. Former sales rep Robert Samuel made a full-time career out of waiting in lines after he lost his job in 2012. Robert once said he earned $1,000 (£729) per week on average. One thing is for sure, you've got to be patient to give this job a go.
If you have a fear of snakes, this is sure to make you squirm. Snake milkers have the dangerous job of extracting venom from deadly snakes like cobras, mambas and vipers in order to make antivenom. Reptile lovers with a science degree can bank $30,000 (£21.8k) per year for their brave efforts.