If you’re a non-smoking “odd jobber” who enjoys peace and quiet, is willing to care for a disabled senior, stack firewood, prepare meals and tend to chickens, you may not need to worry about rent for the foreseeable future.
A rural Cape Breton, N.S. man is willing to pay for a housemate to join him on his sprawling picturesque property, and has taken to the internet to find the right match.
Terron Dodd, 75, who is mainly confined to a wheelchair, wants someone who will help him stay put on his 100-acre property in Whycocomagh, about an hour’s drive from Sydney.
His ad on Kijiji has been viewed more than 40,000 times in the past six days. The reclusive senior says the flood of attention has been a bit overwhelming.
“Oh my goodness. I have to hire a secretary to handle all the messages that come to apply,” Dodd told CTV Atlantic.
The ad outlines a long list of qualification for the personal care assistant gig. Chief among those is a love of the outdoors. Aside from that, you’ll need a valid drivers’ licence, a green thumb for tending a garden, cooking and cleaning skills, and the ability to lift 50 pounds.
A separate ad on Caregiver.ca says the annual salary will range between $30,000 and $36,000.
City-slickers need not apply. The ad specifies that Dodd is looking for “that special kind of person who gets excited at the prospects of rural living in a dream setting.”
“They have to have a certain outlook on life and what they want,” Dodd said.
The ad says the successful applicant will get the second floor of his massive solar-powered log home, including two bedrooms, a loft and a bathroom.
Whomever Dodd picks from the stack of responses will also be treated to an impressive view of the Cape Breton countryside.
“It’s probably better than the view at most of the houses that some celebrity pays millions of dollar for,” Dodd said.
With a report from CTV Atlantic’s Ryan MacDonald
