My Life as an Airport Screener

Barbara S. Peterson has written a great article for Conde Nast Traveler – Inside Job: My Life as an Airport Screener.

I frequently see these ads online, on craigslist and in the Pennysaver…and even at my most desperate moments, wondered what kind of person would put themselves up against these types of conditions.  Here an excerpt: 

Six months earlier, I had spotted a job advertisement online for part-time airport security screeners. The posting was notable for its dry recitation of the drawbacks of the job, as if to discourage all but the most desperate from applying. "This is a very physically demanding job with unique requirements," it read; I’d have to stand for up to four hours without a break, lift seventy-pound bags, and walk the equivalent of two miles during my shift. I would be expected to maintain my cool while dealing with constant stress from the noise, crowds, and "disruptive and angry passengers," which I couldn’t let distract me from my ultimate objective: to ferret out what it described as "devices intended on creating massive destruction." For this I’d be paid $13.91 an hour; I’d work weekends, holidays, and odd hours; and I’d remain on probation for two years, during which time I could be fired without warning.

It’s an interesting read.  Check out the rest of the article and apply here!