Google is currently hiring “vehicle-safety specialists” in Phoenix, Arizona, to sit inside their driverless cars and beta test how the cars drive around. One “vehicle-safety specialist” will sit behind the wheel in the driver’s seat, in case of events that require accident avoidance, while another specialist will take notes on a laptop in the passenger seat, monitoring how the car behaves itself.
“We are looking for vehicle safety specialists to be a part of the Google self-driving car project...Develop a unique set of operational skills using vehicles running proprietary software and hardware.” Google wrote describing the position on the job listing. “Operate comfortably in a fast-paced environment, sometimes managing up to four communication channels simultaneously via various high- and low-tech mediums...Expected to keep all project details confidential.”
The pay for being a driverless car beta tester? $20 an hour, with 6-8 hours of driving time a day for 5 days out of the week. But if you’re hoping to apply, then you’ll need a college bachelor’s degree, a clean driving record, a WPM > 40, no criminal history, an openness to travel and according to one redditor, probably 10 years of experience testing driverless cars.
“Test drivers play an important role in developing our self-driving technology,” said Brian Torcellini, head of operations for Google’s self-driving car testing program, via DigitalTrends. “They give our engineers feedback about how our cars are driving and interacting with others on the road, and can take control of the vehicle if needed.”
The listing is specifically for the Chandler suburb in Phoenix, and was first reported on by The Arizona Republic.
