Become a Roman centurion, British unemployed urged

LONDON (AFP) - Unemployed Britons with an aversion to the office grind were being tempted from their sofas with a range of more unusual summer jobs, including being a Roman centurion or spending all day sitting on a beach.

The posts are among a series of jobs available this summer via government-run Jobcentre Plus offices, according to a list compiled by the Department for Work and Pensions to tempt the work-shy.

Perhaps the most unorthodox is dressing up as a centurion, a job which involves taking guided tours around the town of Cirencester, central England, once a Roman stronghold.

Those of a more leisurely bent might be tempted by the post of "machine operator" on Eastbourne beach, southern England -- essentially watching beach equipment to make sure it does not get moved or stolen.

Other unusual positions include a bugler in the Royal Marines band -- although this requires applicants to join the Royal Navy and complete basic training -- a rickshaw driver, juggling teacher, pall bearer and bird scarer.

Finally, for those really looking for a talking point in the bar, a business in Norfolk, eastern England, is looking for that most glamorous of posts, a chicken sexer.