5 Nightmare jobs

Prime Minister of GreeceWith Greece’s financial problems acute, being appointed prime minister of the country seems very much a poisoned chalice. It’s not a job that is going to be anything other than problematic for the foreseeable future. On the one hand there’s the need to try and improve Greece’s financial situation, but, austerity measures that have been brought in to achieve this, have caused people real hardship. Whatever a Greek prime minister does at the moment is either going to hurt Greece as a nation, or a large section of its people.

Policeman in Afghanistan

Afghanistan is still a hostile place, and those who are attempting to keep law and order in this troubled country are often targeted. There’s also the added problem of some within the Afghan police and army who have infiltrated both institutions to cause mayhem and chaos. Being a policeman or policewoman in the West is difficult enough, but at least it’s more apparent as to where the danger is likely to come from.

Somalian Minister of Tourism

Since the rise of Somalian piracy, the Somalian Minister of Tourism has become one of the most unenviable political jobs in Africa. Somalia is a country made famous by great runners and the model Iman. It’s also a country that has suffered with poverty, famine and war, and this seems to have been the driving force for the rise of Somalian piracy. Somalian pirates have been successful in plying their trade, despite naval activity in the region by powerful nations. Selling Somalia as a safe place to visit seems a role only for the deluded or fiercely optimistic.

Mexican Taxi Driver

With drug cartels in Mexico seemingly out of control, being a taxi driver in the country can mean risking your life. Taxi drivers have been killed in 2012 in Monterrey and elsewhere, and some of the deaths had all the signs of gangland killings. Drug cartels have used taxi drivers, who are then put between a rock and a hard place. Refusal to help the cartels can result in death, but if a taxi driver does try and help the cartels, then they risk arrest, or being targeted by rival cartels.

England Football Manager

Not a dangerous job, but a thankless one. With no major trophy secured since 1966, England are the great underachievers in international football. With the national team struggling to make even semi-finals of major tournaments, there seems no real likelihood that this barren run is going to end anytime soon. Even winning games is rarely enough for the English media and fans, and the hostility towards an England manager can often be akin to someone who has committed a major crime.