Google Will Pay You $20 an Hour to Put Your Life in the Hands of Their Self-Driving Cars

May 17, 2016

Google is looking to pay some candidates $20 an hour to sit in the driver’s seats of their self-driving cars and collect data on how the cars manage traffic situations.

The tech company is on the search for applicants who live in Phoenix, Arizona, or are willing to relocate to fill their self-driving vehicle operator and operations associate position.

Individuals will sit in one of Google’s self-driving Lexus RX sport-utility vehicles for six to eight hours a day as the cars make their way through an Arizona suburb. The head of operations for Google’s self-driving program, Brian Torcellini, told The Arizona Republic:

“The role of test driver is so new that there isn’t a particular type of person that we look for. We’ve hired people from all types of backgrounds, from English teachers to orbital welders. In general, they need to be excellent drivers who pay really close attention to the road and can predict the social aspects of driving.”

Hired employees will be working in teams of two to 10 people. One person will be in the driver’s seat of the vehicle while another will be sitting in the passenger seat writing down notes on a laptop.

These “vehicle safety specialists” will be in charge of collecting data and providing feedback for the engineering team. Employees will also be operating the vehicle’s proprietary software and hardware. Specialists would be able to override the vehicles if the situation calls for it.

Requirements for the job include having a bachelor’s degree, a clean driving history, no criminal record, a typing speed of 40 words per minute and excellent written and verbal communication skills. Participants are also expected to maintain the confidentiality of Google’s self-driving project.

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