Help wanted: no pay but heavenly benefits

Someone may have found his calling to become a monk on Sunday, when enlightenment landed in the help-wanted pages that typically target top executives.

An order of Roman Catholic monks in Switzerland has started an unusual recruitment drive by placing a classified ad for a “position” that offers no pay but plenty of development opportunities. Benefits include freedom from personal material wealth and a better grasp of the meaning of life, the ad reads.

The 20 Minutes newspaper reported that the Capuchin order had placed the ad after a lack of new recruits cut its ranks by half to 200 over the past decade.

“The current average age is extremely high,” spokesman Willi Anderau told 20 Minutes. Several monasteries have already closed or will shortly close their doors.

The ad appeared in the Alpha Manager Market, an insert appearing in several Zurich-based newspapers over the weekend, alongside announcements for openings in the banking and insurance sector.

The Capuchin order says it is looking for “bankers, journalists, teachers, theologians, salesmen, lawyers, and communication specialists” for a lifelong commitment. The successful candidate will be an unmarried Catholic man between 22-35 years old and capable of living in a communal environment with plenty of time to pray.

The Capuchins have been around for 500 years and live in communal homes or monasteries in ten locations throughout German-speaking Switzerland.