If you like the sound of earning money while playing games at home, IKEA has the opportunity for you.
The Swedish furniture giant will start paying people up to £13.15 an hour to become staff members in a virtual version of its stores.
The ‘fully remote’ role will include helping customers choose their furniture and serving up meatballs in a digital recreation of its iconic bistro.
Anyone interested will have to fill out an application form and submit a CV – although IKEA says there’s only 10 positions available.
The company is taking applications for the game on a dedicated webpage from now until June 16, before the game launches on June 24.
Within the virtual experience, IKEA fans will be able to ‘live their home furnishing dreams’ and get paid for it, the Swedish firm says
Just like in the real-life IKEA, the virtual staff will be able to help customers and get promoted to move departments, such as Bistro (pictured)
IKEA’s new experience is essentially a immersive game that’s being hosted on Roblox, a free online platform that lets users build their own virtual worlds and appear as avatars.
Roblox is available on PC and mobile, so it’s likely these ‘staff members’ will earn their hourly wage by typing and clicking.
Just like in the real-life IKEA, the virtual staff will be able to help customers and get promoted to move departments.
Among them are Showroom (where furniture is set-up as it would appear in a home) and Bistro (where its iconic meatballs, hotdogs and cinnamon buns are served).
‘Candidates will be recruited to work inside our newest store, located on the gaming platform Roblox, getting a taste of what careers are like in a real life IKEA,’ the firm says.
‘Gamers and IKEA fans alike will be able to work, explore and experience the virtual world of IKEA.’
Other than that, the game (simply called ‘The Co-Worker’) will be much like a real job, with an application stage and an hourly wage.
Even though Roblox is a popular platform among children, applicants have to be 18 and based in the UK or Ireland to apply.
Candidates will be recruited to work inside IKEA’s newest store, located on the gaming platform Roblox
Launching June 24, ‘The Co-Worker Game’ will allow players to experience working in IKEA, albeit a virtual version
Roblox is a free online gaming platform that lets users build their own virtual worlds. It allows users to play games created by themselves or by others (file photo)
Hopefuls have to fill out an application form that asks questions such as ‘How do you feel about being turned into pixels?’ and ‘What would you do if we ran out of pixelated hot dogs in our bistro?’
The recruitment process also includes a questionnaire and will require an updated CV, while videos can also be submitted.
If successful, applicants will be invited to a digital interview before getting the role – but it’s unclear how long the whole thing will last and IKEA bills it as a ‘limited contract’.
Ultimately, it could all act as a plug for IKEA’s arrival on Roblox before the virtual store is made available more widely.
The Swedish firm – valued at over $21 billion (£16 billion) last year – was accused of destroying some of Europe’s last remaining ancient forests in a recent report.
The Swedish furniture giant will start paying people up to £13.15 an hour to become staff members in a virtual version of its stores. Pictured, an IKEA store in London
A Greenpeace investigation found IKEA’s furniture manufacturers are sourcing wood from protected woodland areas in Europe.
In response, a spokesman for IKEA said: ‘We are currently going through the Greenpeace report in detail. We welcome a transparent dialogue and look forward to discussing the matter further once we have had a chance to read the full report.
‘We take information about the risk of violation of internal and external forestry requirements very seriously. Illegal wood and bad forestry practices have no place in the IKEA value chain.
‘Any indication of this is immediately investigated. If we discover irregularities, we take immediate action, including terminating business relationships.’
