The 150-year-old East Brother Island Lighthouse, which marks the entrance to San Pablo Bay from San Francsico Bay needs a new keeper. The lighthouse is owned by the U.S. Coast Guard but maintained for public use by a non-profit organization, who also oversees the bed and breakfast inn which is a part of the lighthouse structure.
According to a press release issued in December of 2022:
"East Brother Light Station, Inc., a non-profit corporation, is seeking applicants for Keepers of East Brother Light Station, an island in San Francisco Bay that is the home of an intact 1874 lighthouse and fog signal. After two years of extraordinary service, our current keepers, Stephanie and Bryan Wesolek will be leaving at the end of March 2023.
The successful candidates will be a couple, one of whom must possess a Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Credential NMC boat operator’s license. They will operate the five-room inn, serving both dinner and breakfast, as well as providing ferry service for guests and all other tasks from chef to the maid."
Although the candidates need to apply as a "couple" they don't have to be married or in a relationship but they do have to commit to living and working together for two full years.
Along with incredible views, the hired couple will enjoy:
- Free living quarters and food
- Annual combined salary approximately $140,000
- $10,000 allotment for health insurance
- Four weeks of vacation
If you are interested in the position, be sure to read the fine print. Former Richmond Mayor Tom Butt, who is also president of the light station’s board of directors told the San Francisco Chronicle when the position was open in 2019, “We got literally thousands of applications from all over the world. But people aren’t reading the fine print,” he said. In particular, the requirement for a Coast Guard captain’s license is often overlooked by applicants: “We had to filter all those out.”
The position must be filled by March of 2023 and the two-year job will begin in April. Check out the job requirements and submit an application at East Brother Light Station's website.