Megan Lipman's job takes her on an endless global scavenger hunt. For her latest foray, 25-year-old Lipman flew to Malta. She's tracking down the prices for a 20-cm zipper, 20mg of Prozac, a canister of tennis balls, an automobile oil change, a 14-carat gold wedding ring, Tabasco, a dozen red Baccarat roses - and the cost to repair a washing machine. She doesn't have to find out the cost of Maltese falcons, but chickens are also on her list. Lipman, an American citizen, works for Associates for International Research Inc, or Air-Inc, of Cambridge, Mass, which needs the price information for the European Union, a client. Numerous multinational companies and government agencies use data compiled by Air-Inc and its competitors to compute their expatriates' cost-of-living subsidies. As more businesses globalise and the expatriate population surges, employers are eager to keep a tight rein on their expats' expenses. A life on the move Air-Inc's 10 surveyors, aged 24 to 32 years old, say they can't imagine a cooler job. Most have encountered bizarre situations straight out of spy novels. Some have socialised with Omani royalty or encountered Mafia honchos in Slovakia. Surveyor Stacey Hamlin fled the Congo last year when civil unrest erupted. Nationwide strikes, frequent power outages and lengthy siestas sometimes interfere with valuable surveying time - but enhance their job's appeal. "I never in my life could have dreamed that such a job existed," says Lipman. After graduating from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass, and working for two years as a translator, the Spanish and art-history major stumbled on a tiny help-wanted ad for a "Research Analyst/Surveyor". The job sounded mundane: "Responsibilities include data collection, analysis and preparation of various statistical data for cost of living analysis." But the last sentence intrigued her: "Will spend at least one-third of time in international travel." During her job interview, Air-Inc peppered Lipman with such questions as "What would you do if you were stranded in a central African nation because the next flight out didn't leave for three more days?" (Her answer: If there were no other safe ways to leave the country, she'd try to get as much work done as she could over the phone.

 1 2 3 Next >