The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi is looking for the position of a dog handler. The premier technological institute's recruitment notice had created quite a stir on the social media.
In the ad posted on August 26, the notice for the non-academic position, a contractual job for security office at the campus, stated — the job is open for people between 21 and 35 years old, male or female, and the salary can go up to Rs 45,000 per month.
According to reports, a similar job profile under Delhi Police has a salary of around Rs 20,000.
Also, for most job applications in this position, the usual minimum qualification is of 10+2, however, the IIT-Delhi notice says "B.A/B.Sc/B.Com/B.Tech or any equivalent undergraduate degree" as the eligibility criteria.
IIT Delhi issues clarification for ad
The institute said it had cancelled the current recruitment process after the error was brought to the notice of higher authorities in a clarification issued. It also said that a fresh process would be initiated to hire a consultant for taking proper care of a large number of stray dogs on the campus.
The notice on IIT Delhi's website read
"Applications are invited from Indian Citizens for the 01 post of Dog Handler on purely contract basis under Security Office, IIT Delhi. The appointment may be made initially for a period of 03 months, renewable further subject to requirement & satisfactory work performance," the notice read on the institution's website.
But...this is not all!
The applicant had to have a four-wheeler to be able to drive the dog to a veterinarian if needed. A photo of the advertisement was widely shared on social media, including messaging apps like WhatsApp, as people found it very unusual.
Taking to Twitter, IIT director V Ramgopal Rao said, "Guys, this was a mistake. I checked. If you see the job description, they are seeking a Bachelors in Veterinary Sciences. By mistake, B.Tech etc got copied from another advertisement. Humans make mistakes. Let's leave it at that."
"A fresh process in due course will be initiated to hire a consultant (on purely contract basis) with suitable minimum qualification required for the job profile that involves proper care of a large number of stray dogs on the campus (providing them medical aid like vaccination, medicine, IV drip etc. and food), handling of issues and challenges relating to stray dogs, liaison with campus community- students, employees, construction workers etc, local government bodies and NGOs," the statement by IIT-Delhi said.
