New viral job trend: Hired relatives for graduation ceremonies

A new and rather unusual job has captured the attention of Thai social media users, after a man and his friends offered a "hired relatives" service for university graduation ceremonies.

The man, who uses the Facebook account name Anon, posted on Wednesday that he and five friends — four women and one man — are offering to act as stand-in relatives for graduates whose family members are unable to attend the event.

Anon stated that the service is priced at 400 baht per hour. These hired "relatives" would also bring gifts or flowers, and take care of the graduate throughout the ceremony, mimicking the support typically provided by real family members.

By Thursday afternoon, the post had gained over 7,500 likes, more than 300 comments, and had been shared over 4,000 times.