'Best job in the world' offers a FREE two-bedroom furnished home on Martha's Vineyard with people desperate to apply for 'a Hallmark life'

Published: 14:16, 16 May 2026 | Updated: 14:24, 16 May 2026 It has been hailed as a 'dream job' as it comes with accommodation on one of America's most luxurious islands that can often only be afforded by the rich and famous. Martha’s Vineyard's local newspaper The Vineyard Gazette in Massachusetts sent people into a frenzy with its advertisement for a fellowship reporter.  The position comes with all expenses paid housing of a furnished two-bedroom guest house on the island during the reporter's employment with the firm. It also offers a $65,000 salary, as well as health benefits and a 401(k) plan, according to the listing. The position requires at least three years of reporting experience and a two-year commitment, with the possibility of extending for a third year.  The average home value in Dukes County, where Martha's Vineyard sits, is a staggering $1.5 million, according to Zillow - making the free housing a major draw.  The opportunity has taken social media by storm, with many hailing it the 'best job ever.'  Many compared it to a movie or tv series plot, with one X user posting: 'What in the Hallmark?'  Another said: 'This feels like a Gilmore Girls episode.' Vineyard Gazette newspaper offices in Edgartown is pictured where the reporting role would be based from The average home value in Dukes County where Martha's Vineyard is based is $1.5 million. Pictured is the Oak Bluffs skyline at sunrise  Henry Beetle Hough, former publisher of the Vineyard Gazette with his wife Betty and their collie in front of the Gazette building 'This sounds like a dream,' another wrote. Former reporters from the paradise island chimed in, sharing their experiences reporting on Martha's Vineyard.  'From someone who spent 6 months working on the island, if you have the qualifications, do it. It will change your life,' one ex employee wrote on X. Journalist Brooke Kushwana took to social media to reflect on how interesting it is to see the internet go crazy over a position she once held.  'Strange to see the entire internet romanticize a job I actually did. Yes it’s very fun!' She wrote on X. 'But you live every day in fear of Lyme disease,' she joked. Her post was flooded with comments asking about her experience, with one person asking whether she was provided free housing.  Kushwana said she wasn’t and was lucky to have her own place to stay. Another asked what it was like living there in the winter, since the area is most visited in the summer.  The beautiful offices of the Vineyard Gazette newspaper on Martha's Vineyard Edgartown (pictured) on Martha's Vineyard is where the job will be based Your browser does not support iframes. The gingerbread style homes of Martha's Vineyard look like they are straight out of a fairytale or wholesome Hallmark movie 'It was very, very depressing in winter, but summer is very fun and fall is gorgeous,' she replied.  The reporter also wrote a Substack essay reflecting on her time on the island, when she worked for the newspaper.  She said her friends compared her life to a 'rom-com plot,' and painted a beautiful picture of the town she worked in. 'The newspaper’s office is an old clapboard building in Edgartown - one of the most well-preserved whaling towns in the country,' she wrote. 'Each year, a carousel of daffodils, peonies, hydrangeas, and dahlias burst forth from neighbors’ gardens until they get wrapped up in burlap for the winter,' the essay read. Kushwana noted the summer population surge, saying the island easily reaches over 100,000 people as visitors flock there during the season.  She said the year-round population is around 20,000, and that she met people from all walks of life, including boat builders, fishers, and oyster harvesters.  'You may get invited on a yacht, if you know the wrong people, or more likely end up catering a celebrity’s summer soiree.' Hough, former publisher of Vineyard Gazette in pressroom at Vineyard Gazette, circa 1940s An aerial view of the entrance to Edgartown Harbor on the island of Martha's Vineyard The quaint storefronts of Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard look straight out of a rom-com The reporter touched on the romanticization of the Vineyard’s summers, revealing she experienced deep loneliness during the colder seasons that few understand.  Nonetheless, she called it the 'best job' she ever had. 'In my two years on the Vineyard, I wrote about sharks, broke news stories about former presidents, and rode a cherry-red biplane across Muskeget Sound. 'It was the best job I ever had - something everyone who has ever had the job says,' she wrote. Former publisher of the Gazette, Jane Seagrave, who retired in 2024 after 13 years there had previously spoken about the affordable housing crisis Martha’s Vineyard faces.  'The economy has been so hot and housing has been bought up by people using it for short term rentals,” she told Poynter.org in June 2023. At the time Seagrave said she had rented two houses on the island, one for a staff member and another to house summer interns. She said it’s easy for The Gazette to find interns from wealthy families who live on the island but hiring with diversity in mind is more challenging. 'Being able to offer housing to people helps us broaden our search,' she said.  Aerial view of the harbor and town of Edgartown. This will be the lucky reporter's new home Jackie Kennedy Onassis's Red Gate Farm is pictured. The former first lady transformed the 340-acre property into an oasis for her family  Henry Beetle Hough, former publisher of Vineyard Gazette working at his desk at the offices of Vineyard Gazette, circa 1940s The Gazette was established in 1846 and is based in Edgartown.  The reporter role falls under the Henry Beetle Hough Enterprise Fellowship and offers the chance to report on important issues facing the Hallmark-like island.  Created in honor of former owner, editor, and publisher Henry Beetle Hough, the fellowship will see the reporter covering climate change, immigration, income inequality, and nationally significant issues emerging at the local level, according to the listing.  Applicants must be authorized to work in the US, have a valid driver’s license for travel, and be available for night and weekend work.  Martha's Vineyard has long been loved as a vacation spot for the rich and famous. Jackie Kennedy Onassis, the iconic former First Lady helped put it on the map with her 340-acre property Red Gate Farm.  After purchasing the estate in the late 1970s, Onassis, who died in 1994, would often divide her time with her family in the between the private Martha's Vineyard oasis and the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, the summer home owned by her late husband John F Kennedy, which served as a much-loved getaway for the couple when they were married. Celebrities that have visited the island over the years include, Reese Witherspoon, Bill Murray, Meg Ryan, and the late Princess Diana. Actor Michael J Fox, has been known to call the Vineyard his home, Galavante reported. Jackie Kennedy Onassis and John F Kennedy are pictured together in 1960 at the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts  A behind-the-scenes image of the filming of Jaws on Martha's Vineyard in 1974 It is also a favorite haunt of former presidents. Barack Obama celebrated his 60th birthday there with a star-studded party at his $12 million mansion that included Beyonce, Jay-Z, Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, Tom Hanks and George Clooney as guests. A source at the time of the birthday bash told the Daily Mail: 'The island is always full of celebrities and it still is but you won't see them out and about. They come here to fly under the radar. 'Sometimes you'll see the Obamas popping in somewhere for dinner and there will be a little, 'Oh!' of excitement but then they just get on with their meal and people here leave them alone.' Obama's former vacation home there sold for $15 million in 2018. The island is also known as the location where the 1975 blockbuster Jaws was filmed. After the movie was released the island saw a boom in tourism from people keen to visit some of the iconic spots where scenes were shot such as 'Jaws Bridge' on Beach Road, where the famous scene of the shark attacking the docks was filmed. Daily Mail reached out to Kushwana for further comment and the Gazette. The paper said the job advert did not warrant a story at this time. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. 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