A shift worker is so desperate for a new job that he has placed himself on auction site eBay and is asking employers to pay him £15,000 a year.

Ben Browne is hoping potential employers will spot his listing and offer him work.

The 23-year-old, whose previous auctions include a Gameboy console and a sunroof for a VW Beetle, has been working at Gatwick for more than four years after he left the University of Brighton.

Ben, of St Catherine's Terrace, Hove, has even posted a covering letter on the site stating he has the potential to be "moulded into the perfect employee".

Within 24 hours of appearing on the site Ben had already been seen by 50 potential employers.

No one had placed a bid for the job seeker, who described himself as "a rare product" and a quick learner who always gives 110 per cent, although he is hopeful he will be snapped up soon. Ben said: "My Dad rang me to ask what I was doing and I said, 'well, I'm just putting myself on eBay'. He was obviously a bit surprised.

"But it's another way to market yourself and hopefully people will just see me as being innovative, keen and optimistic.

"I told a couple of the guys at work and they thought it was hilarious.

"I've started looking for a new job over the last couple of months. I'm just looking for new opportunities basically and this is one way to find them.

"I was looking at other job websites and they all seemed so monotonous I just sat down and wrote a covering letter which I decided to post on eBay. Hours later I already had 50 hits and two people were watching - that's a pretty impressive response."

Originally from Clacton, in Essex, Ben studied for two years at the University of Brighton before he began working at Gatwick.

He has since risen from a cleaner to a service co-ordinator, but said 12-hour shifts combined with two hours travelling between Hove and the airport were taking their toll and he was looking for a fresh start.

Ben added: "I trained in construction before going into university so I'd like to go back to that but basically I'm up for anything.

"Without a doubt I'm looking for a new challenge. Like it says on the site I'm hard working and I've worked my way up at Gatwick from an aircraft cleaner.

"But with these 14-hour days I've just had enough."

Ben's eBay user name is benni browne1982. Ben's listing can be found by tapping "Hardworker with lots of potential" into the search bar. The listing ends on Wednesday.