What would you do with a few months to yourself in Antarctica? Count some penguins? Catch up on your reading list? You’d certainly get a quite a bit of peace and quiet, that’s for sure.
If that sounds appealing to you, we might have found the ideal job. A charity called the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) is looking for people to help run the world’s most remote post office. It’s on Goudier Island in Port Lockroy – the oldest permanent British base on the Antarctic Peninsula.
Port Lockroy hasn’t been open to the public or staffed since 2020 due to the pandemic. But for the next summer season (in Antarctica, that’ll be November 2022 to March 2023), it’s looking for a team to help out. The roles up for grabs are shop manager, base leader and general assistant.
Successful applicants will be tasked not just with running the post office, but also helping keep the museum and gift shop in order. Not to forget, of course, the most important part: they’ll be part of a team counting penguins. Port Lockroy shares Goudier Island with a colony of Gentoo penguins – it’s the job of the UKAHT to count them and help protect the colony.
According to the BBC, ideal candidates will need to have a good level of physical fitness, be environmentally aware and have a knowledge of ‘minimum impact living’ (i.e. not leaving a mark on the local environment). They’ll also need to be available for pre-trip training in Cambridge in October.
If you’d like to apply for the job, you can find out more here. The application deadline is April 25.
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