Count penguins in Antarctica? This remote job's chilling history is not for everyone
Temperatures in the summer months of Antarctica vary between 23 and 50 degrees. Most days will be just a few degrees above freezing, but overcast days and wind chill will make it feel colder.
World's most remote post office needs help with penguin counting as well as mail
UK Antarctic Heritage Trust CEO Camilla Nichol joins FOX Weather Wild to discuss how someone looking to work at Port Lockroy can help operate a post office while living in an Antarctic penguin colony.
GOUDIER ISLAND, Antarctica – Do you like to live a basic, sustainable life and dream of waking up and counting penguins in Antarctica?
Maybe you want to watch seals and whales stay busy with daily life or witness a sunrise over the snowcapped mountains.
The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust is hiring a Port Lockroy base leader, shop manager and general assistant to help protect the heritage, conserve its environment and share its rich history with about 18,000 visitors each season.
Penguins around the old British base of Port Lockroy, Goudier Island, Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica.
(DeAgostini / Getty Images)
If hired, you will spend five months from November to March at Base ‘A’ – a historic British base situated on the tiny Goudier Island off the Antarctic Peninsula.
Tasks include managing a gift shop and a British Antarctic Territory Post Office, overseeing the annual maintenance and upkeep of the buildings and artifacts and wildlife observations for the British Antarctic Survey.
The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust said Antarctica is a physically and mentally challenging workplace.
Temperatures in the summer months vary between 23 and 50 degrees. Most days will be just a few degrees above freezing, but overcast days and wind chill will make it feel colder.
Tourists and Gentoo Penguins walk around the British base in Antarctica "Bransfield House" in Port Lockroy, Goudier Island, now a historic monument during a voyage to Antarctica on a ship called "Le Diamant" during February 2006.
(Michel Setboun / Getty Images)
The work will involve spending many hours outside or inside the base with no insulation or heating. Warm clothing will be provided, but the work will be very physical, so you will want to pack your thermals and other layers to keep warm.
The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust’s flagship historic site was established in 1944 and operated as a British research station until it closed and retired in 1962. In 1996, Port Lockroy was restored as a living museum. Since then, it has operated during the Austral summer as a visitor site welcoming those who travel to Antarctica on expedition vessels and yachts.
It’s also worth noting that there is no running water on the island. Water is collected in jerry cans from visiting ships, which will also offer showers every few days.
Gentoo Penguins on Goudier Island during a voyage to Antarctica on a ship called "Le Diamant" during February 2006.
(Michel Setboun / Getty Images)
However, you might expect to go up to two weeks without visitors or a shower when conditions are poor.
There also is no flushing toilet at Port Lockroy. A basic camping toilet will need to be emptied daily.
Living quarters are a purpose-built Nissen hut that keeps with the aesthetics of the other historic buildings on the island. Staff will share one bedroom with access to a living area, a separate boot room and a washroom.
Inside the British base in Antarctica "Bransfield House" in Port Lockroy, Goudier Island, now a historic monument during a voyage to Antarctica on a ship called "Le Diamant" during February 2006.
(Michel Setboun / Getty Images)
There is a cooker and heater in the main kitchen and living area, both of which are powered by propane gas.
Cooking duties are shared by using propane gas. Food is shipped from the UK and consists of a wide variety of dried and tinned items, occasionally supplemented by fresh food donated from visiting ships.
Sound like the perfect job for you? Applications must be submitted by April 25.