Love penguins? Applications open to work in Antarctica’s ‘penguin post office’
Applications have opened to work at Antarctica’s famous “penguin post office”, but successful applicants will need to put up with the smell of penguin poo. The shop in Port Lockroy is the southernmost post office in the world.
FollowAdventure seekers now have a unique career option. Five employees are needed at the world's southernmost post office by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) to handle mail sorting and penguin counts.
A message on the Trust's X and other social media handles stated that the employee's stay in Port Lockroy will last for five months. Port Lockroy is located on Goudier Island. It is visited by up to 18,000 cruise ship visitors, says the UKAHT's website, making it one of the most visited sites in Antarctica.
"From counting penguins to sorting mail at the world's southernmost post office, working at Port Lockroy in Antarctica is a job like no other," the trust said in its job post.
In addition, the trust is looking for three general assistants, a store manager, and a base commander who will all be residing in the "remote but hectic" site. The jobs are available starting in November 2024 and ending in March 2025.
According to its website, Port Lockroy was chosen to be the first continuously manned British outpost to create a year-round British presence in Antarctica because it was renowned as a secure haven after being used by whaling vessels in the early 20th century.
The available positions are general assistant, shop manager and base leader, with salaries ranging from £1,375 to £1,985 per month. Applicants must be prepared to share a room with five other people, go for extended periods of time without phone or internet and up to two weeks without showering.
The application warns prospective applicants must be psychically and medically fit. Some physical work includes carrying 20 litre jerry cans of water, lifting and carrying 15kg boxes and shovelling a lot of snow.
