Looking for wide open spaces and nature? This job at the end of the world is made for you.
Alert: dream job. For all lovers of nature, wide open spaces and animals, this job offer is for you: the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust or UKAHT (British Antarctic Heritage Foundation) is looking for people each season to go, among other things, count penguins on the other side of the world. In its announcement, the organization explained in early 2024 that it was looking for a base manager, a store manager and three assistants.
“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,” reads the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust Instagram account, in several publications touting his job offer. These posts are located at Port Lockroy, described as a “remote, but bustling” location by the foundation, located on Goudier Island in the far north of Antarctica.
This small island is considered to be one of the most visited sites in Antarctica, with more than 18,000 visitors each year, according to the announcement posted on the UKAHT website, relayed by the American site of New York Post. Port Lockroy, today fully managed by the foundation, is a place particularly recognized by the British for its scientific importance, particularly for the study of animals, including penguins.
Those hired to work at Port Lockroy will be responsible for “managing the gift shop, fundraising, running the British Antarctic Territory Post Office, maintaining and maintaining the buildings year-round historic sites, observe wildlife and carry out many other varied and challenging tasks”, as the UKAHT website states.
For volunteers afraid of temperatures, rest assured: the various positions are planned for the summer period in Antarctica, or in the middle of winter here. The recruitment period for the start of 2024 has closed but the foundation intends to relaunch its offers for the period from November 2024 to March 2025. Contrary to what one might imagine, the temperatures at this time of year year oscillate around zero, therefore largely livable for us inhabitants of temperate regions.
Despite the relatively mild temperatures (for Antarctica), working at Port Lockroy is not for the “faint of heart”, UKAHT warns. There is no running water – and no showers or flush toilets. There is little electricity, no cell phone service and “limited internet.” In its announcement, the foundation drives the point home: the nearest hospital is in Argentina. But all the same, the job simply consists of monitoring the penguins, after having received on-site training and in exchange for a written report at the end of the mission. Not so rocket science, provided you like calm, isolation from the outside world, snow and penguins of course!