‘Penguin Post Office’ sends for new help
Station in Antarctica opens job applications, though duties include counting penguin totals
Hundreds of people around the world are applying for a coveted job to run the world’s most remote post office. The position is based in Antarctica, and one of the key specifications is the ability to count penguins.
Four candidates will be chosen to fill the five-month role at Port Lockroy — affectionally dubbed the “Penguin Post Office.” The nearly 80-year-old building is on British-owned Goudier Island, which is about the size of a football field and is populated by hundreds of penguins.
The post office doubles as a museum and is managed by the U.K. Antarctic Heritage Trust. Each year, the British charity hires four postmasters to live on the island from November to March.
Although employees each have unique roles, they are collectively responsible for maintaining the historic site and catering to the thousands of tourists who come by boat during the season. The staff is also in charge of wildlife monitoring — which includes tallying penguins — and environmental data collection.
Applicants are warned it’s not a glamorous job. Employees must live without running water, internet or cellphone service for five months. The team lives together in a small lodge, where they sleep in bunk beds and share a single bathroom and camping toilet. Visiting ships will offer showers when they stop by.
“Living there is quite hard work,” explained Camilla Nichol, the chief executive of the trust. “You might be working 12-hour days. There’s not much time for rest and relaxation.”
Still, the job is widely sought-after. The charity — which preserves and protects several historic sites and artifacts in Antarctica — gets hundreds of applications annually for the postmaster position. One year, more than 2,500 candidates applied.
Applicants for the four positions — which include base leader, shop manager and two general assistants — must be eligible to work in the United Kingdom, and the application deadline is April 25. Successful candidates will do a week of training in Cambridge, then head to Antarctica in October, where they will remain until March 2023.
Depending on the specific role, salaries range from about $1,600 per month to $2,300.
Given the coronavirus pandemic, the site has been closed off to visitors for the past two years, “so there’s a real return to Antarctica this season,” Nichol said. “We’re very excited about that.”
Applicants are often drawn to Port Lockroy for its history and its scientific significance. Port Lockroy, which is also known as “Base A,” was established in 1944 as part of a top-secret mission during World War II by the British government called Operation Tabarin, intended to reinforce British sovereignty over the region and establish a permanent presence in Antarctica.
Seasonal postmasters must acquire a solid understanding of Port Lockroy’s past to guide and educate tourists. According to the job description, they should also be prepared for a “physically and mentally challenging” experience.
“Living takes a bit more work over there,” said Lucy Dorman, who was a base leader during the 2019-20 season.