GOUDIER ISLAND, Antarctica – Do you like to live a simple, sustainable life and dream of waking up and counting penguins in Antarctica?
Maybe you want to watch seals and whales go about their daily life or witness a sunrise over snow-capped mountains.
The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust is recruiting a Port Lockroy Base Manager, Store Manager and Assistant General to help protect heritage, conserve its environment and share its rich history with around 18,000 visitors each season.
If hired, you will spend five months from November to March at Base “A” – a historic British base located on small Goudier Island off the Antarctic Peninsula.
Duties include running a British Antarctic Territory gift shop and post office, overseeing the annual maintenance and upkeep of buildings and artefacts and wildlife sightings for the British Antarctic Survey .
The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust said Antarctica is a physically and mentally difficult place to work.
Temperatures during the summer months vary between 23 and 50 degrees. Most days will be a few degrees above freezing, but cloudy days and wind chill will make the temperature colder.
The work will involve spending many hours outside or inside the base without insulation or heating. Warm clothes will be provided, but the work will be very physical, so you will want to bring your thermal clothes and other layers to stay warm.
The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust’s flagship historic site was established in 1944 and operated as a UK research station until it was closed and retired in 1962. In 1996 Port Lockroy was restored as a living museum. Since then it has functioned during the austral summer as a visitor site welcoming those traveling to Antarctica on expedition vessels and yachts.
It should also be noted that there is no running water on the island. Water is collected in jerrycans from visiting ships, which will also offer showers every few days.
However, you can expect to go up to two weeks without visitors or showers when conditions are poor.
There are also no flush toilets in Port Lockroy. A basic camping toilet will need to be emptied daily.
The living quarters are a purpose-built Nissen cabin that respects the aesthetics of other historic buildings on the island. The staff will share a bedroom with access to a living room, a separate storage room and a toilet.
There is a stove and heater in the main kitchen and living room, both powered by propane gas.
Kitchen duties are shared using propane gas. Food is shipped from the UK and consists of a wide variety of dried and canned items, sometimes supplemented by fresh food donated by visiting ships.
Sounds like the perfect job for you? Applications must be submitted by April 25.
