Ever wanted to work at a post office but didn't want to face dogs constantly barking at you? A British charity is offering the chance to deal not with paws but with flippers with a job in Antarctica.
The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust is a charity that manages bases that educate visitors and help conservation efforts on the seventh continent. One of the bases is Port Lockroy on Goudier Island in the Palmer Archipelago west of the Antarctic Peninsula.
At the port, the trust is looking for a base leader, shop manager and general assistant to work at the gift shop and the world's most remote post office from November to March 2023, Antarctica's summer months, when temperatures can reach a brisk 50 degrees, but often are freezing when you factor in the wind chill.
The port usually looks for workers every summer season, but it will be open to the public for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Some of the duties include managing the gift shop and the post office on behalf of the British Antarctic Territory Government. The post office says it gets about 80,000 pieces of mail a season.
But perhaps the best task? Counting penguins.
Workers have to count penguins and other wildlife for the British Antarctic Survey, and a report is due by the end of employment.
According to the application, the successful candidate "will need to be physically and medically able to do the job."
Living conditions are "basic but comfortable," but there is limited power and no running water or internet access, which means "very minimal communication" to the outside world. If you want to take a shower or use a flushing toilet, you have to hope a visiting ship will let you use one.
Dream of waking up & seeing Antarctica in all its glory? Penguins plodding around, the sun peeping over snow topped mountains. A job like no other. Join us & help protect Antarctica's heritage & conserve its precious environment. Apply by 25 April. https://t.co/NPSf6dKLdipic.twitter.com/GmJYIq5w1m
— UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (@AntarcticHT) April 4, 2022
As daunting as the job may seem, Lauren Elliott, a postmaster who worked there from 2019 to 2020, told BBC it is "the most magical place in the world," even if it meant cleaning up "lots of penguin poo."
"I'm not going this year, but to anyone who's considering it, pack up your bags and go," Elliot said. "Our team still talks today, and you'll make friends for life."
For those interested, the application can be found here,with a deadline at 7:59 p.m. ET on April 25. International candidates can apply, but they must have the right to work in the United Kingdom, and those selected will have a week of training in Cambridge in October.
Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Antarctica post office job opening: Come count penguins for charity
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