This job at Port Lockroy in Antarctica is the perfect way to escape it all… and it has penguins for company
If you’ve ever fancied giving it all up, leaving the City and abandoning the trappings of technology for something a little simpler, this might just be the perfect job for you.
Britain’s most remote post office is looking for new assistants. It might not sound exciting, but there is a twist – it happens to be located in Antarctica.
There’s no mains power, no WiFi and the temperature falls below minus five degrees pretty regularly.
The base at Port Lockroy, which includes a post office, is on the football pitch-sized island of Goudier on the coast of Antarctica.
Despite being almost literally at the ends of the earth, you would also have to entertain 18,000 visitors passing through the tiny island every single day.
The port is a stop-off for two cruise ships a day in summer, during which it remains daylight constantly for 24 hours a day. The stop gives passengers their only opportunity between destinations to post letters to loved ones.
Other than that, it’s pretty quiet. Except for the 2,000 Gentoo penguins to keep you company. You will also have the company of four other assistants.
The successful candidate will help not just sort the thousands of letters, but run the museum and maintenance operations and monitor the penguins as part of research projects.
It may not be the most lucrative job in the world (£1,100 a month, but with food, expenses and flights covered and paid for by The Antarctic Heritage Trust, which runs the base). But if escaping the rat-race is your thing – and you like penguins – it could be right up your street.
It's a stunning location but hard work, says Port Lockroy assistant Stephen Skinner. “The juxtaposition between this beautiful environment and the harsh conditions which formed it is truly awe-inspiring. However, due to these conditions life here can be challenging, and it’s important to be very flexible in your attitude towards tasks," he explains.
"We work long days, which are both mentally and physically demanding – it requires a certain strength of character! That said, I feel honoured to have had the opportunity to be here, I have learned new skills, made new friends and have lots of stories to tell.”