Penguins count in Antarctica – why the job isn’t as romantic as it sounds

Salome Worlen

The British organization UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) is looking for four to five applicants for perhaps the most remote jobs in the world. Whoever is ultimately selected will provide the world’s southernmost post office and visitors’ shop on Goudier Island in Antarctica and count penguins every day for five months – some 9,000 miles from Britain.

Goudier Island may be located on an island in the south, but it has little to do with heat and sandy beaches. On the contrary: the small island lies off the Antarctic Peninsula, is the size of a football field, consists of rocks and is surrounded by permanent ice.

The island is home to Port Lockroy, a natural harbor and historic base of the same name that was established in 1944 as part of the British Operation Tabarin. After the end of World War II, the base was converted into a research station, but was finally closed and abandoned in 1962.

In 1996, the base’s historic importance was recognized and it was granted Historic Site status. As part of this, Port Lockroy was converted into a “living museum” and restored accordingly. Since then it has received up to 18,000 visitors in the summer season between November and the end of March.

Since 2006 it has been under the care of the UKAHT (UK Heritage Trust). The British foundation cares for and preserves six historic sites on the Antarctic Peninsula. This includes three buildings on Goudiereiland. Between November 2023 and March 2024, four to five people are being sought for vacancies on the same site.

Let’s take a closer look at your workplace and your tasks.

If you want to apply for one of the jobs on Goudiereiland, you have to be social. You will be accommodated with the other three to four employees in a small Nissen hut, which has been recreated in the style of the other historic buildings on the island. There you share a bedroom with bunk beds (woe, you snore!!!) and with access to the kitchen and living room. You have to do without comfortable hygiene standards: you look in vain for a classic toilet and shower.

You can still wash. Namely in the washroom, which is located in the Nissen hut. In return, you will receive water buses from visiting ships once a week. However, it may happen that no ship moors for two weeks due to bad weather. No ship = no shower. But if a ship docks, you can also take a shower there. You can relieve yourself in a camping toilet, which you and your team have to empty daily.

Well, still interested? Then keep reading.

In the kitchen with adjoining living room there is a stove and a stove, both working on gas. Are you one of those people who walks around in shorts even in winter? Beautiful! It never gets really hot in the hut: the average temperature inside will be between 14 and 15 degrees. It is likely to be colder at the start of the season and the historic buildings you will be working in are not insulated or heated.

Still, the Antarctic Peninsula is not as cold as one might first think: as current store manager Natalie Corbett reported in February, temperatures have rarely dropped below 0 since November. This is very common for the British Summer-temperatures.

You and your team members take turns cooking. You won’t be a gourmet chef in this day and age: the food comes from the UK and is a range of dry and canned produce. Occasionally there could also be fresh food from visiting ships.

There is only very limited electricity on the basis of solar energy. You can leave your hair dryer, electric toothbrush and the like at home.

You mainly communicate via satellite, mainly for professional purposes. You liaise with the UKAHT team via email and coordinate ship visits and logistics. Theoretically you could of course also send private emails, but UKAHT doesn’t want to fool you:

More on “free time” later. The satellite phone should only be used for emergencies. You are therefore best at war with your entire family and circle of friends: your contact with them is kept to an absolute minimum for almost 5 months.

Whichever job you choose on the island, there is a lot of physical work involved. You and your team members regularly have to lug heavy jerry cans and boxes and shovel a lot of snow every day.

In other words: Yes, you would be better off if you were an athlete. But for several reasons you cannot practice traditional sports on the island: The island is small, rocky, snowy and you don’t have time anyway.

Yes correct. Despite being extremely isolated, Port Lockroy receives hundreds of visitors every day. That means:

In case you missed the incidental information in brackets, you have a day off once every two weeks. Every two weeks. One day.

It is also important that you are healthy. Of course there is a supply of painkillers and antibiotics on Goudier Island, but if you become seriously ill, that can be difficult. The nearest hospital is nearby not around damn far away in Ushuaia, Argentina.

So, so much for the setting. Now to the actual vacancies and tasks.

We are looking for a base manager, one or two assistants and a shop manager. However, a large part of the work consists of the same tasks for everyone:

Yes, there is a post office on the small Goudiereiland. The only far and wide. It is best to be very enthusiastic about stamps: you will have to frank about 80,000 letters and postcards by hand. The current team sent almost 30 kg of postcards per month after arrival.

Last but not least, you should also observe and log the wildlife. Thousands of penguins live on the island and a large part of wildlife observation involves counting the number of penguin eggs laid and the number of penguins. It is an advantage if you are equipped with a resilient sense of smell: Because where there are many penguins, there is also a lot of penguin poop. This must be constantly brushed off before visitors drag it into the shop, museum or post office.

What are you waiting for? You can apply here until March 26. However, you must have a work permit in Great Britain.