‘Coolest’ job on the market: Work at the 'Penguin Post Office' in Antarctica
Count penguins, sort mails: Here's what you do at the world’s southernmost post office
Wish to work in Antarctica alongside penguins next year? Look no further – the world’s southernmost post office, in Port Lockroy, Antarctica, might have the perfect job opening for you.
“From counting penguins to sorting mail at the world’s southernmost post office, working at the Port Lockroy in Antarctica is a job like no other!” wrote the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, which owns and operates the post office, in a recent Instagram post.
According to the Trust’s website, a chosen team of five will keep count of the islands 1,500 penguins, in addition to sorting through up to 80,000 postcards sent by cruise ship passengers to the penguins.
The job duties include being okay with the stench (penguin faeces) among other requirements.
The applicants must be at least 18 years old and had to be living in and able to legally work in the UK, the website specifies.
While there is no upper limit for an applicant's age, they must be physically fit as there is a lot of physical work like “carrying five-gallon cans of water, lifting and carrying 33-pound boxes, digging a lot of snow”.
“Candidates do not need to be athletes, they do need to be strong and resilient to undertake these tasks daily for several months,” the Trust’s website adds.
It is also worth noting that there is no running water on the island. Water is collected in cans from visiting ships, which also offer showers every few days. But when conditions are poor, you can sometimes go up to two weeks without visitors or showers.
Since Port Lockroy also has no flushing toilet, a basic camping toilet will need to be emptied daily.
While the applications are currently closed for the upcoming season, the applications will reopen in spring 2025, on The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust’s official website.