In February 2024, a job posting surfaced on social media, sparking laughter and curiosity among hundreds of people who applied. The job description mentioned that shortlisted candidates would spend five months in a snowy desert, surrounded by gentoo penguins, performing tasks like sorting thousands of postcards and cleaning up penguin poop. The job, posted by the “Penguin Post Office,” is for the most remote post office in the world, located in Antarctica, according to The Washington Post.
The position was to be filled by four candidates who would then work in a five-month role in Port Lockroy from November to March. The selected candidates are required to count penguins because the eight-decade-old football-field-size post office building in Goudier Island is populated by hundreds of penguins.
The post office is managed by the U.K. Antarctic Heritage Trust. The trust posted multiple job posters on its Instagram, attracting the attention of job seekers. However, applicants were warned that the job is not as creative as it sounds. Shortlisted candidates would have to stay in a common lodge, sleep on bunk beds, and share a common bathroom. Apart from meager hygiene and sanitation facilities, the employees would also have to stay without running water, internet, or phone services for the stated term. Only when a visiting ship would arrive, the employees would be able to take a shower and load up their jerry cans with water.
“Living there is quite hard work,” Camilla Nichol, the chief executive of the trust, explained to the publication. “You might be working 12-hour days. There’s not much time for rest and relaxation.” However, despite the scanty conditions, the post office receives hundreds of applications each summer. One year, the count even surpassed 2,500 applications.
“We get people of all ages from all over the world,” Nichol said, adding that candidates from all walks of life apply for the six-month contract. “We are looking for people who are fit and resilient and really love meeting people and visitors.” Plus, she added, “You’ve got to get along because you can’t get away from each other very easily. We’re looking for a team; four people who can live and work together.”
Lucy Dorman, a former employee, described that the workers are made familiar with each other’s habits and quirks during the training period. During the job, they work together to perform tasks like carrying boxes, buckets or jerrycans through the slippery rocks, or brushing away penguin poop off the rocks to keep the site clean. “Most people are probably not so aware of how smelly they are,” Lucy joked, also noting that “it’s a privilege to spend time close to wildlife.”
During the term of the application process, Nichol urged people to apply for the job because it’s life-changing. “You can watch the sun go down and hear the glacier ice melting. It’s an extraordinary place,” she said. The four postmaster roles included base leader, shop manager, and two general assistants. Applications are currently closed for the season which begins in November 2024.
