1,000 job applications to run the most remote post office in the world
IT MUST be the most unusual post office job anywhere in the world.
The successful applicant must be happy to work 11,000 miles from home, go weeks without a shower and put up with 2,000 “smelly” penguins.
But despite the drawbacks, helping to run the post office in the Antarctic has proved so attractive that a British trust has pleaded for no more applications – even though the closing date is not until Friday.
The post was advertised last Monday. But more than 1,000 people have crashed the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust website three times and blocked its email box.
The lucky applicant will find there is no running water or mains electricity and the average temperature is minus -10C (10F) in the world’s most southerly post office.
And of course, there is no internet or phone signal with no means of communication with the outside world other than VHF radio.
But, as the port is close to the southernmost tip on the planet, you do get almost 24 hours of daylight. A wide range of people have already applied, from ex-servicemen and scientists to students and those looking for a new challenge.
When the seasonal jobs were advertised last year, only 80 applied. A question and answer section was added to the latest advertisement and the applications poured in.
People have applied from all over the world – Australia, Japan, you name it. It really seems to have really captured the imagination.
“We don’t want any more applicants,” said a trust spokeswoman.
“People have applied from all over the world – Australia, Japan, you name it. It really seems to have really captured the imagination.”
The team of up to five will spend November to March – the southern summer months – running the shop, post office and museum at Port Lockroy. It is visited by about 18,000 cruise ship passengers each season.
Among the vital skills are carrying a heavy mail box over slippery rocks while avoiding penguins and working happily in minimal conditions.
And whoever gets the job must be prepared to talk to tourists in freezing conditions and go without a shower for up to a month. And the reward? £1,000 a month, plus expenses.
