The British foundation UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) is once again recruiting for one of the most unique jobs on the planet: spending the Antarctic summer at Port Lockroy, in Antarctica, welcoming tourists, stamping postcards, and conducting penguin censuses. Each year, it selects a small team of four or five people.
The destination is Goudier Island, in the Palmer Archipelago, a patch of rock and ice the size of a soccer field. There stands Port Lockroy, a British military base founded in 1944 during World War II as part of Operation Tabarin. It was abandoned in 1962 and restored three decades later. Today it is a Historic Site and Monument protected under the Antarctic Treaty.
The site features a small museum, a gift shop, and the Penguin Post Office—the world’s southernmost post office, which is still in operation. Between November and March, it welcomes thousands of visitors (between 10,000 and 18,000, according to some sources) arriving on expedition cruises. The team welcomes them, explains the history of the base, runs the gift shop, and sorts and stamps more than 80,000 postcards by hand each season.
The penguin census, the flagship project
The most notable work involves monitoring the island’s Gentoo penguin colony, which, according to UKAHT, numbers around 1,000 individuals and has been established there for more than 30 years. This monitoring program has been conducted continuously since 1996 by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), the United Kingdom’s national polar research institute, to measure the birds’ reproductive success and the impact of tourism. Port Lockroy is the only place in Antarctica where researchers can track an entire breeding season and collect data every year.
The protocol aims to disturb the animals as little as possible. During the first few weeks, staff limit their movements to specific areas of the colony. When about 95% of the nests contain eggs, the entire team surveys the island to conduct a general census. In December 2024, 571 nests and 938 eggs were counted. At the end of the season, the count is repeated with the chicks already grouped in nurseries, and subsequent counts are conducted until two consecutive figures differ by less than 10%.
Salary and Benefits: Everything You Need to Know
Compensation depends on the position (among those selected are a base manager and a store manager, in addition to general assistants) and ranges from 1,449 pounds (1,715 euros) to 2,096 pounds (2,481 euros) per month, that is, approximately between 1,700 and 2,500 euros. The salary is not net, as employees work as self-employed individuals and are responsible for their own taxes. The organization covers housing, meals, and fleece clothing.
Life on the island is tough. There is no running water: drinking water arrives in 20-liter containers from the boats that visit the island, so showers are limited to one per week. If bad weather prevents boats from arriving, the team may go up to two weeks without showering.
Power comes exclusively from solar panels, so hair dryers and microwaves cannot be used. There is no conventional cell phone service, and communication relies on a satellite connection with limited bandwidth or Wi-Fi from anchored ships. The toilet is a portable outhouse and is emptied by hand daily. The team is housed in a refurbished Nissen barrack, with shared bunk beds and an indoor temperature of between 14 and 15 degrees. Outside, temperatures range from five degrees below zero to five degrees above zero.
There is no upper age limit (applicants must be at least 18 years old), nor is a scientific background required. However, excellent physical fitness is necessary, as daily tasks include shoveling snow, unloading boats onto slippery rocks, and carrying 15-kilo boxes. Smoking is prohibited. In addition, you must reside in the United Kingdom and hold a valid work permit for the country. The next application period will open on the official UKAHT website early next year.
Adopt a penguin from home
For those who prefer to support the colony without packing their bags, UKAHT offers the chance to adopt a Gentoo penguin. The package includes a 12-month adoption, a postcard sent from Antarctica, a stuffed penguin, a booklet of fun facts with a welcome pack, an adoption certificate, and regular updates from Port Lockroy. The foundation explains that the funds go directly toward monitoring the colony and on-site conservation efforts, including a wildlife monitor’s trip to Antarctica during the Antarctic summer. Research data can be accessed on the Port Lockroy data portal.
For employment inquiries, the organization can be reached at jobs@ukaht.org