Antarctic Base Seeks Penguin Counter
On Froze
Bored of your old office job? Looking for some excitement in your life?
Look no further than a recent job posting for a penguin counter at an Antarctica post office.
As spotted by the New York Post, the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust is looking for five individuals to engage in counting penguins and "sorting mail at the world’s southernmost post office" — a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at an extremely remote location.
Pen Lings
While it sounds like an exceedingly lonely gig some 700 nautical miles south of the tip of Argentina, Goudier Island, where the base is located, is visited by thousands of cruise ships a year.
The area was used for whaling in the early 20th century. In February 1944, the base was built as part of a British World War 2-era operation and served as a British research station until 1962. In 1995, the base became a Historic Site and Monument.
The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust took over the site in 2006, and has since established a charity gift shop, as well as the British Antarctic Territory Post Office, which operates from November to March.
Beyond frequent cruise ship visits, employees at the site will be busy processing over ten thousand pieces of mail over the summer, as CBS News reported back in 2015. Anything that's sent from the location takes anywhere from two to six weeks to reach their destination.
And of course employees also have to contend with around 2,000 Gentoo penguins that call Goudier Island their home.
Some positions are tasked with "penguin, wildlife and environmental monitoring on behalf of the British Antarctic Survey," according to the job posting, and are required to keep updates on the number of penguins on the base's website.
Applicants have until today to apply, so you better get cracking.
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