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An urgent call has been put out for adventurous Australians to work at Australia’s Antarctic bases in positions that offer great wages for those willing to endure the cold.
The Australian Antarctic Program has over 150 positions available to work at research stations in the south for up to 12 months.
Chefs, supply officers, station leaders, electricians, carpenters and information technology officers are among the 32 different roles offered at the Davis, Mawson and Casey research stations.
The fourth station, Macquarie Island, is located in the sub-Antarctic region, approximately halfway between Tasmania and Antarctica.
The salaries are good, you get to learn new skills, explore the last great desert on earth, and you also get a special allowance of $65,341 per year that is paid on top of your base salary while you work in Antarctica.
For example, a carpenter will earn a base salary of up to $79,801 per year, plus an additional allowance of $65,341 per year. Meanwhile, a chef would receive a base salary of $79,801 a year, along with an allowance of $65,341.
All rent and food is free at the four bases where the chefs prepare your meals, but be prepared to endure temperatures that plummet to -57C in the colder months.
An urgent call has gone out for adventurous Australians to work on the Antarctic bases
If you’re a chef, you could go to Antarctica in next season’s intake.
Australian Antarctic Division organizational psychologist and recruitment specialist Maree Riley said it’s a workplace like no other.
“Antarctica is so curious about people and this is an opportunity to work on the coldest and most remote continent on earth to support Australian climate and ocean science,” said Ms Riley.
“Our Antarctic research informs global policy on climate change and ecosystem management, and the people who keep our stations running are a critical part of that effort.”
“Teams live together for months, so it’s important to recruit the right community-minded people, including the personal qualities people must have to be considered for the AAP.”
“We are looking for a variety of skill sets, backgrounds and genders to fill these important supporting roles and we want to hear from anyone who thinks they can make a positive contribution,” said Ms. Riley.
All successful candidates must undergo an assessment of their personal qualities, as well as extensive medical and psychological evaluations prior to deployment.
In addition to qualifications and experience, expedition members must be versatile, proactive, supportive, and flexible.
One role currently being recruited is station support staff, who are paid $71,068 a year, plus a remote bonus of $65,341. The job consists of housekeeping, kitchen work and housekeeping.
Mechanical trades are also being hired to maintain and operate mechanical plants and equipment, maintain and operate the station’s power generation facilities, and work outdoors in freezing conditions.
In summer, when access is easy, there can be up to 100 people at each of the four bases.
When the long winter night comes, the stations are evacuated to a minimum staff of about 20 people, sometimes as few as 14 people, who must remain there, trapped, during the great frost.
The small community must trust each other to stay safe and keep the station going in the cold and dark.
The staff work hard on the bases, but there is plenty of free time to relax and shoot pool.
Because of this isolation, everyone must get along, so the Australian Antarctic Division investigates each applicant’s psychological and medical suitability for the position, as well as their personal qualities, more rigorously than a normal job.
Jobs are open to women and men who can have fun at the remote and isolated stations, get along with others, learn new skills and keep their spirits up.
There are usually more men than women at the stations, with 82 percent of the workers this season being men and 18 percent women; however, this year Macquarie Island became the first Australian Antarctic station to be evenly divided.
A stunning landscape that hardly anyone can see is in your backyard
If you like outdoor adventures, this could be the perfect place to work.
The average age of the workforce is 43 years.
Video footage from the stations shows workers enjoying life, celebrating Christmas, playing the guitar and helping out together in the kitchen.
The laid-back lifestyle shows people relaxing with a beer after a hard day at work, playing table tennis or billiards, cycling on the ice and climbing mountains.
Workers can view glaciers, emperor penguins, seals and Antarctic wonders like the aurora australis from their remote post.
Fresh vegetables and salads are grown hydroponically in special rooms to ensure that the quality of the food is high.
Nothing can be grown outdoors, but a thriving hydroponic greenhouse provides fresh salad
Workers eating at the Casey Station lunchroom. Staff tend to be male with 82 percent male and 18 percent female registering this season