Post office workers at remote Antarctica location reveal what their jobs are REALLY like – from having no TOILET to dealing with smelly penguin poo on their commute
Do you have what it takes to work at the southernmost post office in the world?
In an effort to give potential candidates a taste of what life is like in Port Lockroy, Antarctica, the British Antarctic Heritage Trust has uploaded a series of TikToks filmed at the remote postal depot.
The charity recruits a new team of workers to head to the remote site from November to March every year for the Antarctic summer, when ships sail through the region, but the videos show working there is not for the faint-hearted.
Some of the tough jobs include constant snow removal, dealing with extreme weather conditions and living with thousands of penguins that have particularly smelly guano, also known as penguin poop.
In an effort to give potential candidates a taste of what life is like in Antarctica’s Port Lockroy, the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust has uploaded a series of TikToks from the remote base
In one clip, former Port Lockroy recruit Clare Ballantyne reveals what she thought after arriving on the snow-covered island
There are thousands of penguins on the island and they have a particularly smelly guano, or penguin poop
A location map showing where the external post office is located
In a question and answer published on the British Antarctic Heritage Trust On the website, previous employees of Port Lockroy also reveal how living conditions on the small island are very basic, with ‘no Wi-Fi, no running water, very little communication, no private space.’
There is also no flush toilet and instead the base has an ‘extremely basic’ bucket-style latrine, which needs to be emptied daily.
While some TikToks show the harsh side of life in Port Lockroy, others emphasize what a special and unique place it is.
In one clip, former Port Lockroy recruit Clare Ballantyne takes viewers on her morning commute.
She reveals that she doesn’t have to go far from the lodge to the post office and that the views on her short walk are simply breathtaking.
Clare navigates rocky terrain, encountering penguins along the way, and thanks to a spell of sunny weather, the surrounding waters are glassy and calm, with clear views of the snow-capped mountains beyond.
“The island looks particularly beautiful thanks to some fresh snowfall overnight,” Clare explains to viewers.
She continues: ‘The penguins are quite quiet this morning, only a few chicks are peeping away.
“Moulting Penguin Hill is as populated as ever. They’re all getting ready to leave the bay in search of food.”
Another TikTok captures Clare’s reaction after first arriving at the base.
As she leaves one of the buildings, she exclaims, “Absolutely stunned… it has exceeded all my expectations to be honest.
“Not that I really knew what to expect… but the penguins are everywhere.”
While some TikToks show the harsh side of life in Port Lockroy, others emphasize what a special and unique place it is
In the four months that the post office is open, more than 100,000 letters and postcards are sent
When new recruits land in Port Lockroy, a TikTok explains that the first job involves digging the buildings out of more than 4 meters of snow and creating paths around the island.
The training required to work at Port Lockroy includes learning remote first aid and a lecture from a ‘penguinologist’
When new recruits land in Port Lockroy, a TikTok explains that the first job involves digging the buildings out of more than 4 meters of snow and creating paths around the island.
Depending on the weather conditions, this can sometimes take more than a week.
The Port Lockroy Postal Station is located on Goudier Island, which is about the size of a football field.
The site started out as the first permanent British base in Antarctica during World War II, set up so that Britain could assert a territorial claim.
Stamps are a legal form of currency, so the secret base was run partly as a post office to strengthen sovereignty claims over the continent, underscoring how the British had established a bona fide piece of official territory on it.
Port Lockroy, or ‘Base A’ as it was initially known, was closed in 1962 as Britain established larger and more modern bases on the continent.
But following a conservation survey in 1994, Port Lockroy was recognized for its historic importance and restored by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust into a working post office, gift shop and museum.
More than 3,000 historical artifacts were recovered, including unopened cans of luncheon beef and mashed potatoes.
Today, five postal workers and a team of carpenters are deployed to work on the island every summer season.
The vacancies are publicly listed and a new team is planned soon.
In the four months that the post office is open, more than 100,000 letters and postcards are sent.
The mail is taken by ship to the Falklands, where it is loaded onto a military aircraft and flown to Britain. Once landed, the mail re-enters the British postal system.
There is no internet, but there is a satellite phone with which you can occasionally call home.
The staff get a day off every fortnight, but when they have free time they can’t really go anywhere.
Food supplies are sent by ship to Port Lockroy before staff arrive for the season, with several boxes of chocolate being a prize draw. Most goods are canned or dried.
The new team will spend five months on the island, spending Christmas together and looking after the charity’s flagship site.
Training for the trip includes learning remote first aid and a lecture from a ‘penguinologist’.