Job Offer: Work in the Post Office on Penguin-Rich South Georgia

One of the great things about the phrase “penguin-rich” is that it applies to relatively few people or places. Alas, I’m not one of them (penguin-poor?) but if I lived and worked on South Georgia Island, I’d be practically rolling in them.

The glut of flightless ice birds is just about the only thing to recommend South Georgia Island. Wikipedia describes the place as “remote and inhospitable” in the second sentence. All of which is a long way of getting around to asking you this question: Would you like to be a postal worker there?

Thirty humans, countless penguins

Along with the South Sandwich Islands, South Georgia is a self-governing British territory, and its government is looking for two postal workers to take up residence on the island from September 25, 2023, to March 31, 2024.

Suppose you’re one of those unique characters whose idea of a good time is postal work in a place that takes three days to reach by boat, is home to 30 human residents, but houses half the world’s king penguin population. In that case, you should definitely pop over to the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands governmental website to apply.

Some of the job requirements:

  • Near-perfect health. You have to pass some screenings, as airlifting you out for medical attention would cost a boatload of cash.
  • Good customer service skills. In addition to managing the mail, you’ll be dealing with some 14,000 cruise-ship tourists and visiting scientists a year, according to Polar Journal.
  • You have to be okay with a low salary. The pay is €30,000 plus room, board, and travel.
  • Excel!
An old whaling station at the foot of large mountains on South Georgia Island.

Grytviken, the site of the old whaling station on South Georgia. Photo: Shutterstock

 

Earnest Shackleton’s resting place

Fans of polar history will know South Georgia Island as the spot where explorer Earnest Shackleton (along with two crew members) made a 35km traverse over the mountains after surviving a 1,300km open-boat voyage from Elephant Island across one of the planet’s nastiest stretches of water.

In fact, Shackleton is buried on South Georgia. So, joking aside, the job could be worth it just to pay your respects to “The Boss.” Not this one. That one.

Applications are open through June 16, with interviews starting the week of June 26.

Good luck!

Andrew Marshall

Andrew Marshall is an award-winning painter, photographer, and freelance writer. Andrew’s essays, illustrations, photographs, and poems can be found scattered across the web and in a variety of extremely low-paying literary journals.
You can find more of his work at www.andrewmarshallimages.com, @andrewmarshallimages on Instagram and Facebook, and @pawn_andrew on Twitter (for as long as that lasts).