Australian Antarctic Division recruitment is open

Australia manages four research stations. There are a range of roles needed to keep the stations running including station support, telecommunications, infrastructure, aviation, science, mechanical and medical.

The employment period ranges from four months over summer or up to 15 months over winter.

Expeditioners will get accommodation, food and cold-weather clothing paid for, on top of their wage and an additional Antarctic allowance.

Dubbo’s Jamie McGaw is working as the information technology officer at the Davis research station in Antarctica.

“I came down last summer and instantly fell in love with this place. The environment is remote, dangerous, pristine and spectacular; the team of people I work with are amazingly skilled and diverse; the overall experience pushes you professionally and is enormously satisfying personally,” Mr McGaw said.

He said heading back to Antarctica for the second time felt like coming home.

“I was able to just step back into the role and lifestyle like coming back from a long weekend. It just keeps getting better and better,” he said.

The IT officer said at times it was like living on Mars, with the rocky boulder strewn plains and the frozen seas, but there was plenty of beauty and wonder.

“Spending a month on Australia’s icebreaker Aurora Australia – two weeks each way –  sailing across the most treacherous ocean on the planet is the rich velvety icing on an already fully loaded chocolate cake. 

“It’s the complete package and absolutely the best job in the world.  I kinda like it down here,” Mr McGaw said.

Australian Antarctic Division’s human resources manager Andrew Groom said the summer period from October to March was the busiest with up to 100 people on the station, but in winter it dropped down to about 20.

The job was about more than visiting an icy continent, he said, it was a chance to immerse yourself.

More information is available here.

Jobs available:

Daily Liberal