Reflections from time on ‘the Ice’

• MCMURDO STATION, Antarctica
Dec. 7, 2006 | 5:30 a.m. ET
OK, everyone who wants to work here raise your hand! I can already tell that some hands shoot straight up, while others are a bit hesitant — so lemme give you the lowdown.

Scientists get to Antarctica via the U.S. National Science Foundation or other governments and their bases, while Air Force and Air Guard servicemen fly in on supply missions.

But for most people, the best chance to spend some quality time in Antarctica is to work in support, from cleaning toilets to flying helicopters.

How stiff is the competition? The kitchen staff alone includes several Ph.D.s.

“We have the most educated dining staff in the world,” says Cori Manka, a human resources specialist.

That is not to say these are Ph.D.s in their 50s. For the most part the staff is young, and turnover is high from one summer season to the next.

One should also realize that almost all support jobs are at McMurdo Station — and you won’t get much past the base. No trips to the South Pole or science expeditions on snowmobiles.

And these are seasonal jobs, typically running from August to February, or a bit shorter in some cases.

The biggest chunk of jobs are in the kitchen or in janitorial.

Expect to work 54-hour weeks with no overtime pay — yup, that’s in the contract.

Human Resources supervisor Gregg Blake won’t get specific on pay, but says it is “competitive” with jobs on the mainland. I had a hard time prying out numbers from folks, but my sense was that pay runs from $300 to $1,500 a week.

Yeah, it’s not great, but work here does include room and board. The latter’s pretty good and all you can eat, the former could use improvement.

The benefits include being flown here via New Zealand, an otherwise0expensive destination from which to begin a travel journey.

That is what drew people like Sant Mukhh Khalsa and Avi Edelson. Both are 25 and college-educated dishwashers.

The pair applied together and got the sense that couples are encouraged since it provides some stable relationships in a community of many single adults. (By the way, you won’t see any children here).

Couples get their own room, whereas singles might have to share with three others. Because of that, Avi says of Sant, “she’s my best-ever roommate.”

The downside is that couples’ rooms are the smallest. “We can’t put our coats on at the same time,” Sant says.

Sant will not come back next year, and Avi is on the fence.

They say they will stick through the summer, but every year a few can’t take it and quit.

Health issues can also be a factor. One employee e-mailed me with a complaint that he’s in limbo, not allowed to work or receive pay while doctors at Raytheon, the NSF’s contractor, decide if he can return to work. Who pays for his treatment has also become an issue.

“I had hoped to become a dedicated Raytheon employee and return for many years to come, but I have discovered I am just a disposable cog in the big bureaucratic wheel,” he writes. “All I wanted to do was work and support my children, now it looks like all I have gained is more debt and unemployment.”

A few continue to come back, though nostalgia for “the old days” is strong.

Kevin Fields is a veteran, first coming to McMurdo in 1980. He describes the station then as “much more out there … off the face of the Earth” since communication with the States was difficult.

Now, he says, “people can manage the place from 10,000 miles away.”

So, still interested in a job? If so, head over to Raytheon:

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