40 Job Openings at the North and South Poles, Preference for Women

Are you interested in a job at the North or South Pole? The French scientific institute may be looking for you. The Paul-Emile Victor Scientific Institute has announced a public competition for 40 job openings at its six bases in the Arctic and Antarctica.

The requirement is knowledge of the French language, and they are seeking chemists, carpenters, bakers, pastry chefs, and other professions.

– Scientists always apply to us, but we are chronically lacking mechanics or various machinists because people do not know about us, says one of the department directors at the institute, Andre Le Marec.

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He would like to see more women in their polar bases. Currently, there are only six among the 30 people present there. Potential candidates will also have to undergo a rigorous health examination.

– They must be physically fit for such a type of mission, and also psychologically prepared for life in small groups in isolated areas under conditions that can sometimes be extreme, says Le Marec.

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For example, at the Concordia base in Antarctica, winter temperatures can drop to minus 80 degrees Celsius. “There is no return home in winter,” the job announcement warns.

Concordia is one of three permanent scientific bases in the interior of Antarctica, one of the most inhospitable places on Earth.

– Not all bases have such extreme temperatures, explains Le Marec, adding that in those marginal summers, one can work in a t-shirt.