back to article Job alert: Is this the toughest sysadmin role on Earth? And are you badass enough to do it?

For some people, landing a job in IT means going to the ends of the Earth. In this case, quite literally. Scientists in Antarctica hope to hire two tip-top techies to fill system administrator roles – one at the McMurdo research station and the other in a similar base at the South Pole. You must be a US citizen (for security …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Hope you're getting a commission from this...

    It's enough we get recruiters hassling/spamming via email even when told to sod off. Now they've managed to get a toe-hold into TheReg too. :(

    1. diodesign (Written by Reg staff) Silver badge

      Re: Hope you're getting a commission from this...

      Bah, we found it funny and worthy for something to finish on a Friday afternoon.

      Git another martini in ya, anonymous ;-)

      C.

      1. phil dude
        Pint

        Re: Hope you're getting a commission from this...

        and a bonus, is there is a video on Netflix with edited highlights...

        How about the jobs on Hawaii (as I know there are computers there!!!)?

        P.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Hope you're getting a commission from this...

          I wouldn't mind doing that job in Antarctica, and I've already done a job in Hawaii...I don't want to do that again because waking up at 4am to get to the airport at 5am to fly to a different island by 6am to drive to the top of the volcano by 8am was not fun.

      2. Tom 13
        Trollface

        @diodesign

        I suspect it would have been even funnier if you managed to find the name of the other station. Since I'm not the one posting the ad, I can't be sure, but when I walk through the offices here at my job I frequently see the two of them listed next to each other.

        See icon for a hint.

    2. Throatwarbler Mangrove Silver badge

      Re: Hope you're getting a commission from this...

      "It's enough we get recruiters hassling/spamming via email even when told to sod off. Now they've managed to get a toe-hold into TheReg too. :("

      So . . . were you born without a sense of humor, or did you lose it in a tragic accident?

  2. Blofeld's Cat
    Coat

    Hmm...

    "... which are the summer months in the Southern Hemisphere ... "

    The downside to this contract is that you will be paid by the day...

  3. Turtle

    "Encounters At The End Of The Earth"

    Here's a documentary by Werner Herzog entitled "Encounters At The End Of The Earth". Here's what IMDB says: Film-maker Werner Herzog travels to the McMurdo Station in Antarctica, looking to capture the continent's beauty and investigate the characters living there. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1093824/)

    This incredibly tedious movie does an outstanding job of illustrating the greatest hazard faced by sojourners in the Antarctic: tedium. Herzog captures "tedium" like its never been captured before; he makes it a living, breathing, stifling experience that will let you grasp the true meaning of "tedium" before you even have time to say "cirrhosis of the liver". It lets you get the full experience of mind-numbing tedium without the need for heavy clothing and seal blubber, and without the expense and inconvenience of travelling many thousands of miles to the "ends of the earth".

    SPOILER ALERT: The IMDB blurb says "Herzog travels to Antarctica, to investigate the characters living there". Sadly, he doesn't find any that are actually worth "investigating". Happily, he doesn't let that stop him! Whether that should stop you from sitting through this movie is, of course, a different matter.

    1. DainB Bronze badge

      Re: "Encounters At The End Of The Earth"

      Antarctica: A Year on Ice is documentary made by someone who was working there for a whole year, recommended to anyone who would consider to consider to apply for this job.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RsWnAUVWQY

      1. Robert Helpmann??

        Re: "Encounters At The End Of The Earth"

        Here's a pretty good site dealing with jobs in Antarctica:

        http://www.coolantarctica.com/Community/find_a_job_in_antarctica.php

        I've wanted to get a job down there for a while, but am waiting for the kids to all leave home before I try.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          @ Robert Helpmann??

          "I've wanted to get a job down there for a while, but am waiting for the kids to all leave home before I try."

          Funny coincidence: your kids are waiting for YOU to go to Antarctica so that they don't have to leave home.

  4. Graham Marsden
    Alien

    At least the criteria don't include...

    ... high Sanity and an ability to deal with Shoggoths!

    Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "You should be able to lift 25 pounds..."

    Like the weight of a flame thrower.

    "...have good written and communication skills..."

    Like telling people to keep an eye on Blair.

    "...be comfortable working in close quarters under extreme conditions.."

    Self explanatory.

    "experience in search and rescue, mountaineering..."

    Finding your way around if locked out if you're suspected of being contaminated.

    "...firefighting, or emergency medical response."

    Putting out flamethrower fires, autopsies on alien creatures.

  6. James O'Shea

    User Friendly

    Y'all _do_ know that User Friendly http://userfriendly.org/ is currently running the 'The Geeks Go To Antarctica' story arc, don't you?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: User Friendly

      UF still exists? I stopped reading it over 18 years ago!

      1. djack

        Re: User Friendly

        I thought that he stopped writing it a few years back and now just cycles through the archives.

    2. illiad

      Re: User Friendly

      yes, still good to keep you laughing!!! :D one of my first and favourite, you may guess from my forum name... :E

      and no I am not JD... :D :D

    3. Mage Silver badge

      Re: User Friendly

      It's a repeat. I read that whole strip ages ago. He stopped writing it I think. I'd nearly be more tempted to a book copy than Dilbert. Though I guess the format would work OK on a Kobo or Kindle mono eInk eReader

      So those Canadians are ALSO citizens of USA?

  7. Zmodem

    its probably alright for a year or 2 with a $200k salery, for your new big house

    1. Mage Silver badge

      BBC

      I nearly applied for an Ascension Is. job once with the theory of the massive savings toward a house. But I chickened out. Baaa.

  8. a_yank_lurker

    The best part - all the booze you want on the house with chance of a DUI

    1. chivo243 Silver badge

      You do mean "without" chance of a DUI? How many cops can there be?

      1. ratfox

        How many cops can there be?

        More importantly: where would you drive anyway?

  9. Samoa Tech

    Memories...

    I used to work at Himatangi Radio Station New Zealand back in "77 last century.

    The Station was full of HF transmitters from 100KW down to a meager 5KW for ship to shore comms.

    The RCA used for Scott base for 50KW and seemed to get through for SSB and Telex quite well.

    Anyhow us Radio Techs could and would if selected go to the base for winter overs usually 6 moths to a year if you were still sane by then. As for the booze, no beer as the plane to there was not pressurised in the cargo hold.

    This is the order that hooch was consumed; Spirits, Top Shelf (Liquors), then 150 drivers lastly (medical alcohol and orange mix).

    Returnees usually required quite a long drying out time upon return =)

  10. Christian Berger

    Doesn't seem to be that bad

    After all you are surrounded by rather smart people (scientists) who are really doing their job because they like it. Working conditions probably aren't to bad, as most of those stations are evacuated and closed down during the winter.

    This is the home page of one of those stations:

    http://www.antarcticstation.org/

    And here's a German language podcast interviewing one of those scientists on her working conditions:

    http://www.wrint.de/2012/01/26/wr040-holger-ruft-an-in-der-antarktis/

    She even noted that during the Antarctic summer you can even sleep outside in a tent, which she was actually encouraged to do.

    1. x 7

      Re: Doesn't seem to be that bad

      "She even noted that during the Antarctic summer you can even sleep outside in a tent, which she was actually encouraged to do."

      probably the only way to have a sex life there if you're noisy

      or if you snore....

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Doesn't seem to be that bad

        No. The mating habits of scientists (or any other humans I'd guess) are much less inhibited than you might expect after their first 6 to 8 weeks with nearly zero privacy.

  11. Neil Barnes Silver badge

    If I were thirty years younger

    and I knew anything about sysadmining (e.g. should that be one 'n' or two?) I'd be applying like a shot. Except I'm not a US citizen, damn.

    1. phuzz Silver badge
      Thumb Up

      Re: If I were thirty years younger

      Jobs do come up at the British Antarctic Survey from time to time if you're a Brit, and various other countries have bases there and presumably they all need someone to do the IT (possibly as part of another job).

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: If I were thirty years younger

        yep and you'll get paid the same pi$$ poor wage as other NERC IT staff (think you might get an allowance for working down south) but it won't be all the time

      2. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

        Re: If I were thirty years younger

        My wife works for NERC (BAS is part of NERC) and, when I was looking for jobs 11 years ago, sent me the link for a techie job on their exploration ship.

        I pointed out the "6-month tours of duty" phrase. It somewhat damped her enthusiasm for me getting the job..

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: If I were thirty years younger

          as a NERC employee I concur!

    2. Christoph

      Re: If I were thirty years younger

      "You must be a US citizen (for security reasons)"

      Just what are the classified military operations carried out on the supposedly entirely demilitarised continent of Antarctica?

      1. SkippyBing

        Re: If I were thirty years younger

        'classified military operations'

        I find it interesting you think only the military have secrets...

      2. Diodelogic

        Re: If I were thirty years younger

        <comment redacted by NSA>

      3. Mog_X

        Re: If I were thirty years younger

        Antarctic Stargate of course. The job application should have also said 'possession of ATA gene a distinct advantage'

  12. csa819

    ""experience in search and rescue, mountaineering, small boat operations, firefighting, or emergency medical response."

    You know, basic sysadmin stuff."

    Actually, I was a emergency services paramedic, ski patroller and firefighter before I went back to school and got a sys admin degree....We're out there. But that whole polar climate thing, un uh. I'm quite happy living on the beach in sunny South Florida!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      @ csa819

      "But that whole polar climate thing"

      Yeah, there is that, isn't there?

    2. Samoa Tech

      Happy

      Same here in SUNNY Samoa. Low pay but that is the price to pay; besides "No one " knows what I do.

      Electronics Tech, Sys Admin. The wire guy the call me.

      73's

  13. chivo243 Silver badge

    Let's See

    American Citizen - check

    Lift 25lbs - Check

    Networks - Check

    VMWare - Check

    Windows - Check

    OSX - Check

    RH-GNE - oops

    Emergency Med Response - Check

    Search and Rescue - maybe not, I always find things in the LAST place I look

    Mountaineering - check minus

    Small boat operations - How small? - Check

    Firefighting - I can point a hose

    Plenty of Booze - CHECK Plus!

    1. MrT

      Re: Let's See

      Doesn't everyone find things in the last place they look? I'd be more worried if someone carried on looking for the thing they've already found...

      Now, looking for the wrong thing, or starting to look in plain crazy places - oh yes, I can tick those boxes aplenty ;-)

      1. chivo243 Silver badge
        Facepalm

        Re: Let's See

        I would just like the first place I look to be the last... seems I make many stops for I get to the last place

      2. Tom 13

        Re: carried on looking for the thing they've already found

        I did that once just so I could say it wasn't in the last place I looked.

  14. Herby

    Yes, it is an interesting place to work!

    Been there, done that (I was at the South Pole for about a month many moons ago). Unfortunately the living is a bit strange. You would wander into where the computers were (a pair of HP 2100's, no disk!). and piddle around trying to make then easier to do their job (weather monitoring). In addition I worked on a weather station that sent out broadcasts once a minute to a satellite that might be overhead (you need a polar orbit to see the South Pole). It had two power supplies one being a propane thermoelectric generator. In an attempt to start the flame I used a propane torch to heat another propane torch to light the flame. At the temperatures there, propane was liquid at atmospheric pressure.

    It was lots of fun, and over half a life ago an adventure not to be missed. As for today, I don't think my wife would let me go (*SIGH*).

  15. Your alien overlord - fear me

    Sounds ideal for BoFH, maybe PFY can do the other site.

  16. x 7

    what? no need for dog handling skills?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Wot No Huskies?

      Sadly the Antartic became a canine free zone a few years ago. There was a fear that those peky Canines could affect the native flora and fauna (AFAIK).

      1. Paul Crawford Silver badge

        Re: Wot No Huskies?

        At the BAS base at Rothera they have photos of the various dog teams and some letters about what happened to the last set when they went back (I think to Canada) to live out their lives. Most did not live long, probably due to a lack of immunity to diseases on the mainland, but at least they were treated well. Still fondly remembered by the older hands.

        1. x 7

          Re: Wot No Huskies?

          " Still fondly remembered by the older hands."

          1) Huskies don't get jealous

          2) Huskies don't gossip

          3) Huskies don't worry about size

          4) Huskies are easy to satisfy

          5) Huskies are cheap to take out - a can of of dog food and they're yours for the night

          6) After you've worn out one Husky theres another seven left

          7) Huskies don't ask daft questions like "do you love me"

          8) Huskies won't steal your beer

          9) If a Husky says "no" you know she means it

          10) You can't get a Husky pregnant

          11) You don't have to bribe a Husky

          12) Huskies don't worry about how much you earn

          13) Huskies let you have friends

          14) Huskies won't complain about you drinking

          15) Huskies won't complain about your driving

          16) Huskies keep you warm in bed. They don't have cold feet

          1. x 7

            Re: Wot No Huskies?

            17) If a Husky give you a lovebite you know its for real

  17. Mike Bell

    Do you get to fly around in helicopters...

    ...trying to shoot alien creatures impersonating huskies?

    Might counteract the boredom.

    1. Mr_Pitiful

      Re: Do you get to fly around in helicopters...

      only if your lucky

  18. Rainer

    Do you have to pay tax there?

    Do you have to pay rent?

    I imagine, not being able to spend your money on anything would make for a decent saving-rate.

    That said, I just can't imagine they'll be able to match my Swiss sysadmin salary...

    I do wonder how HR filters out all the crazy-crazy applicants. You need to be somewhat crazy to apply for such a job - sane people wouldn't do that.

    Also to keep in mind: during the winter there, there's no way to evacuate in case of a (medical) crisis.

    Either it can be fixed there, fixed later or you face the consequences.

    1. Mr_Pitiful

      The answer is usually no tax, no rent, lno livingin expensis

      MedEvac is poss even in mid winter, given a weather window of 3 days

    2. Samoa Tech

      OK

      All true,

      Think I will stay here in the Tropics and am considering Nevada or Arizona for retirement; old age problems. Need that dry heat!

    3. Fibbles

      Don't Americans have to pay tax regardless of where they are?

      1. Rainer

        Yeah, but thank god I never set a foot into that land.

  19. Mr_Pitiful

    I've been down there

    During the summer months Sept - March the weather isn't too bad

    can be a bit disorientating, if your far enough south for the sun not to set, but you can always shut the blinds and turn the lights off.

    IT Admin will be a tough role as scientists really do come up with some strange requests. Sometimes leading to heated disagreements, usually about what is not physically possible with the available resources.

    Plenty of 'VERY' cheap beer & ciggys knocking around, and a good supply of herbal smokes if thats your thing.

    I'm sure some of the scientists were smoking way to much of it when I was working down there.

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Could do.

    Would do.

    Oh wait... Murikans? Lol no thanxbye!

  21. Tromos
    Joke

    "You should be able to lift 25 pounds"

    All in coins, or are some banknotes allowed?

    1. Allan George Dyer
      Joke

      Re: "You should be able to lift 25 pounds"

      Ah - Someon's failed the citizenship test.

      NEXT!

  22. OzBob
    Joke

    American citizen? for security reasons?

    Maybe Dubya is building his Dr. Evil Hideout down there and doesn't want word to get out.

    1. Brad Ackerman
      Devil

      Re: American citizen? for security reasons?

      Dubya already has his hideout, and he'd be more General Midwinter than Doctor Evil.

  23. x 7

    "There was a fear that those pesky Canines could affect the native flora and fauna"

    strange......dogs don't like eating penguins(too many feathers, too greasy and fishy) and theres little chance of a Husky catching a whale. Theres no flowering plants - just a few lichens and they're unlikely to be much affected.

    must be another reason.....perhaps they really are worried about aliens?

    1. Paul Crawford Silver badge

      I think it is that a lot of dog diseases can be passed to seals.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        What exactly were those dogs doing with the seals? O_o

  24. BenBell

    Former Mountain Rescue climber and currently sysadmin here. If I were an american, I'd be asking where to sign!

    As it is though, this has just wasted 5 minutes of my life.

  25. Aristotles slow and dimwitted horse

    Not a chance!!!

    Kurt Russell barely escaped with his life after a stint down there.

  26. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    In other words

    They want an ex (US) military field engineer, with sysadmin experience. They could have just said....

  27. Anonymous South African Coward Bronze badge

    Thanks, but no thanks. Not for me.

    Pass.

  28. Michael Prior-Jones

    I was an Antarctic sysadmin

    I spent 2005-7 at British Antarctic Survey's Rothera station as "Communications Manager", a rather grand title for what was basically sysadmin, radio operator and jobbing electronic engineer.

    High points: building a massive radio antenna; talking to field parties of scientists on the HF radio; helping scientists to fix their equipment; writing a Perl script that screen-scraped and assembled a popular Sunday newspaper's "digital edition" website to obtain PDFs of each page and printed them out double-sided on A3, just like a "proper" newspaper

    Low points: walking to the biology lab to change a toner cartridge in 20 knots of wind and blowing snow; running out of beer part way through the winter; wweeping sticky wet snow off the satellite radome several times a week in the wetter part of the season (ice buildup caused a loss of signal).

    Lots of fun. Would do it again.

  29. TomChaton

    I bet there's no googling the answer

    And for that reason, I'm out.

  30. Floydian Slip
    Boffin

    New gig?

    Hmmmm, wonder how the BOFH would work out there? Be easy to get rid of people, just send them outside for a "short stand", essential for the "new" virtual machines

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