Working on long-distance ships attracts a very large number of people who are willing to spend most of their time at sea. Many people think that working on long-distance ships or on a cruise ship is only possible as a seaman.

The largest cruise ships

But in reality, the number of in-demand vacancies is much greater. This is due to the active and dynamic development of the Russian Navy, both military and civilian. Vacancies exist for both men and women, both for experienced sailors and for people without experience.

Working at sea has many nuances and features that must be taken into account before agreeing to such offers. Each position has its own set of minimum requirements that an employee of the Russian civil or military fleet must meet.

Sample of a diploma of completion of the Higher Academy of Artillery School. Specialty: command and staff, operational and strategic.

Ordinary sailors, in order to find work, must graduate from special nautical schools. Commanding personnel, especially senior ones, must receive higher education at an academy or university.

It is mandatory to study and know foreign languages, in particular English, which is considered the language of international communication.

To work on cruise ships, foreign languages ​​are simply necessary, since mostly foreigners travel on ships. It is also important that the ship's employee has a diploma in a specific field. For example, a mechanic knew engineering, and a cook had knowledge of cooking.

One of the main features is that ship and ship employees must be prepared for long trips. Not only the team, but also family members must be prepared for such journeys.

Positive and negative sides

Working on a ship is a complex, exciting and entertaining process, which allows sailors to move up the career ladder, earn quite good money, and find a suitable position on land.

Seafarers earn significantly more than specialists in various fields on land.

This is what attracts a person to a maritime career, since in a few years you can accumulate enough money to buy an apartment, a car, or move to another country. This is especially true for earnings on a cruise ship or in the offshore gas and oil industry. An equally important aspect is that a person can become a captain at the age of 30. Very few people succeed in such a career at this age.

Other positive aspects include the following factors:

• There is no need to spend money on daily expenses, since the owner of the ship or maritime company provides food, uniform, accommodation, flights, transfers.
• Traveling to different countries.
• Long vacation, which ranges from 4 to 6 months.
• Studying foreign languages, cultures, making contacts.
• Opportunity to find good employment in the future.
• Demand for maritime specialists, regardless of the political and economic situation in the country.
• Lack of officers.
• Development of professional qualities and skills.
• Gaining significant experience.

Working on cruise ships and long-distance ships also has negative aspects associated with a number of factors. Firstly, it is worth considering the need to work in a team where there is very strict discipline. Secondly, coexistence with team members in a limited space, establishing connections, contacts, and the ability to communicate. Thirdly, hard physical work, sometimes lasting more than 12 hours. The work schedule is usually rotating, which is complicated by the constant change of time zones. Fourthly, there is a high degree of injury and risk to general health. Fifthly, there is a threat from pirates who hijack merchant ships. According to the rules, you cannot store or use any firearms on a ship. Therefore, during the hijacking of a ship, sailors become defenseless victims of pirates.

The detention of the tanker "Mechanik Chebotarev" in Libya looks like a seizure

In addition, the disadvantages include prolonged stay in a confined space. This is due not only to being at sea, but also to the dimensions of the ship, the size of the recreation rooms, cabins, showers, and saunas. On many ships, such rooms are made more spacious and comfortable so that the human psyche remains stable. The work of a seafarer requires retraining to confirm diplomas and the necessary certificates. This learning process is not cheap and takes a lot of time. Seafarers are often deprived of a state pension, so when they are discharged ashore, they need to think about sources of income.

Available vacancies

Employment for vacancies in maritime specialties is offered by many companies with offices in Murmansk, Vladivostok, Kursk, Arkhangelsk and other cities. The most in demand are the following professions for junior and senior staff:

• Sailors;
• Mechanical engineers;
• Pilots;
• Navigators;
• Motorists;
• Electromechanics;
• Assistant captains;
• Captains.

Such specialties are taught in maritime schools and academies, where they train workers for commercial, cruise, and military ships. In addition, the professions of cook and cook, translator, signalman, and doctor are quite in demand.

In particular, in Murmansk, shipping companies are recruiting for such vacancies as senior mate, group captain, third and fourth mates, shift mate, and captain. Work is offered on tankers, river vessels, sea vessels, fishing ships, military and merchant ships.

Applicants for such vacancies must be able to understand navigation, electronic navigation equipment, mechanics and engineering, fulfilling the obligations assigned to the captain. In particular, be responsible for the safety of the ship and crew, cargo, passengers,


Similar specialists are in demand in Vladivostok, but people there have more opportunities to choose where to work. This is due to the fact that workers for submarines and ships are also required here. Submarines need mechanics, sailors, and electricians.

Mostly men are hired on commercial, military, and civilian ships. Although civilian cruise ships are also willing to hire women. On cruise ships, women are hired as bartenders, administrators, waitresses, maids, translators, photographers, pastry chefs, doctors, animators, musicians, masseuses, cosmetologists, and receptionists.

In general, the following standard list of vacancies has been formed for cruise ships:

• Translators;
• Stewards;
• Bartenders;
• Reception workers;
• Support workers;
• Video and photo operators;
• Waiters;
• Assistants for all named professions.

You must speak English, be under 35 years of age, be willing to entertain different groups of passengers, work about 10 hours a day, and be prepared for long stays at sea.

For women, professions at sea have also emerged in other areas. For example, in the merchant fleet these could be vacancies for captain, navigator, mechanic, electrician, radio operator, cook. Fishing ships are constantly in need of doctors, cooks, bakers, barmaids, waitresses, and laundresses.

An experienced sailor, entering this building on Vasilyevsky Island, will be surprised. He crossed the threshold and - on you - found himself at the central control post of the ship. The height of the ceilings, the location of the lamps and the color of the walls are all the same, not to mention the equipment. Only the “deck” does not swing, and if you lift the roller shutters, you will see behind them not endless icy expanses, but an ordinary courtyard. Although nuclear icebreakers of Project 22220, for which specialists will be trained here at the recently opened Center for Arctic Maritime Competencies, are not yet in the seas. The Baltic Shipyard is still building these floating structures.

The icebreaker “50 Years of Victory” will soon give way to the “Arktika” championship. PHOTO by Lev FEDOSEEV/TASS

Training of engineers for the icebreaker fleet is carried out today only in our city. Moreover, for more than half a century - since the State University of Maritime and River Fleet named after Admiral S. O. Makarov (GUMRF), which everyone knows as Makarovka, a corresponding department appeared. The university teaches students, and the institute of additional professional education (DPE) that opened within it provides knowledge and skills to seafarers who are ready to improve their qualifications.

For the time being, this scheme suited Atomflot, which includes the world’s most powerful ice-class vessels. It was fine until St. Petersburg shipbuilders began building icebreakers of a completely new level. The lead ship “Arktika” of this project was launched the summer before last, and should enter service next year. Two others will appear next.

The Arktika crew will be one of the first to sit at the desks of the center with a total area of ​​about 200 square meters. meters, which appeared at the Vasileostrovskaya site of the State University of Murmansk and Russian Federation. More precisely, in the chairs of the ship’s training complex, which simulates the operation of the Arktika command post and the RITM-200 nuclear power plant designed for it. This technique is much more complex than what sailors had to deal with. And to master it, the Murmansk training center, where the “icebreakers” trained before going out into the icy seas, is no longer enough.

Project 22220 vessels will be able to operate at different depths, pushing apart larger ice with their hulls: they will have asynchronous propeller engines with a total power of 70 megawatts. It will become more difficult to “command” the reactor installed there, but thanks to the high level of automation, presumably 50–60 people will be able to service the entire ship’s facilities. Twice less than on icebreakers of the previous class, clarifies Yuri Guryev, first deputy director of the Institute of Additional Professional Education.

“Here he is - our main “teacher” , - he points to a stretched out large horseshoe stand with monitors, levers and toggle switches. - Five people will be able to practice here, practicing actions to control ship systems in normal mode and in emergency situations. That is, the entire ship's watch: the reactor plant operator, the electrical mechanic, the senior watch mechanic, the chief physicist and the "erbeshnik", a radiation safety specialist" (RB).

The center also includes a so-called functional simulator (two more workstations), where you can move the control levers not “live”, but on the screen using a computer mouse. It is needed in order to, having become proficient, sit down at a real “double” of the central control post and then pass exams at Rostekhnadzor, receiving permission to work at a nuclear ship facility.

Fleet veterans invited to work at GUMRF will be entrusted with leading practical classes. And in the next room, university teachers and outside experts will give lectures to the cadets. For sailors who have experienced the “breath” of the Arctic, and who decide to move from one icebreaker to another, more modern one, and from one position to a higher one, the duration of the course will be 320 hours. Beginners will have to do a lot more work, explains Guryev.

Classes at the center will begin in January next year. By that time, a package of training programs and teaching materials will have to be prepared. We also need to complete the setup of a unique training complex, which was created by specialists from the A.P. Alexandrov Scientific Research Technological Institute located in Sosnovy Bor.

But even later, the developers will not stop “patronizing” their brainchild, improving it as the Arctic nuclear-powered ships of the new project develop. Although this goes without saying. Another thing is more curious: the new center was opened in a room that was completely occupied by the university laboratory of turbomachinery. And even earlier, there were units there that generated electricity for Vasilievsky Island, also quite sophisticated for their time. So the connection of times in this sense is quite obvious.

OUR HELP. New generation nuclear icebreakers of the 22220 series (the project was developed by the Iceberg central design bureau commissioned by Atomflot) will operate at the mouths of northern rivers and provide year-round navigation along the entire Northern Sea Route, mainly for the delivery of hydrocarbon products to the markets of Europe and Asia.

The appearance of such vessels, designed to overcome ice up to three meters thick at a sustainable speed, will allow Russia to strengthen its strategic positions in the Arctic zone. In 2019, the Arktika, named after the Project 10520 icebreaker of the same name, which was the first to conquer the North Pole in 1977, will go into operation. In a year, the Sibir is expected to begin operating, and the third vessel of the Ural project is planned to be commissioned in 2021 - 2022.

Crew training for these ships is carried out in accordance with the requirements of the international Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) of 1978 and in accordance with quality standards.

Comments

Most read

We tell you what awaits students in just a few days.

We help less experienced mushroom pickers and those who like to try new things figure out which forests are best to go into with a knife and a basket.

How shoes were mistaken for explosives, and a bat was carried on board.

From September 1, tourists must show a travel plan and proof of financial resources.

Beijing once again officially stated that it opposes turning the INF Treaty into a multilateral agreement.

The Russian Antarctic Expedition (RAE) is engaged in research and scientific work within the southernmost continent. Participants are required to be able to clearly and responsibly approach the performance of their duties, since the safety of all polar explorers depends on this. Work in Antarctica involves activities in extremely harsh climatic conditions, far from families and usual household amenities.

Why Antarctica

Specialists applying for participation in the work of the station must clarify in advance all the requirements and specifics of employment, since it is quite difficult for an unprepared person to get to Antarctica.

It is worth noting that most workers go on expeditions not for high salaries, but for new sensations and the desire to test themselves in harsh conditions. After the watch, many strive to return to the pole again and consolidate the experience gained.

You can learn about how employees live in Antarctica in the corresponding groups on the VK social network, where participants publish photos and videos and stories about everyday work.

Professions in demand

The operation of stations in Antarctica requires different specialists:

• drivers of various equipment (snowmobiles);
• mechanics;
• doctors;
• welders;
• cooks;
• system administrators;
• satellite communications experts.

But most of the participants are various scientists involved in environmental research.

If you want to participate in work at a polar station, it is recommended to check the current vacancies by visiting the official website of the Antarctic Expedition (http://raexp.ru).

Features of work

Work in Antarctica is carried out on a rotational basis, all vacancies include free transportation to the station and back.

Registration is carried out under an employment contract, hired workers are provided with food and special clothing at the expense of the state.

Activities begin in November-February, transportation of participants is carried out either by plane or by ship. It depends on the location of the station where the expedition must arrive.

The duration of the trip is 12-18 months.

Requirements for candidates

Applicants are selected quite strictly according to the following criteria:

• Health;
• Professional skills and abilities;
• Psychological qualities (stress resistance);
• Age: from 30 to 45 years (for doctors - up to 60).

You will also need documents confirming your qualifications in the profession, experience, and a foreign passport.

To go through the doctors you will have to take extracts:

• From the medical unit at the place of residence about diseases over the past three years.
• From the tuberculosis dispensary (that the applicant is not registered).
• From the mental hospital.
• From a drug treatment clinic.
• orthopantogram (with attached description and conclusion).
• If the applicant is over 50 years old, an ultrasound scan of the abdominal organs, bladder and prostate gland must be performed.

Important: work experience in the specialty must be at least 2 years. For doctors – from 5 years.

How to get to the winter quarters, step by step:

1. Fill out a form at the OK AARI (some in-demand specialists are invited by the research leaders themselves).
2. Get approval to undergo a medical examination.
3. Be examined by doctors, including psychological tests and examinations.

The easiest way to learn more about how you can get on an expedition to Antarctica is on the RAE website.

average salary

People often ask how much money polar explorers receive for their work when they sign up for an expedition. This depends on the length of service; the calculation of the normal salary begins after crossing the 60th parallel.

The average salary in Antarctica in 2020 is 60,000 rubles, you need to take into account that this is official income (before 13% tax). Every 6 months of stay at the station there is an increase - 10% of the salary, but in total - no more than 100%. This means that after three expeditions the maximum salary will be reached.

But it is impossible to get a job for several winters in a row: doctors forbid it, because the body is greatly weakened due to the climate.

Benefits and allowances

In 2013, the Russian government introduced changes to the legislation on the calculation of compensation and benefits for workers in the far south.

List of preferences:

• Regional coefficient 3 – added during the period of activity on the expedition;
• Percentage increase and increasing coefficient to the salary (the amount depends on the starting salary);
• The total length of service includes periods of previous expeditions, including length of service at the North Pole.

More detailed information can be found in the Decree of the Russian Federation of 2013 No. 832.

Sergey Nikitsky reports: People often ask me whether it’s boring to spend your free time on an icebreaker? Here I will tell you not only about everyday life and recreation, but also about the legendary Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker "Yamal" of the Arctic class, about the expedition and the animals of the Arctic.

On an icebreaker I visited the largest expedition since the times of the USSR, the task of which was to explore the ice conditions of the Laptev, Kara and East Siberian seas.

A joint venture between Rosneft and ExxonMobil will conduct research in areas of the Arctic Ocean.

The research will provide the data necessary to begin the development of the Arctic - on the state of the ice, the migration of icebergs, as well as the fauna of the region.

Pay attention to the size - the “colossus” is the height of a nine-story building and 150 meters long!
The bow of the ship is stripped - the reason is not the old nuclear-powered ship, but the hellish pressure of the ice that it breaks through while moving.

The icebreaker was laid down in 1986 and launched in 1992

Loading onto the ship

By the way, the stylized image of a shark’s mouth on the bow of the icebreaker appeared in 1994 as a design element for a children’s cruise, then was left at the request of travel companies and over time became traditional. Younger brother-)

Blades for the propeller shaft are taller than a man

A helicopter arrived

The expedition program includes underwater work using vehicles, helicopter flights, landing personnel and equipment at the ice station and much more.

I will blog about everything - stay tuned

Icebreaker berth of Rosatomflot

The first meeting of the expedition crew - candidates and doctors of sciences all around!

I invite you to take a bird's eye view of the legendary icebreaker Yamal and the Kara-Winter 2014 expedition. The flight took place on a KA-32S ship helicopter.

There are endless ice fields all around. It's me on this picture-)

Every day the icebreaker docked

Scientists unloaded numerous equipment onto the ice

And carried out their scientific work

The dot on the left is a person, you can estimate the size of the icebreaker...

I will write a separate post about the activities of scientists during the expedition.

In short, research is carried out in winter to determine ice phases, morphometric parameters of the ice cover, physicochemical properties of ice, hummocks and stamukhas, as well as weather conditions and the state of water masses.

The Kara-Winter 2014 expedition took place thanks to the Rosneft company

In terms of their total oil and gas potential, the sedimentary basins of the Russian Arctic shelf are comparable to the largest oil and gas regions in the world!

The icebreaker "Yamal" is the pride of the Fatherland with a capacity of 75 thousand horsepower and a displacement of 23 thousand tons!

150 meters long! Only Russia in this world has an icebreaker fleet!

Science break for lunch!

I also made my scientific conclusion - the earth is round-)

In addition to 155 cabins on board the icebreaker there are: a restaurant, a mess hall, a club, a swimming pool, two saunas, a rocking chair and a gym, a hall for volleyball, basketball and table tennis, a library and much more!

The Kara-Winter 2014 expedition was organized by the Arctic Research and Design Center (a joint venture of Rosneft) with the support of specialists from the Federal State Budgetary Institution Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute.

In general, all conditions have been created on the icebreaker Yamal to keep yourself in good shape

There is a rocking chair

Kettlebells, barbells, dumbbells - everything for strength training right in the Arctic

You can let off steam on a pear

Exercise bikes

Treadmills

Every day I visited the pool

The pool has filtered sea water and is heated.

The depth of the pool is more than 2 meters

The team has 2 bathhouses at its disposal: one Russian, the other Finnish

After a hard day's work on the ice, it's so nice to spend time in the steam room...

For those who miss greenery there is a “red” corner

Relax - I don't want to

Volleyball tournaments were periodically held in the gym

You could also play table tennis or basketball

If someone gets sick, a hospital complex is available, which includes a dressing room, an operating room and other necessary premises

Laundry

Ironing

All this “entertainment” is done for a reason - after hard work in harsh arctic conditions, the body needs to recover. And don’t forget, expeditions sometimes last for several months!

Communications equipment on an icebreaker

Many people are interested in whether there is Internet on an icebreaker in the Arctic? Of course have. Moreover, even space satellites are used to carry out the assigned tasks of the Kara-Winter 2014 expedition, but first things first!

There is a TV in the cabin - satellite TV broadcasts 4 channels (channel one, channel culture, channel five and TV3)

And the radio receiver was broadcast only by the Vesti FM radio station. The radio also broadcast messages common to the entire crew.

Let me remind you that the expedition was organized by the Arctic Research and Design Center (JV Rosneft and ExxonMobil) with the support of specialists from the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute. To support the tasks of scientists, a fast satellite communication channel is needed.

Communication with the icebreaker is carried out via a 24-hour satellite communication channel with a capacity of 1.5 Mbit/sec in the shore-to-ship direction and 512 Kbit/sec in the ship-to-shore direction. Unlimited data traffic! This is the largest ice research expedition in our northern seas since the times of the Union, but, of course, in terms of technical equipment, none of the Soviet expeditions can compare with it.

The expedition's computer office was set up in the Icebreaker office. Here I accessed the Internet and wrote posts to the live journal. The speed was the same as on 3G, and when the icebreaker was moving, sometimes the connection was lost, but in general it was possible to surf.

For the crew of the icebreaker Yamal, everything is simpler...

The icebreaker crew can use satellite communications at their own expense (then deducted from their salaries) (29 rubles per minute and 300 rubles per 1 megabyte of Internet)

The captain's assistant for radio electronics, Andrei Yuryevich Kozulin, told us about communications on the ship.

A satellite communications system has been installed in Yamal, providing navigation, telephone communications, fax and Internet. The photo shows an inmarsat satellite communication terminal

Radio

Radar and other ship communications equipment

Marine Iridium

The round protective case houses a satellite television dish

And this is a satellite television server

Rarity - the key for working with Morse code

In general, you don’t feel any isolation from the world on an icebreaker in the 21st century. Everything feels like home... Which in itself is not surprising if you remember that the expedition was organized and equipped by such a company as NK-Rosneft.

And of course about bears

The Arctic flora and fauna are unique.

Fortunately, it was studied during the largest ice research expedition in the Russian northern seas since the USSR.

Let me remind you that the expedition left the port of Murmansk on the modern nuclear icebreaker Yamal in early April under the flag of Rosneft.

By the way, the Arctic is inhabited by more than 20 thousand species of plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms. To study this “wealth,” three biologists are taking part in the expedition.

Participants in the Kara-Winter 2014 expedition will especially pay a lot of attention to fragile Arctic ecosystems, which need to be studied so as not to damage them later!

It is necessary to study the physical and biological processes that lead to the formation of biological products, starting with bacteria and tiny algae, which create organic matter on which whales, bears, and pinnipeds ultimately rest.

Rosneft seriously intends to study the Arctic ecosystem in order to completely minimize all risks to the environment.

Marine mammals and birds are monitored throughout the expedition, including using a drone and a helicopter.

These studies will be used to study Arctic ecosystems, as well as to develop environmentally friendly technologies for geological exploration and oil and gas production in the Arctic.”

Biologist Sergei Petrov kindly shared photos of birds with me, for which I thank him very much. The photo shows a wild duck.

The skua is a bird of prey that lives in the Arctic, continental tundras and on the islands of the northern seas. The bird is a bandit, because... eggs and chicks are often stolen from neighbors

Gull. What do you think they eat? On land in the coastal strip they eat lemmings, other people's chicks, and various invertebrates, and on ice fast ice and floating ice floes they look for droppings of walruses, seals, and polar bears. In addition, in the summer, gulls feed on the waste of whaling and sealing, and in the winter they follow polar bears, picking up the remains of their prey, or sit on the ice near the holes, waiting for seals to appear with the cod fish they have caught.

The most common inhabitants of the bird colonies of the Far North are guillemots

And now about polar bears!

The polar bear is one of the largest terrestrial representatives of mammals of the order of carnivores. The size of the paw against the background of sunglasses.

The weight of a polar bear can reach 1000 kg!

The soles of a polar bear's feet are lined with wool to prevent slipping on ice and freezing.

In 2013, the polar bear population in Russia was estimated at 5-6 thousand individuals. And there are about 25 thousand of them in the world...

After 2018, it is planned to conduct a complete census of polar bears in Russia.

Females with cubs, as a rule, did not come close to the icebreaker...

Females are noticeably smaller than males (weight 200-300 kg)

The lifespan of a polar bear is 25-30 years

Bear with a scar...

As a rule, bears are peaceful towards each other, but clashes occur between males during the mating season.

The bears sometimes came close to the icebreaker - one “impudent” even leaned his paws on Yamal!

In Russia, polar bear hunting has been completely prohibited since 1956; slow reproduction and high mortality of young animals make this animal easily vulnerable. Listed in the Red Book.

However, the population is now considered stable or even growing.

Having begun the development of the Arctic shelf, Rosneft began implementing a large-scale program to support Arctic animal species. In particular, since 2013, Rosneft has been operating a program for the care of polar bears in Russian zoos.

When the bears approached the icebreaker, there was a full house, because... Scientists’ work on ice was automatically stopped by an alarm.

After all, the polar bear is a predator!

Hurry to leave the ice!

To prevent bears from getting close, biologists were on duty on the bridge around the clock in shifts + a special thermal imager was on duty.

The expedition was also armed with a deep-sea vehicle! Scientists used it mainly to study ice, but sometimes they came across representatives of the underwater world of the Arctic - in the video, an “underwater cockroach” that I did not identify -)

And this song was written and dedicated to the icebreakers of the Northern Sea Route by Alexander Petrenko from Moscow:

Antarctica is the most mysterious continent on Earth, which still remains untouched by human activity. Over time, this part of the world has become a real “Klondike” for scientists and researchers. Thanks to this, the tourism potential of the region has noticeably increased, and an opportunity has arisen to get a job in Antarctica as part of a scientific expedition.

Belonging to the territory of Antarctica

Antarctica is of interest not only from a scientific research point of view, but also as a storehouse of valuable resources. In order to prevent conflict and destruction of the unique nature of the continent, the leading states of the world signed an agreement in 1959, establishing the special legal status of Antarctica as a kind of nature reserve.

The document states that Antarctica does not belong to any state in the world; the deployment of military facilities, the entry of combat fleet vessels, nuclear icebreakers and ships is prohibited here.

Since 1980, Antarctica received the official status of a nuclear-free zone, which excluded the possibility of various states using nuclear power units on the mainland. You can sail here only on ships and crews, where there is no weaponry of any kind.

Despite the existing agreements, many countries of the world do not hide their territorial claims to Antarctic lands. The authorities of Norway, Great Britain, France, New Zealand, Chile and Argentina speak openly about their claims. The United States and Russia have a special position. Representatives of these states declare the possibility of putting forward territorial claims to Antarctica, but at the same time completely ignore the claims of other states.

Climate and degree of human development

Antarctica to this day continues to be the most uninhabited and undeveloped continent. At the same time, geologists have established that the local land stores enormous resources. The continent is the world's source of fresh water, accounting for up to 90% of the planet's total water resources.

The continent is also of great interest from a scientific point of view. Observations of climatic and meteorological processes make it possible to study the processes of the earth's crust and analyze changes in the atmosphere over hundreds of thousands of years. Work on archeology is very popular here. Archaeologists often fail to discover any unique artifacts, but their work allows them to analyze the soil and the thickness of the ice cover.

The main reason for the undeveloped nature of the continent is considered to be difficult climatic conditions. Antarctica is the Earth's pole of cold; the temperature here is extremely low. In the depths of the continent, in winter the temperature ranges from -75 to -60 degrees, in the summer season - from -50 to -30 degrees. In coastal areas near the sea it is noticeably warmer, since there are sea currents nearby. In winter, the thermometer here shows from -35 to -10 degrees, in summer – from 0 to +5 degrees, which is comparable to the climate of the North of Russia, the taiga region, and the Yamal Peninsula.

Resources and area of ​​Antarctica

The territory of the ice continent is 14.1 million square meters. km. If Antarctica were an independent state, it would rank second in area after Russia.

Due to the fact that there is no economic activity here, the resources of the mainland have been preserved in their original form. According to comprehensive estimates by geologists, there are huge reserves of oil and gas (especially near the oceans), coal, iron ore, gold and silver. It is also possible that rare earth metals are present (especially at the borders of mountain systems), which are extremely rare.

Already now, various geological explorations are being carried out here, and production is emerging. For example, the Russian Gazprom often organizes oil and gas exploration operations in partnership with various research institutes.

Due to the enormous resource potential, historians argue that in the foreseeable future a real war may begin over Antarctica, which will involve all the leading states of the world. All this is confirmed by the political struggle for Arctic resources, which has intensified in recent years.

If you believe various reviews, photos and videos, Antarctica seems to be a real corner of untouched nature. Here she is stern and at the same time beautiful.

Russian and foreign organizations operating in Antarctica

Developed countries of the world are conducting active research work on the icy continent. As of 2019, there are 48 permanent research stations in Antarctica. The most active exploration of Antarctica is carried out by Russia, the USA, Great Britain, Chile, France, Argentina and China.

Among the most famous Antarctic stations are:

• Bird Island, King Edward Head, Halley, Fossil Bluff (UK);
• Kunlun, Changcheng, Zhongshan, Taishan (China);
• Bellingshausen, Vostok, Mirny, Novolazarevskaya, Progress, Russkaya (Russia);
• Amundsen-Scott, McMurdo, Palmer (USA);
• Martin-de-Viviers, Port-au-France, Alfred Faure (France);
• Frey, Escudero, Videla, Captain Arturo Prat (Chile).

In addition to permanent stations, Antarctica also has 41 seasonal research bases (including weather stations) where geological surveys are carried out. In the geographical center of the continent, in the region of the South Pole, the American Amundsen-Scott station is located.

Work and available vacancies in Antarctica

In recent years, work in Antarctica has been in great demand. Jobs and salaries in Antarctica promise high income and interesting employment. All this is explained by the presence of many advantages and a fairly high level of payment. However, getting to work is not so easy.

Since the working and living conditions are close to extreme, the applicant must meet a number of mandatory criteria, including the possession of useful skills that will be useful in Antarctica (for example, in the field of construction), a high level of professionalism and experience in the specialty, the ability to withstand isolation, excellent physical fitness, long-term travel experience.

Due to the popularity of work in Antarctica, there is a serious competitive selection for most vacancies. Specialists of a narrow focus associated with scientific expeditions to Antarctica have a better chance of getting to the glacial continent.

Popular specialties and professions

Antarctica is a zone of scientific research, so environmental scientists (geologists, geophysicists, meteorologists, biologists and microbiologists) are in great demand here, similar to work at the North Pole. In addition, to ensure uninterrupted operation of the stations, the following specialists are constantly required:

• doctors and junior medical staff;
• system administrators;
• specialists to work on a geological exploration expedition;
• programmers and laboratory assistants;
• photographers and videographers;
• satellite communications experts;
• drivers of all-terrain vehicles and vehicles with tracked wheels;
• welders;
• exploration engineers;
• mechanics;
• cooks;
• security workers.

Also in Antarctica there is a recruitment for unique vacancies that are practically not found anywhere in the world. These include riometrists, magnetologists, polar bear scarers, and vacancies for penguin lifters. But they don’t hire general workers here.

The penguin flipper's earnings are small, but this is compensated by the opportunity to visit uninhabited territory, untouched by human activity, and study the local population - penguins.

There is an increased demand for sailors and other specialists to work on Antarctic ships. The only caveat is that women are not accepted to work at sea.

Search for vacancies: with and without an intermediary

Russians and Belarusians can try to independently find employment in Antarctica through the Arctic and Antarctic Institute in St. Petersburg (preference is given to graduate students of the university). Among the countries of the former USSR, Ukraine also conducts Antarctic activities. Job vacancies for Ukrainians to work at the Akademik Vernadsky polar station, which belongs to this country, are posted by the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

Often the recruitment of potential workers is carried out by foreign Antarctic communities (often the USA, Australia, Great Britain). However, only professionals of the highest category will be able to get the desired job, subject to fluency in English.

The participation of intermediaries in the search for Antarctic vacancies is minimal. The intermediary cannot in any way guarantee employment. He can help prepare the necessary documentary support, submit an application, and explain some of the nuances of employment. For this reason, applicants are advised not to resort to the services of private companies. The exception is when an employer opens a competitive recruitment process through an intermediary company. However, even here the final decision will be up to the employer, therefore, the applicant will not receive any advantages over other applicants.

You should not trust vacancies posted on various employment exchanges or popular sites like Avito. Often the information provided here is not true.

Working conditions and wages: legal norms

The level of earnings of a polar explorer directly depends on his work experience and profession. On average, wages in Antarctica are about 60 thousand rubles. Every six months, employees are given a 10% increase. There are three such material incentives during a calendar year, after which the salary level reaches its maximum.

According to the Russian legislative framework, the accrual of a polar explorer’s salary begins from the moment he crosses the 60th parallel. In addition, all polar workers, regardless of status, work experience and position, are guaranteed the following preferences from the state:

• setting the value of the regional coefficient within 3;
• inclusion in the total length of service of years of service in Antarctica, periods of expedition trips to the mainland, which helps to significantly increase the pension;
• additional paid leave.

A percentage increase and an increasing coefficient to the salary are also guaranteed, which allows you to earn many times more.

Features of employment: contracts

Since work in Antarctica is carried out primarily on a rotational basis, each employee is required to conclude an employment contract with the employer before the trip. There are few special requirements here, the main thing is that the document fully complies with the requirements of Russian legislation.

The contract is drawn up in writing in at least 2 copies. One is handed over to the employee, the second remains with the employer. The contract stipulates the professional responsibilities of the hired employee, the amount of material remuneration and the timing of the expedition to Antarctica, there is a description of living conditions and the employer’s guarantees for the supply of everything necessary.

Requirements for candidates and documents

Many applicants do not know how to get on the expedition. Antarctica is a harsh region where living and working conditions are very difficult. Therefore, when selecting a suitable applicant for a current vacancy, the employer pays special attention to the following nuances:

• The volunteer has a higher education, good qualifications, and extensive knowledge of the industry.
• Good health. If the applicant has some health problems, he is at great risk. There are no medical complexes or hospitals in Antarctica; to carry out operations, a worker will have to be escorted to the “mainland”, which is not always possible in difficult climate conditions and long distances.
• Communication skills, ability to find a common language with colleagues. Often the working staff at Antarctic stations is small (about 20 people). They are forced to spend a lot of time together, so it is important that conflict situations do not arise.
• Ability to stay in a confined space for a long time. Long snow storms are not uncommon in Antarctica, which the station's hired personnel wait out in equipped rooms. There are cases when employees of one of the stations had to stay inside the building for more than 1 month.
• Willingness to be away from home, close friends, family and children for a long period of time.
• Compliance with the age limit of 25-45 years. For most vacancies in Antarctica, this is the age limit. It is almost impossible for older citizens to enlist here. Some specialties accept applicants up to 65 years of age.

Important! As practice shows, citizens who have experience of rotational work in the Far North (Murmansk, Arkhangelsk regions, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, etc.) have the greatest chance of getting a job.

In addition to the requirements for the personal characteristics of a potential employee, employers also have some requirements for the necessary documents. To work you will need:

• certificates and diplomas confirming the level of qualifications, completion of additional educational courses and seminars;
• work book, which contains records of past places of work;
• driver's license (preferably international);
• national passport;
• a foreign passport with a validity period of more than 6 months after the end of the shift.

For men, it is desirable to have a military ID or rank. Only in this case will they be allowed to travel on ships to the territorial waters of other states.

Shift method of work

Due to the lack of road infrastructure, most geological exploration and archaeological expeditions are sent to Antarctica in the summer, which lasts here from October to March. During this period, there is a change of workers at Antarctic stations. During the period from April to September, when winter comes to Antarctica, transport does not go here. The frosts here can be so severe that the fuel freezes after a couple of minutes of inactivity.

Taking into account the peculiarities of weather conditions, work in Antarctica takes place on a rotational basis, the contract is concluded for a minimum of 6 months. With some employees it is possible to sign employment agreements for 1 year. These people are called “winter dwellers” here.

It is worth noting that it is impossible to quit your job before the end of the term for the reason that transport with humanitarian cargo arrives at most stations only in the summer months (October-March). Consequently, it is not possible to terminate the employment contract ahead of schedule.

How to get to Antarctica: ways

It can take quite a long time to get to Antarctica. If you sail here by ship from St. Petersburg, the route will last approximately 2 months. To reduce travel time, flights to South Africa, Chile or Argentina are permitted. From here, the delivery of workers to Antarctic stations is organized using airplanes and helicopters. However, this is only possible in the summer season.