Looking for work? Remote possibility this vacancy is the job for you

By MARTYN MCLAUGHLIN
Published on Sunday 19 February 2012 00:35

THE work is backbreaking and the company sparse, but whoever takes up the job on the most isolated outpost of the British Isles can look forward to bingo, games on the Wii, and pub quizzes in a cosy Ministry of Defence-owned bolthole.

The National Trust for Scotland is looking for an archeologist to help unearth the secrets of the spectacular but remote archipelago of St Kilda.

The successful applicant will live on the Unesco World Heritage Site for six months at a time, conserving and researching a way of life abandoned in 1930 when the outcrop was evacuated.

The harsh terrain means that the NTS is looking for someone “confident in their personal physical abilities,” who must also be “self motivated,” given that they will occasionally be working alone.

The new archaeologist, who will enjoy a salary of £23,018 and shared accommodation, will be the ninth occupant of the role in just 14 years. One former incumbent admitted most people “don’t last long” in the job, but added that it offers a “fascinating” insight into a globally renowned location.

Susan Bain, St Kilda’s archeologist between 2002 and 2005, explained: “It’s certainly challenging. You’ve got to have a good head for heights – there are nearly 2,000 structures on St Kilda, and with some of them you think, ‘How did they build them there?’

“A lot of the job is monitoring buildings and checking their condition, there were some of them where I thought, ‘I’m not doing that’. You’re going uphill all the time and fending off skuas that are dive-bombing you.”

Bain, now the St Kilda property manager for the NTS, added: “It’s a contract between April and September, and the archaeologist gets two weeks off, so it’s a big commitment. You can’t just nip home.

“We’re looking for someone who is willing to commit to live on St Kilda for six months, and of course that’s reflected in the fact that since 1998 there’s been eight people in the post. They don’t last long. But it’s a fantastic thing to do.”

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Leisure_suit_Larry

Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 09:55 AM

So it's a six month contract paying £23,018 with full board and two weeks off. Could be worse. Why does it need to be full time anyway ?

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