Jobless Britons applying for work at South Pole

It seems jobless Britons are willing to go to the end of the Earth to find work, for data has revealed that record numbers of unemployed tradesmen are applying for jobs at the South Pole.

Recruiters at the British Antarctic Survey are on course to receive more than 3,000 applications for just 36 jobs from plumbers, electricians, chefs and carpenters, the 'Daily Express' reported.

Successful candidates must brave five months of constant darkness and temperatures that can plunge to minus 40C to work at one of the BAS's five bases around the UK's polar region.

Workers get a basic salary of 23,700 pounds, plus a 10% end-of-tour bonus, all their food and accommodation paid for as well as the costs of outdoor clothing, the British newspaper said.

The bases are manned by a skeleton staff of mainly tradesmen during the gruelling winter months.

James Miller, of Cambridge company BAS, said: "It appears a symptom of the economic slowdown that we are receiving so many job applications for our bases."