These are the world’s coldest jobs – here’s how much you could get paid to work at minus 39 degrees celsius
Now that it’s January, you may be thinking about switching up your CV and getting a new job to kick off the new year.
If you’re a big fan of winter and the accompanying freezing weather conditions, then one of the world’s coolest careers might be your next step to chasing the snow.
Even in the coldest corners of the planet, people are rolling out of bed in order to face a hard day’s work, whether that’s the ice truckers of America or the ski instructors of Europe’s award-winning slopes.
Ski holiday provider Crystal Ski Holidays has studied occupations in some of the world’s chilliest locations and ranked them according to an analysis of temperature, salary, hours worked, and the cost of living to create a report of the world’s 12 coldest jobs.
So, how do the frostiest occupations on earth compare?
Gold mining chief technologist
In Verkhoyansk, a town in north-east Russia, and Yakutsk, a port city in east Siberia, chief technologists in the gold mining sector are working in glacial temperatures of minus 39°C, which is the average temperature of the North Pole during the winter months.
As the coldest job on the list, one might expect that these brave workers receive the largest salary out of all jobs in the report for their hard work conducted under such strenuous conditions.
The study reveals that, surprisingly, this isn’t the case.
Chief technologists in Russia earn on average £45,420, whereas hazmat (hazardous materials) specialists in Alaska earn an average annual salary of £54,802 while working in conditions that are 13 degrees warmer.
Mining officer
On the picturesque Yukon River in Canada, mining officers can expect to earn a comfortable £39,767 while paying just £546 for their monthly rent – but this all comes at a price.
Not only are these officers working in minus 27°C conditions, but the pay packet they receive is 26 per cent less than the average salary earned by other Canadians.
Installation engineer
How much do you love engineering? Enough to work in minus 26°C temperatures while earning almost 80 per cent less than other people in your country?
Engine installation engineers in Harbin, China’s northernmost province, do exactly that, while earning £13,841 on a 50-hour week.
That’s the second longest working week in the report, behind truck drivers in Winnipeg, Canada who work 61.25 hours in return for earning nearly £50,000 a year.
Hazmat specialist
In terms of comparison to national wages, hazmat specialists in Barrow, Alaska have the highest positive difference in earnings out of all countries analysed in the report.
Earning £54,802 a year, these employees earn 49 per cent more than the national average, making it a great career jump for someone looking to boost their bank account while working in minus 26°C temperatures.
Mill helper
If you prefer the idea of flexible working, then being a mill helper in the village of Snag, close to the Alaskan-Canadian border, could be your next profession.
Working two-weeks-on and two-weeks-off, these mill helpers earn £17,091 in minus 24°C temperatures.
Are you cool enough?
According to experts, frostbite can occur on skin exposed to temperatures of minus 28°C and below in just 30 minutes or less – meaning that these jobs can sometimes be dangerously cold, but the experience could be worth it.
So, would you consider giving up the nine-to-five for any of the world’s coldest jobs? Don’t put your dreams of a frosty career on ice.