Going South
Adequate preparatory training and instruction are vital for the success and safety of Antarctic operations.
Everyone working in or visiting the Antarctic, on land or on polar ships, must satisfy British Antarctic Survey (BAS) requirements for medical fitness and training.
Antarctic Pre-Deployment Training
Everyone travelling to the Antarctic region (“going South”) must complete an Antarctic pre-deployment training (PDT) course. The course may include in-person and online components, such as:
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- core PDT
- station-specific briefings
- oil-spill response
- first aid
- personal survival techniques
- winter teams training
Cambridge employees
If you’re a new recruit to BAS or are going south for the first time, you must attend all aspects of PDT.
If you’ve attended pre-deployment training in the previous 3 years, you should attend station-specific sessions and first-aid training in person. We’ll also provide you with online training for mandatory subjects, such as biosecurity, clothing and health and safety.
If you’ve not attended pre-deployment training in the previous 3 years, you must attend all relevant aspects of PDT as advised by our operations team.
Job -specific courses
You’ll be required to attend job-specific training anytime from your contract start date, and before and after you have completed Cambridge-based PDT.
Your line manager will set up these courses depending on your experience. The courses may be anywhere in the UK.
Our HR learning and development team will be your point of contact for these courses.
Antarctic employment pool (AEP)
If you’re a new AEP employee, you must attend all aspects of PDT.
Every 3 years you must attend all aspects of PDT as advised by our operations team.
If you’re a returning AEP you must attend the elements of PDT specified for returning staff.
Winter teams
If you’re a wintering AEP employee, you must to attend all aspects of PDT as advised by our operations team.
External visitors (excluding construction partners)
If you’re visiting the Antarctic for the first time you must attend all aspects of PDT.
If you’ve attended PDT in the previous 3 years, you must attend first aid training. We will also provide supplementary online training.
If you’ve not attended PDT in the previous 3 years, you should attend all relevant aspects of PDT as advised by our operations team.
Construction partners and reserves
If you’re one of our construction partners you must attend the PDT course your organisation coordinates with us. Everyone deployed in summer and returners must attend.
You should also review support and attend talks provided by our operational management teams, for example, about the station(s) that you’ll be working at.
Wintering construction partners and reserves must attend all aspects of our PDT, and the winter teams training weekend.
Log in to our PDT area for more details about:
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- first aid training
- training for supervisors and line managers
- PDT exemptions.
Field teams working outside our stations
If you’re a field scientist who will be working outside of one of our research stations:
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- you may not be required attend PDT. However, this is on a case-by-case basis and you still must attend first aid training
- you must attend essential training as advised by our operations team.
RRS Sir David Attenborough (SDA)
If you’re due to be sailing on SDA, we’ll send you online training content that must be completed before departure.
If you’re a new employee due onboard SDA for a research cruise, you may be invited to relevant in-person sessions during PDT.
Preparing to go south
A guide to going south with British Antarctic Survey provides an essential guide to going south with BAS.