S5 Ep5: Training for Antarctica - secrets of the pre-deployment programme, with Michaela Boak

About this episode

This episode discusses the training and preparation required for working in Antarctica with Deployment Support Coordinator Michaela Boak.

So, you're going to Antarctica. But what skills and training do you need to live and work there? That's the question that faces every person who is offered a job with British Antarctic Survey to work South - and there's a long to-do list, including two weeks of Pre-Deployment Training (PDT) at BAS HQ in Cambridge. During PDT, future-Antarcticans learn everything from polar hygiene to chemical safety and firefighting, as well as meeting the people they’ll be living with on station. Think "first day of school" nerves! In this episode, host Nadia Frontier meets Michaela Boak, Deployment Support Coordinator. They discuss how to prepare for deployment to Antarctica (including the importance of the ceilidh social), the support available during deployment, and how Michaela’s own experience South shaped her perspective on training the UK's Antarctic team. What are the challenges of preparing to work in such an extreme environment? How do the experts plan training that will keep everyone safe? And what training does it take to become an Antarctican? --- Welcome to Antarctica. What's it like living and working in one of the most extreme environments in the world? From polar scientists to…

People in this episode

Host: Nadia Frontier

Guest: Michaela Boak

Topics covered

• Antarctica
• training
• pre-deployment
• safety
• community

Keywords

• polar hygiene
• chemical safety
• firefighting
• deployment support

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Pre-Deployment Training

Books & works: ICEWORLD

Places: Antarctica, South, Cambridge, UK, Antarctic

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• S5 Ep12: Meet the carpenters of Antarctica · May 5, 2026 · 30 min
• S5 Ep11: Can you be vegan in Antarctica? · April 7, 2026 · 33 min
• S5 Ep10: Living and working in the polar desert · March 2, 2026 · 31 min
• S5 Ep9: Fixing aircraft in Antarctica · February 16, 2026 · 29 min
• S5 Ep8: Christmas in Antarctica · December 22, 2025 · 29 min