Contracts

Civic service volunteers

The position of Civic service volunteers (CSV) is intended for people over the age of 25 years, and if an exemption has been issued by the Civic Service Agency, for young people between the ages of 18 and 25 years. A civic service volunteer can be given a contract for a duration of six months and two years; this contract must be for a mission of general interest, and the host organization must have been approved by the Civic Service Agency. The host organization finances the compensation and full social security coverage.

At the Polar Institute, CSVs are hired for six months, for a summer campaign, or 13 months on average, for an overwintering campaign. This contract is intended for young graduates with little professional experience. During their mission in the French Southern and Antarctic Territories (TAAF), SCVs are provided housing and food and they are also given a net allowance of €1,024 that is tax-free.

The access conditions are as follows:

• Volunteers must be over 18 years old.
• Volunteers must be a French citizen, a citizen of a Member State of the European Union, a citizen of a state that is a contracting party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, or be able to justify having been a legal resident in France for more than one year by holding one of the residence permits listed in Chapter II Section 2 of Law No. 2010-241.
• The minimum level of study required is BAC +2 (two years of studies after graduation from high school), except for a few specific professional categories such as baker-pastry cook or carpenter.

These contracts are offered at the Dumont d’Urville and Concordia Antarctic stations and at the Martin-de-Viviès bases on Amsterdam Island, the Alfred-Faure base in the Crozet Archipelago and the Port-aux-Français base in the Kerguelen Archipelago.

The experience acquired by overwintering personnel is a real asset for their professional integration.

Fixed-term contracts

Fixed-term contracts are intended for experienced professionals with at least five years of professional experience. Remuneration depends on the position held, the location, the candidate’s experience and their responsibilities in the field.

This type of contract applies to the positions of technical manager, chief engineer, plumber/heating engineer, electrical technician for the power station, mechanic for diesel construction engines, and cook.

These contracts are offered at the Dumont d’Urville and Concordia Antarctic stations, for overwintering personnel only.

International administration volunteers

International administration volunteering (IAV) is a civic service carried out for French Government services abroad. It lasts between six months and two years and can be renewed once for a maximum duration of two years. It is intended for people between the ages of 18 and 28 years old.

At the Polar Institute, this contract is offered to young graduates with little professional experience at the AWIPEV station in the Arctic, and Concordia station in the Antarctic. IAVs are provided housing and food and they are also given a non-taxable net lump sum allowance of between €1,400 and €1,900 depending on where the volunteer is posted and the current exchange rate.

The access conditions are as follows:

• Volunteers must be between 18 and 28 years old on the registration date, and must leave for the mission no later than the day of their 29^th birthday.
• Volunteers must be a French citizen, or a citizen of a Member State of the European Union or the European Economic Area.
• Volunteers must be up-to-date with the national service obligations, have their full rights as a citizen and have a clean criminal record, meet the physical fitness conditions required for people carrying out similar activities within the host organization and, given the diplomatic nature of the mission, they must agree to the secrecy, suitability and confidentiality obligations.