Shetland: my dream move

[bill r]

hello shetlinkers . my first day and post on your fab site. im bill from northumberland, and i would appreciate any help in finding the best way to finding work and relocating to the island. for example is there work available if i just up sticks and move. i recently sold a share in a company so property would be no problem, but i need to keep busy so any type of employment would help. have a good weekend cheers bill

[wally jumblat]

Hi Bill

 

Abby Kayll recently moved to Shetland and provides advice to anyone else hoping to do the same on her blog:

http://shetlandmylove.blogspot.com/

 

There is also a Shetland Islands Council site dedicated to assisting people who might want to move here: http://move.shetland.org/

 

For jobs, the best places to look are the Shetland News and Shetland Times websites, accessible from the homepage of Shetlink.

 

Also, I'm sure Shetlinkers will be more than happy to help with any other questions you might have.

 

Hope to see you here soon!

 

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[bill r]

thanks wally if it all comes together you will

[JustMe]

There is a sort of trap awaiting the unwary. Cheap accommodation tends to be well outside Lerwick but Lerwick is where most of the jobs are. Yes there are buses but from a lot of places the service is quite limited. And yes our petrol/diesel is really expensive.

 

Work is normally available in Lerwick's supermarkets and fish factories as well as in the pubs if you just want a job to stop you being bored but if you want something you are used to doing then you might have to wait a while.

 

Somewhere to live in Lerwick is liable to cost around £500pcm to rent and perhaps a minimum of £100k to buy. Much cheaper outside Lerwick and the places that offer an easy commute to the town but you have to think about work and how to get there. And most places for sale have an "offers over" price and a closing date for offers so you might have to wait to buy.

 

If you have a flat/house full of furniture it might be worth bringing the best things with you. Perhaps try Shetland Transport or Streamline Shipping for a quote.

 

Apart from that if you are prepared for some terrible winter weather but long sunny summers (some years) and are happy to accept that living on an island means life will be different then go for it.

[DePooperit]

Have you visited Shetland in the past?

[paulb]

thats always a very good starting point. visit before making a move.

[khitajrah]

I moved here without having visited first. That was 11 years ago.

[Suzanna]

^

 

Snap so did we

[unlinkedstudent]

^^Snap, moved up in June 2009 from London (I'm originally from Lincolnshire though) and had not visited before.

 

We flogged about 90% of our belongings on eBay before moving up here. Happy to answer questions if you want to drop us a pm.

[Sha]

Welcome to the site Bill!

 

I'm not a shetlander and I don't even live there and I've only been once.

 

But I also recommend visiting it before. At least for me it was very different from the way I imagine dShetland to be. This has no negative connotation. It was just different.

 

but I can very much understand why you would wand to move to Shetland as it is a magic place! And I also think that this forum is a good place for starting to have a little insight in Shetland mentality.

[paulb]

oh heck.

[unlinkedstudent]

oh heck.

 

Tuts @ Paul - you forgot the flipping.

[Fifi]

I moved here without having visited first. That was 11 years ago.

I also moved here without visiting first, 29 years ago, but I moved here for a job, not because it was Shetland.

[groilick]

Ask not what Shetland can do for you, ask what you can do for Shetland

[TrowieWife]

Shetland is a wonderful place to live. I am from Shetland, my family date back generations. Unfortunately, due to soaring house prices, mainly from people ‘re-locating’ here from the South of England I cannot afford to get property here. There is also nowhere to rent due to people turning their rental properties into holiday lets. As for jobs, they too are limited. The market appears to be saturated. Shetland has a glamorised image. The reality is quite different. It is beautiful. We do have endless daylight in summer but we also have nine-month winters, punctuated with wind and rain. I am currently looking into leaving. This isn’t what I want to do after finishing uni and coming home but I have no other choice and will certainly be leaving my home with a heavy heart. Ordinary Shetlanders are being pushed out with the soaring house prices and lack of jobs. I begrudgingly wish you luck.