work in shetland

[shetlandcars]

i am british paul not a immigrant getting to a point where i wish i had not said anything , its a dog eat dog world we just have to give it your best shot you only have one chance . i feel a lot of hostility towards me/incomers why ?

British maybe, but not a Shetlander....rightly or wrongly you will be termed a sooth-moother indicating your non Shetland origin.

 

You've hit the crux of the matter by assuming because you're British you aren't seen as a foreigner to Shetland folk.

 

Lerwick's own high street has its own high percentage of empty shops.

[shellb2]

i understand that some people dont fit in to shetland life but at least they have tryed isnt it better to try it than sit wondering unhappy all thier life at what could have been? i moved here last august and had never even been to shetland ..where i lived before i felt more isolated than here even though it was full of people .. i never felt like i belonged .. here is so different i feel part of the community ,ok winters are dark and weather can be really bad etc.. but u have community spirit ...

[shetlandsun]

I dont understand why people are being like that most south mouths as you would say have taking something good to shetland they are doctors police or even the coastgaurd i dont see what the problem is anyone can move up here if they want at the end of the day not all shetlanders orgianate from shetland. You should be proud people want to live here not put people off. Working class people who will work and earn a living its not them u need to worry about getting all the house the new houses go to druggies who sit on the dole and spent our taxs on there drug habbit they get new houses with all the contents new without having to pay a pennie there the kind of people who as you would say steal our houses not working class people who would like to move up here and pay there way.

[shetlandcars]

You should be proud people want to live here not put people off.

 

Is the OP 'proud' to have all the new incomers to his own home town? from what he posted it would suggest not.

[paulb]

nobody is trying to put anyone off. we just want anyone that comes up here to make sure that its a thought out move. the more planning the easier the change.

the bit about not being a native was in response to the ops view on others taking jobs and houses.

 

op come but come with an open mind then it can work. i could not leave now even if i could the kids have adapted to shetland.

[spook]

You should be proud people want to live here not put people off.

 

Is the OP 'proud' to have all the new incomers to his own home town? from what he posted it would suggest not.

not ethnic ......british .yes

[Infiltrator]

You've hit the crux of the matter by assuming because you're British you aren't seen as a foreigner to Shetland folk.

 

 

Urban myth, it's comments like this that give folk the wrong impression about the isles. I saw hundreds of folk arrive on the islands to work, and I don't ever remember any such issue other than the usual shop floor banter you get anywhere.

 

Positives about the place.

 

Low unemployment

Buoyant economy

Unspoilt unique landscape

Good community spirit

 

 

Negatives about the place

 

Cost to get to/from

Cost of living generally higher

Every social event has a beer tent

Weather can be extreme and relentless

Midges

Fog

 

Pessimism is directly proportional to latitude - have a read on here for a while and you'll sonn see this.

[windsweptislander]

Hi Spook

Don't judge Shetland from what you read on here, this is only representative of a very small portion of the population, indeed this forum is shunned by most for being filled with spite from a few.

 

You will find most folk who actually live and work in the isles to be helpful and friendly, the long winters do get some folk down, but the summer nights more than make up for it. I love Shetland and couldn't imagine living anywhere else. I have lived here most of my life.

 

Shetland though is a lot like marmite, there tends to be no middle ground, it is love or hate.

 

I would suggest you try to secure work before moving, and make sure you know what you are running to, as opposed to running from.

 

I basically agree with infiltrator

 

Appart from that, I wish you all the best.

[windsweptislander]

Hi Spook

Don't judge Shetland from what you read on here, this is only representative of a very small portion of the population, indeed this forum is shunned by most for being filled with spite from a few.

 

You will find most folk who actually live and work in the isles to be helpful and friendly, the long winters do get some folk down, but the summer nights more than make up for it. I love Shetland and couldn't imagine living anywhere else. I have lived here most of my life.

 

Shetland though is a lot like marmite, there tends to be no middle ground, it is love or hate.

 

I would suggest you try to secure work before moving, and make sure you know what you are running to, as opposed to running from.

 

I basically agree with infiltrator

 

Appart from that, I wish you all the best.

[jz]

... not ethnic ......british .yes

 

Reads as if you are looking for some sort of Aryan nation in Shetland, spook. You do realise it is possible to be a member of an ethnic minority and be British?

[MJ]

I wonder weather the OP is under the wrong impression that Shetland does not suffer from the same "problems" as the rest of the UK.

We have our druggies, scroungers, immigrants looking for an easy life (mainly British, but some from eastern Europe and far flung places), we have our NHS problems, rising unemployment, housing shortages, council cuts and then we have the weather... the sort of weather that causes chaos on the mainland UK can be seen as common place here.

The advantage of living on a small island, everyone knows your business and what they don't know they'll make up. What ever you try to escape from will be found out cause for some unknown reason everyone knows a Shetlander and gossip is the second favourite passtime after talking about the weather. Shetland women, well it's not so easy to meet folk as south, everything revolves around alcohol up here, if you're planning on living out of the way somewhere remember to add £50 for the taxi home or loose your licence.

My best suggestion is the same as everyone elses come up and visit, I would suggest January, by boat (allow 3days each way for weather disruption) Felt ever so sorry for a Romany family who came to see about living up here, after the boat journey up they were on the next boat down as they couldn't face the thought of having to do it again.

And the weather, yes we do go on and on about the weather, check out youtube videos along the lines of my holiday in Shetland or on the northlink boats. Remember that in the winter it very rarely gets light and in the summer very rarely dark, so a trip up in June is nothing compared to Dec/Jan.

[stilldellin]

So whit's wi aa the negative posts about the wadder, when was the last time any of us were flooded out of our homes ?

[Scorrie]

It gets windy.

 

As Stilldellin says, we're not exactly getting flooded out, or buried in snowdrifts on a regular basis, or suffering water shortages.

 

BTW: Western Isles: around 50" rain pa, Highlands (Dalwhinnie) 48" pa, Shetland: 39" pa.

[paulb]

felt like we were going to drown this winter.

[RileyBKing]

To maintain the positive tone, at least when it's windy there is negligible risk of a tree being blown down on to your roof