Karlos588 Posted March 3, 2019 Report Share Posted March 3, 2019 Hi All, Me and my wife are thinking of having a year out in Shetland, and if all goes well we may stay and carry on with are new married life.We currently live in Stockton Heath in Cheshire. and have been fascinated with the isle since we was up there on are honeymoon in 2018. Just after some advice on living on islands, getting a rented house or apartment and both getting jobs? Thank you for reading this and look forward to hearing your comments. Karl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whalsa Posted March 3, 2019 Report Share Posted March 3, 2019 Hello Glad to hear you are thinking to move to Shetland. Without knowing more about you it is hard to give detailed advice but here is some points to consider; 1) Weather, I don't know what time of year you were here for your honeymoon and how the weather was but you need to be aware that the winters are long, dark, windy and wet. This is even more of an issue if you move to an Isle with a ferry journey.2) Jobs, there is a labour shortage in Shetland so you should both be able to find some form of employment. However without knowing what you are qualified for I can't say if you would find a job in your normal field or not. 3) Housing, this can be relatively easy to find or extremely difficult depending on where you want to stay and what your price range is, in and around Lerwick being the hardest to find and most expensive. Conversely it can be easy to get social housing in some of the outlying areas and islands but then you will likely have to commute considerable distance to work, depending what jobs you get. Another point being unless you live in Lerwick a car is basically a necessity as the public transport network is limited at best. Hope this helps! Muckle Oxters 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheelsup Posted March 3, 2019 Report Share Posted March 3, 2019 Commuting distance is relative. If you stay on Mainland and have a car, half an hour gets you to Lerwick from most places. Living on the Isles is good ,but you have to allow for the ferry timetables. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muckle Oxters Posted March 3, 2019 Report Share Posted March 3, 2019 To echo whit's been said, living on one of da islands has many pros and cons. Having to sync everything to ferry timetables becomes second nature but the time and expense can be a drain. And if you fancy a night oot in town den it becomes a bit of a logistical challenge! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whalsa Posted March 4, 2019 Report Share Posted March 4, 2019 (edited) Yeah a taxi from the Isles to Lerwick is not cheap unless there is a lot of you and the last ferry home is generally to early for a night out.. plenty of beer in the Oot ower lounge and Whalsay Boating Club though. That being said some of the Lerwick hotels do discounted rates for Islanders. As has been said there are pros and cons to the outer isles but personally I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. Whalsay has great on island facilities and community spirit is second to none IMHO. The main con is obviously our inadequate ferry service - which will hopefully be improved in the relatively near future. Edited March 4, 2019 by whalsa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karlos588 Posted March 4, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2019 Hi All, Thanks for your responses, you have given us a lot to think about. As regards to jobs, I have a experience in outdoor work ie park warden etc, plus i have also worked in warehouses doing forklift work, plus administration. My Wife has a always worked in retail particularly in arts and crafts and anything bodyshop related. I think looking around on the websites the mainland would be where we would like to go. Just seems hard to find rented houses or flats online? Is it a case of keeping a eye on the Shetland News Website for property coming up? Thanks once again Karl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted March 5, 2019 Report Share Posted March 5, 2019 Be careful...The kind of work that you might get will mean, if you rent privately, you will both be working just to pay the rent ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whalsa Posted March 5, 2019 Report Share Posted March 5, 2019 Be careful...The kind of work that you might get will mean, if you rent privately, you will both be working just to pay the rent !Yes you also have to remember the cost of living can be 20-60% higher than the national average according to a recent Council report. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.