From England to Shetland/Orkney - schools/colleges, jobs and property advice please!

[SophieCatScribbles]

Hi, and thanks in advance for any helpful advice 🙂. Sorry if this has been asked lots of times!

Next summer, we are moving from England to Shetland or Orkney, and I'd like some advice. I've read a lot online, but it's always better to hear things from real people! We've got roughly a year to prepare. I know that'll go ridiculously fast. A lot of thought has gone into it already, but I've no doubt there's lots to learn! We're all really looking forward to lots about the move, but we know that there'll be a lot of challenges too.

When we go, our dd will have just finished her GCSEs and be 16. In England she'd be about to start A levels or go to college, but I know the Scottish system does things a bit differently and the year timings are different too. Her present school isn't great and although she's bright enough, she's not predicted more than mediocre grades for GCSE. From what I've read, I think she'd move into a secondary school, but would she have to sit all the exams again a year later at their equivalent of GCSE?!

We're moving up with part of family, so we are selling two properties here, pooling the equity and buying one place for us all. Timing will be everything! I know that the Scottish house-buying system is different, but I'd appreciate any specific advice re advertised price and rough sale price and how competitive it is up there.

We'll have some income, but two people will be potentially looking for work in Shetland/Orkney (one office, one more practical) so any insights or advice about the job market would be really appreciated too.

Thanks everyone.

When is your DDs birthday? If Dec/Jan/Feb you may have some flexibility with year group.

Thanks. Yes, her birthday is January.

I don't live in Shetland but the property system works on an offers over basis, and vendors are usually looking for 10-15% over that figure, depending on the local market.
The market for Shetland can be slow as not everyone wants to live on the islands, so don't be afraid to put in a low offer if the house has been on the market for a while.

Good luck, it is a lovely place to live 😀

She should be able to go to go in to S5 (which is the year after Nat 5s, the equivalent of GCSEs). Highers are normally sat in S5 but it is also perfectly feasible for her to sit them over 2 years - which the school would be able to assess. The target is to sit 5 and although Unis prefer them to be sat in one sitting, there would be both stopping her sitting, say 3 in S5 and some more in S6 - or even sitting a few Nat 5s in S5 and then doing the Highers in S6.

There is much more flexibility in the Scottish system than the English one.

Have you visited? The two are a long way apart - so it does seem odd to be moving to one of the two.
They are quite different from each other two. On either will you be on the Mainland or one of the Islands? They tend to have different cultures. Will she have to board during the week?

Thank you so much for the info about schooling - it's great to know that there's more flexibility in their system. Would you recommend contacting the schools and asking about her specific situation and what they would recommend? Or is there an advisory service that could help more generally?

Yes, they are very different - and either will be incredibly different to England! We're not sure which yet because of a main income location which we're waiting for clarification of. Til then we just know it'll be one or the other!

I would contact the school(s) and ask their advice and guidance.

Ds' old school (in Glasgow, so no help ) is always very helpful and accommodating when people are coming from "abroad".

I know of someone who is going to be arriving from India next year just before the Nat 5 exams but after having sat the equivalent exams in India and the school has already agreed that they won't sit the Nat 5s but use that time (while those sitting Nat 5s are off on study leave) to begin getting to grips with the Higher curriculum for the subjects that they want to sit.

The only challenge in that case is that the other pupils who don't have study leave are the non academic ones (ie not sitting 4 or more Nat 5s) and will instead be having a programme of practical courses

Thanks. I'll contact the schools and ask for their view of our options. Sounds like things aren't as cut and dried as in the English system, which can only be a good thing.

Any other thoughts very welcome!

I lived in Stromness for a couple of years and absolutely loved it. It took a while to get accepted by the local community but I worked evenings in a pizza place, played for the local sports team and soon part of the furniture.

We had really bad weather one winter so the ferry couldn't get in and the local shops were barren but tbh we just lived in the Ferry Inn most of the time.

It's beauriful, the light is amazing, and I always look back with fondness on myntime there.

I'm actually just on boat at this very moment due in to Lerwick later today so will give you a run down of it later if you'd like!

That'd be amazing, thank you Lapin!
So glad to hear how much you loved it. I've got a few questions if that's okay?

1. How often would you say the wind is a problem rather than just part of the scenery?
2. Was it easy enough to get fruit and veg? (We eat a lot of veg!)
3. Did anyone grow their own fruit and veg successfully (I'm assuming you need a sturdy polytunnel to grow things!).

Thank you, have a great time :)

My grandparents lived in Orkney. They always grew their own vegetables: potatoes, carrots, onions, cabbage, turnips.

Thank you undervalued - that's good to know :) and all good veg!

Catscribbles

I've been veggie for nigh on 30 years (I'm 44 now) and I certainly don't recall ever having a problem with buying veg when I was living there :)

Wind isn't an issue if there'a lee side / green house / poly tunnel. Main problem I'd say is the relatively short growing season plus the fact the temperature is usually a few degrees lower.

I visited some of the smaller islands (Hoy was magical, I'm no a hippy dream catcher type but there was definitely strong energy there; I felt very happy). I found Sanday a wee bit creepy tbh (I was staying in a static caravan for a few nights and it was a bit League of Gentlemen). I worked on Flotta a few times, it basically the Repsol Sinopec oil terminal so nothing much there. Most folk commute from Mainland (the main island, not Great Britain).

Of the two hubs Kirkwall and Stromness, I much preferred Stronmess. Just more maritimey, Herriot-Watt University campus and the dive boats were more my thing. There's a major harbour expansion planned and I don't know if that will effect the dynamic.

I played sports in the secondary school hall in the evenings - it appeared to be a well run school (this was the 90s well before I had kids mind).

I met / worked with a few of older kids and they pretty much wanted to spread their wings and work study in the central belt - might be something to consider in terms of transport links. Flights are pretty good (weather permitting) thinks there's 4-5 a day to both archipelagos and a couple on Sat and Sun. Easier to Ferry and drive from Orkney due to the frequency and number of the Pentland Firth ferries (again weather permitting).

Thanks Lapin, that's a lot of really good information :)

Good news that you're a veggie and found plenty of produce up there - I'm vegan lol, but I don't plan to make too much of that to start with as I know there's lots of farming, livestock etc up there and I'm not the preachy kind of vegan who'll massively disapprove of people making a living. Mine is for health reasons as much as anything.

Sanday looks beautiful on google maps but I wouldn't want to live there as I know it's very low lying and prone to floods etc. Love the LoG reference 😂 I know just what you mean! We have a pub with that vibe near us lol.

Thanks again :)

Shetland the noo.

Good luck! Very exciting move

It’s quite hard to advise as you’d need to narrow your options down first. It’s very different living on Orkney compared to Shetland, and where you live on either mainlands versus the outlying isles. Certainly in Shetland smaller houses sell fast and usually privately and it’s larger, more expensive properties that are taking longer to sell (though that’s also due to god awful interior design & the fact you’d be better building a larger house than buying).

You’d be best to buy a polycrub from the website below rather than a flimsy poly tunnel to grow veg etc no matter what islands you choose. www.nortenergy.co.uk

Currently trying to book travel to Shetland for an August trip. Return flight is £500 and I can't get a cabin on the boat. It's a horrendous journey without a bed. (and will be around £400 return)

I love Shetland. I don't think I could live there.

As other have said they are 2 very different groups of islands you can't compare them. I always say come in the middle of the winter and see what it's like before moving. Could you cope with several weeks of bad weather, windy, wet, dark? Years with no summer as often the hardest. Do you have any hobbies to keep yourself busy due those times? It's lovely here but it migh take some time before you'll be accepted in the local community. Landscape, long summer days, plenty of local events, low crime rate and generally friendly people will make it easier. Also local dialect, if you've never been you might find it will take a while to get used to.
There's only 2 secondary schools in Orkney and children normally attend the one in their area.

Thanks so much for your comments :)

We're honestly well aware that they're very different! The bad weather, darkness, wind, rain and cold are really not a problem for us. We can none of us stand the heat of summers in the south, and much prefer the cold, storms and gloom of winters. Even if it is really awful it'd be worth it to be somewhere where community still means something - even if we have to work hard to be accepted. Where we live now, we moved ten miles down the road 15 years ago following a new job, and the 'locals' still don't regard us as proper local (and believe me many have tried)! It's insane. There's no community spirit left at all here. Everyone is only concerned with perfecting their homes and gardens, getting the latest cars and gadgets, and gossiping with their own select crowd. Neighbours don't talk or care. A little gossip is fine, but when it's the only community spirit there is, that's a toxic environment.

We're quite a craft-loving bunch generally so have plenty of hobbies, and we're quite musical too. We're looking forward to the local events and hoping to buy a friendly neighbour the odd drink now and then. We know it'll be a long arc to acceptance, but we're willing to try our best and we're pretty open and friendly really.

The local dialect thing worries me slightly because I have a knack with imitating accents and I tend to pick them up really quickly without conscious thought. I once camped for a week on a Scottish island with some friends and it took weeks for me to lose the accent afterwards. I worry that I'll pick it up too fast and that the locals will think I'm taking the mick.

We're going to try our best and hope that'll be enough. It'd take more than storms and darkness to put us off! Fingers crossed firmly. But thank you - I really do appreciate all the info, warnings and advice 🙂 every bit is valuable.

If you'll decide to move to Orkney, I would suggest West Mainland, sounds to me like you would find like minded people there. Plus nearly everywhere on the Mainland you won't be as isolated as on any of the islands. Good luck!

Thank you MadHouse! If it is Orkney, then we'll just have to hope that there's a suitable property on the Mainland when we need to buy! Ditto Shetland lol...

Is it possible to live on an off-island and work on the main island? I appreciate that there are ro-ro ferries, but also that there can be terrible weather - are mainland employers generally accepting of that?

I think you need to travel to Orkney and Shetland and actually see what it is like living there.

Even living on the mainland is very different from living on the mainland of the uk.

The fact that your asking about vegetables shows you really are not prepared or have done near enough research for a move of this scale.

Thanks for the supportive comment...

Look, I know it's all a bit mad, but I'm doing as much research as I can, and asking questions on this thread is just part of that. I've read loads, watched masses of videos good and bad, and we are travelling up there in a couple of months. More than that I can't change. It's not a whim, and we want it to go as well as possible - hence me asking sometimes daft questions. Not all topics are exactly as written on websites or forums, etc. I hoped by asking here I'd get some locals and knowledgeable people who've lived there who can help us avoid as much avoidable stupidity as possible - and I'm immensely grateful to all those who've commented.

Me asking about vegetable growing isn't a sign that I've done no research. It's a sign that I've grown veg myself down south, read about the growing conditions on both groups of islands and am interested to hear what ordinary people grow there. That's all. I've read blogs too but they might err on the side of positivity, so I wanted to hear more. Please don't just tell me I'm stupid... If I was I wouldn't be trying to find out the realities from as many sources as possible!

Yes, you can live on Whalsay, Yell or Bressay and commute to mainland Shetland. Plenty do (&houses are cheaper) but it’ll cost £20 for a car, driver & passenger to do a return journey. Petrol was137.9 when I filled up last week. It’s not cheap.

Also your child will have to board at the Anderson High during the week if you live in Yell or Whalsay, which I personally wouldn’t like.

So it’s swings and roundabouts really.

Although the pp was quite blunt, their advice was spot on - you really need to visit the islands. There’s so many families that move here for the “community” / “slower pace of living” / “more family focus” that barely last 2 winters. It’s expensive to move here, expensive to live here and expensive to move back so do have a proper visit before you move!

You won’t be seen as a local in Shetland or Orkney after 50 years never mind 15! 😀 But that doesn’t mean people won’t be friendly! But really you wouldn’t decide which part of Glasgow to move to without visiting, so you must be planning to visit both island groupings?