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10 Reasons To Move To Shetland

SHETLAND.ORG


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Welcome to Sheltand

10 Reasons To Move To Shetland, brought to you by Shetland.org

Thanks for downloading this PDF ebook from Shetland.org. If you already know something

about Shetland, then this ebook will remind you that this is a great place to live. If you don't

know anything about Shetland, then you are in for a pleasant surprise and a treat!

We hope you will decide to discover for yourself what it is that keeps visitors coming back

time after time, and what it is that makes Shetland a truly unique place to live and work. We

look forward to meeting you and to making you feel welcome.


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Contents

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1. A Clean, Natural Environment

2. Fascinating Flora and Fauna

3. Unique And Vibrant Culture

4. A Friendly And Active Society

5. World-Class Amenities

6. An Excellent Education System

7. Outstanding Sport And Leisure

8. Varied Housing Options

9. Low Unemployment And An Excellent Work Environment

10. A Supportive Environment For Business

Some Recent Accolades and Endorsements for Shetland

Your Next Step

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1 A Clean, Natural Environment


If you are concerned about the environment and have a love of places that are pristine, clean and asnatural as possible, you'll love Shetland.

Shetland has an environment that is special and very different from most other parts of Britain. This ispartly because our latitude and location in the north-east Atlantic influence our climate. Our geology isalso distinctive and quite complex. We have notable bird, mammal and plant life.

Conversations in Shetland, like conversations anywhere else in Britain, often touch on the weather. Thething that really sets us apart is the wind. We do have perfectly calm days, but most days theres abreeze. In the winter months especially, memorable storms often produce spectacular skies anddramatic waves.

Shetland isnt a particularly cold or wet place. Since were so close to the sea, really hard frosts areunusual. Although we see some snow, it seldom lies for very long. Annual rainfall is not so verydifferent from other parts of western Britain at approximately 1,220 millimetres or 48 inches.

Summer weather is cool by British standards with maximum temperatures generally between 13C and17C. Warmer days can reach into the low 20s Celsius (low 70s Fahrenheit). At certain times of year,there may be sea fog but its often confined to the windward side of the hills.

At this latitude, the aurora borealis, or the northern lights known locally as the mirrie dancers - aspectacular upper-atmosphere phenomenon is quite common. On a clear winter evening you stand agood chance of seeing it.

Sometimes it can be just a faint greenish glow, but you may occasionally be rewarded with a brilliantdisplay that stretches from one horizon to the other, and right up to the centre of the sky. It can be adisplay with shimmering curtains of green, cream, blue, gold or silver fire, leaping and dancing acrossthe sky. On rare occasions the aerial display is accompanied by a swishing, crackling electric sound.But even without the elusive sound, it really is something not to be missed.

Shetlands landscape environment, spread over more than a hundred islands, is framed by 1,697 miles(2,702 km) of coast featuring some impressive sea-cliffs. There are stacks, caves and sweeping sandor shingle beaches. Inland, its a moorland mosaic, splashed here and there with the vivid green of thebest grazing.

For the most part, its a rolling terrain with distinctive ridges running north-south. The highest point isRonas Hill, rising to 450m (1,475 feet). Nowhere in Shetland is more than 5km (3 miles) from the sea.

Outside Lerwick and the other main communities, houses are mostly scattered in areas close to thecoast or in inland valleys. Theres a wealth of archaeology and some interesting architecture.



2 Fascinating Flora and Fauna


Shetland hosts a huge population of seabirds and marine life. The coast and neighbouring waterssupport very large proportions of the British populations of some bird species, for example 95% of

whimbrel and 71% of great skua, known locally as the bonxie. We have around 100,000 pairs of puffins,which we call tammie nories.

Shetland is also a stepping-stone in bird migration. In spring and autumn in particular there are usuallyreports of some extremely rare visitors. Over the years, such species as Siberian rubythroat or blue-cheeked bee-eater have drawn birdwatchers to Shetland from all over Britain.

Seals are never far away. On warm calm days you can see them basking on rocks by the sea. Shetlandis also one of the best places in Britain to spot otters. We have roughly one otter for every mile of coast.

The otters hunt in a remarkable forest of kelp (a kind of seaweed) that fringes our shores.

Speaking of forests, Shetland is often described as treeless, but thats a (slight) exaggeration. In mostparts of the islands, trees tend to occur only in gardens, but there are a few larger plantations, particu-larly in the sheltered valley of Weisdale.

In spring and summer, youll notice the rich carpet of wild flowers that colours croft land and roadsideverges; here and there, there are some real rarities.

For those lucky enough to live here in Shetland, all of this lies right on your doorstep. Its possible thatyoull spot a seal, an otter, a porpoise or even a pod of orcas as you lick an ice-cream on Lerwicks water-front or load up at the supermarket.

If you choose to live in a rural part of Shetland, youll find wildlife all around. Its not unknown to find anotter sunning itself by the window. Theres information about Shetland wildlife at Nature in Shetland andon the Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and RSPB websites, which also give details of these organisa-tions nature reserves throughout Shetland.

For example, in Fetlar the part of the RSPB's reserve that is close to Funzie (pronounced Finnie) on theisland's east side is the summer home of rare red-necked phalaropes. And some 30 miles south of Fetlaron the cliffs of Noss, SNH manages the spectacular seabird breeding colonies.



3 Unique And Vibrant Culture


Shetlands culture stems from diverse roots. After 550 years of Scottish and British rule, its no surprisethat the visitor from other parts of the UK will find much that makes them feel very much at home.

The law, education, commerce, faith and quite a lot of our architecture are all essentially Scottish. Peoplehere cheer on Scottish or English football teams, follow events in Ambridge or Albert Square, or listento Katie Melua or Nicola Benedetti on their iPods.

However, theres much that is less familiar. The first clue that Shetland is somewhere apart comes fromroad signs that point to places with names like Cullivoe or Weisdale. Look at a map of the islands and itgets even stranger. Places exist, often where no one lives, with names like Swartahoull and Winyadepla.These place names all have their roots in Old Norse.

Then there are some of the waterfront buildings and newer housing, which unmistakeably evokeNorway. The smaller boats, too, have a decidedly Scandinavian shape and our music is similarly influ-enced.

The Shetland dialect has a Scots foundation, but many words and turns of phrase from Old Norse areembedded in it, so that with distinctive Shetland accents it can sound very strange to the inexperi-enced ear, possibly a bit like Dutch or the old north German dialect of Plattdeutsch, still occasionallyspoken in places.

If a Shetlander, a Faroese and an Icelander spotted the bird known in English as an oyster-catcher, theydall call it a shalder, even if their spellings varied slightly. Its worth stressing, incidentally, that Shetlanders

make a point of switching into pure English if they think someone wont understand the dialect.

There are newer influences too. Shetlanders originating from Asia, mainland Europe, the Caribbean,Africa, Australia, or North America have all added the richness of their cultures to the basic Shetlandmix.

Shetlanders love a good festival, so it's no surprise that we have plenty of them. Most societies have theirfestivals in summer when the weather is pleasant, but here we have our main one in the depths of winter.Up-Helly-Aa is the world's biggest fire festival and it takes place every year in Lerwick on the last Tues-day of January.

Up-Helly-Aa is not ancient, having its roots in its present form dating back to the late 19th century. How-ever, it does contain a number of ancient elements, all mixed together to form the unique festival that isUp-Helly-Aa, a northern Mardi Gras.

The festival involves almost 1,000 men, most of them carrying long fiery torches. They are divided intosquads comprised of approximately 20 or 30 men each. The squads each portray something or some-one that is usually topical and the guizars, or members, of each squad are dressed appropriately.


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They are lead by the Jarl's Squad. This is the most important squad and it is lead by the Guizar Jarl, orchief person of the evening. At 7.30 pm the torches are lit and the long winding snake of guizars bearingtheir blazing torches start the procession that winds through a pre-set route around the central part ofLerwick.

The procession has the Up-Helly-Aa galley, an accurate representation of a Viking galley, at its head.After marching through the town, the procession finally marches into the children's play park adjacentto Kink Harald Street. There they sing several traditional songs before hurling the flaming torches intothe galley.

After the spectacular fire festival of Up-Helly-Aa you might be forgiven for thinking that it's all over. Not

so Up-Helly-Aa is just beginning in earnest, for some twelve or so halls then open their doors andShetland's biggest party of the year begins. Each squad goes to each hall, performing a short act anddancing for a while for the benefit of the hall audience. The whole glorious evening and night finallystumbles to an end as the grey winter dawn of the new day begins.

There are other festivals here in Shetland. Notably the annual Shetland Folk Festival held in April or May,which has attracted world class musicians from all over the world, the Shetland Accordion and FiddleFestival, The Shetland Blues Festival and the Shetland Guitar festival to name a few.

At the opposite end of the year to of Up-Helly-Aa there's the Johnsmas Foy, a mid-summer festival ofmusic and dance. There are also several other festivals and events throughout the islands at differenttimes of the year, such as the highly popular Fetlar Foy, also held at mid-summer.

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4 A Friendly And Active Society


Shetland is notable for having an extremely low crime rate. People still leave their house doors open atnight, though that tends to be mainly in the islands and the more rural parts. Cars don't tend to have ear-piercing alarms fitted as they are simply not needed, and the average house has nothing more than agood Yale lock for security.

Shetland has plenty of social events and activities and it is possible to easily get involved in anything. Aswe are so close to the sea at every turn, competitive regattas feature strongly in many parts in thesummer months. Several village shows give locals a chance to show off their livestock, or garden

produce, or even their world famous Fair Isle hand knitting.

Shetlanders are known to be a friendly lot. They have a keen interest in people with other cultures who

visit from other parts of the world, and their knowledge of the world might surprise you.

Information about whats on in Shetland is normally to be found in the pages of the Shetland Times or inBBC Radio Shetlands Whats On Diary, broadcast every weekday evening as part of Good Evening Shet-land (5.30pm-6.00pm, 92.7 FM).

VisitShetlands website also carries information about events and some are advertised on our local com-mercial radio station, SIBC (96.2 FM). In rural areas especially, local shops have notice boards thatusually overflow with local information, including details of forthcoming events.



5 World-Class Amenities


Shetland is a place with many amenities for the people who live here. The discovery of oil in the NorthSea and the subsequent pipelines that came ashore from the oil fields that were routed to Sullom Voeoil terminal, has made Shetland a relatively well off place. The money earned from oil has been put togood use in the islands and everyone living in Shetland has benefitted.

Good roads were one of the first things to happen. Prior to the discovery of oil in late 1960s, the roadsin Shetland were of poor quality and mainly single track. We don't have motorways, but we do have anexcellent network of good quality roads.

Leisure centres started to spring up all over the islands in the 1980s. There isn't one in every village, butthere is an excellent network throughout the islands and one within easy travelling distance for the vast

majority of the population. The leisure centres are all built to a very high standard and are equipped withall the latest modern amenities, including a swimming pool, squash courts and just about anything elseyou might think of.

The elderly in Shetland are also well cared for. There is a network of excellent care homes spread

throughout the islands where those who can no longer care for themselves can go to be cared for. Thestandard is extremely high; the residents are almost pampered in fact, and they are usually placed in acare home within easy travelling distance for their relatives so they can receive regular visits.

The islands in Shetland are connected by a network of inter-island ferries. These are of the roll-on, roll-offvariety that allows cars to be transported. The fares are quite heavily subsidised, which means that islandresidents can enjoy the freedom of travelling all over Shetland at a low cost. This also means that holiday

makers can see the full range of Shetland's islands without cost becoming a burden.


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6 An Excellent Education System


Education provision, most of which is the responsibility of the Shetland Islands Councils Education

Service, spans a range from pre-school to degree-level study, with extensive adult-learning opportuni-ties. Inspection reports on Shetland schools are available on the HMIE website (www.hmie.gov.uk).

The Council offers education from nursery level. Twenty primary schools have nursery classes and

Council-funded nursery places are also available in several pre-school centres run by independentproviders. Nursery sessions may be held in the morning or afternoon or both depending on the local

provision and normally last 2 hours. Three centres in Lerwick offer extended morning sessions up tolunchtime, the extra cost being met by parents. Another Lerwick centre offers day-care and a nursery in

the North Mainland is doing so on a pilot basis. Other provision, including child-minding, private nurser-ies and out of school care, is available.

Shetland has one of the best education systems in the country compared to anywhere else of compa-rable size. Here we boast small class sizes where teachers can really pay the due attention that isdeserved..

A network of 33 primary schools covers the islands. Some rural primary schools are very small, employ-

ing only one or two teachers, and class sizes in these also tend to be small. After Primary 7, childrenmove to secondary school. This will usually be to their nearest one, but it is sometimes possible for a

child to be accommodated at another secondary school if a parent requests it.

Four-year secondary schools, which offer courses up to Standard Grade, operate in Unst, Yell, Whalsay,Skerries, Aith, Scalloway, and Sandwick. Students wishing to proceed to Higher Grade study move, at the

beginning of their fifth year, from one of these to one of the two six-year secondary schools in Brae orLerwick. Two Shetland schools participate in the Global Classroom that links students in Shetland with

their contemporaries around the world.

The qualifications obtained in Shetland schools are those recognised by the Scottish QualificationsAuthority. For most students, this means taking Standard Grade examinations in the fourth year of

secondary school and Higher Grade examinations in their fifth or sixth year. Standard Grade (or Inter-mediate) in Scotland is equivalent to GCSE in England and Wales. However, Higher Grade in Scotland is

a one-year course and it is Advanced Higher that is directly equivalent to an A-level in England andWales.

Shetland College, in Lerwick, offers a range of vocational and academic subjects. In Scalloway, the North

Atlantic Fisheries College provides training in marine-related subjects, for example navigation, fishingtechnology and marine engineering. Both these colleges are part of the University of the Highlands and

Islands Millennium Institute and although the latter is not yet a fully-fledged university, its possible tostudy in Shetland for a degree accredited by another institution.

More than 200 courses are offered for adult learners and they attract around 1,400 participants.

Examples of the subjects on offer include Japanese, Polish, Shetland dialect, traditional fiddle, webdesign and salsa dancing. Adult literacy classes are also offered.

English classes for speakers of other languages are available and these can be linked with Citizenship

classes. The Shetland Library stocks adults books in a variety of languages, together with some dual

language books aimed at young children. The national Bookstart scheme is popular. Two mobile librariesserve every part of Shetland except for Fair Isle, Foula and Papa Stour and there are also library collec-

tions in schools and other community facilities.

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7 Outstanding Sport And Leisure


The range of sport and leisure on offer in Shetland is outstanding. There are opportunities to pursuealmost any sport, from archery to squash, hockey to fencing, cricket to darts, football to gymnastics and

shooting to golf. There are highly competitive local leagues for many sports throughout the year.

The facilities are well beyond what youd find in many cities, let alone a small group of island communi-ties. Fully-equipped leisure centres exist throughout the islands and outdoor pitches are available, with

a couple that are all-weather. Our two 18-hole golf courses are classified by the Royal and Ancient GolfClub of St Andrews.

Water-based sports are very much part of Shetland life, of course: in summer, sailing, kayaking, rowing

and windsurfing are popular. Our nine indoor pools offer swimming and diving.

If you want to keep fit in more informal ways, you can simply take off on foot, by bike or possibly onhorseback. Shetlands wide open spaces are at your disposal, with wonderful landscapes to explore.

Many walking routes are waymarked and stiles have been provided in many places.

Its easy to get involved in all this and there are fuller details are available on the Shetland.org website.Please see the Shetland Recreational Trust website for details of the opening times and prices of their

facilities, or the Sport and Leisure pages for more information.


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8 Varied Housing Options


Shetland offers many kinds of housing. Perhaps youd like to find a coastal location with stunning views;

we have many places like that. Or you may fancy a cosy pied-a-terre in the heart of Lerwicks Lanes Con-servation Area. There are many options in between and, for the fullest guide to all thats available, theCouncils Housing Service has produced a comprehensive online guide. Houses are advertised in the

Shetland Times and on the websites of the various firms of solicitors operating in Shetland.

Renting

If youre moving to a new job here, the chances are that you may want to rent a place, at least to begin

with. Thatll give you a chance to look around, decide where you want to live and work out what sort ofproperty you want to buy. If youre planning to move your work base or business here, you may be able

to buy before you finally make the move. Either way, we have a few tips for you.

There are usually some privately-rented properties on the market. They may be advertised in the pagesof the Shetland Times or the online classified columns of the Shetland News. Rentals may also be adver-

tised in shop windows or on their notice boards.

Council Housing

Council and Hjaltland Housing Association houses exist throughout Shetland but are in heavy demand.Occasionally, a property in an area distant from Lerwick might be available at short notice and, if you are

prepared to be very flexible about where you live, the Housing Service will be able to identify any oppor-tunities that may exist.

Croft Houses

Shetlands rural areas have many houses that are in crofting tenure, a form of property holding that isregulated by the Crofters Commission. A croft house may be held on a lease or may be owner-

occupied It is occasionally possible to buy a croft and croft house, subject to Crofters Commissionapproval. Crofting leases are unusual in that there is security of tenure and the lease can be passed on

to the crofters heir. More information is available on the housing options website or from the CroftersCommission.

Buying Property in Shetland

When it comes to buying, there is a steady supply of property on the Shetland market. Most property is

detached but it comes in many forms, from restored croft houses to modern bungalows. In Lerwickparticularly, older stone properties of considerable character are sometimes offered.

There are relatively few flats for sale. A little more speculative building has been undertaken in recentyears, but it would be a matter of luck if a new property were available to suit your moving schedule. Its

much more common for house-buyers to acquire a plot of land with planning permission and then com-mission a builder to construct the house of their choice. There is also a tradition of self-build or self-

completion

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9 Low Unemployment And An Excellent Work Environment


Shetland has many advantages as a place to work. You can enjoy one of the finest natural environmentsin Europe and use leisure facilities of extraordinary scope and quality.

Education and health facilities are of an excellent standard and housing is relatively affordable. You can

live in a vibrant community in which you need never be short of things to do. There are full details else-where on our site.

We have hints about where to track down current vacancies and we highlight some of the skills that are

in demand in the islands. We also have some information about the main employers, too.

One option you might consider is to keep your present job - wherever that may be - but live in and work

from Shetland. Some people have already done this successfully and, with excellent communications, itmay be feasible for you.

If youre not a British citizen, you may want to check out the advice available on Scotland is the Place,which covers important matters such as work permits and the operation of the British tax and national

insurance systems.

The two largest employers in Shetland are the Council and NHS Shetland. Each employs many special-ists across a very wide range of employment areas. If you want to look for employers in particular fields,

a good starting point is the Shetland Business Directory.


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10 A Supportive Environment For Business


Whether youre bringing a business to Shetland or thinking of starting from scratch, staff in the local

development agencies here in the islands may be able to help. In the first place, theyll be delighted toprovide advice about doing business in the islands and about specific topics like business planning, mar-keting or e-business. However, they may also be able to direct you to sources of grant or loan assis-tance.

Subject to the policies in place and to the need to comply with the EUs State Aids rules, some fundingmay be available to help get your project off the ground. For small projects, its usually possible to obtaina quick decision; larger ones may need to be considered at a higher level and that can obviously take alittle longer.

Some of the main contacts youll need to make are in the Councils Economic Development Unit and

HIE's Shetland office. HIE (Highlands and Islands Enterprise) has produced a longer list of usefulcontacts.

You may also need to obtain planning permission and a building warrant for what you want to do, inwhich case you should contact the Planning Service, whose staff will also be able to help you identify,from the Local Plan, possible locations for business development. The Council has a number of smallsites for business and industrial use throughout Shetland and, in Lerwick, the Lerwick Port Authority maybe able to assist.

You may also require various kinds of consent relating to Environmental Health or need to take advicefrom Trading Standards.

If you want to arrange a bank loan, there are Shetland branches of Bank of Scotland, Clydesdale Bank,Lloyds TSB Scotland and Royal Bank of Scotland, all of them located in Lerwick. We also have a full rangeof the professional services youre likely to need, including accountants, architects, surveyors, economicconsultants, computer suppliers, graphic and website designers, software developers, photographers,training services suppliers, and marketing and PR firms.

Perhaps you already have a successful business and you believe that it will work just as well in Shetlandas elsewhere; this may particularly appeal if you do all or most of your work over the internet or by post.We have excellent electronic and postal connections to the rest of the UK.

Exporting goods from Shetland is easy to arrange too, as we have daily ferry and air services and local

haulage firms who are very experienced in moving goods efficiently to destinations throughout the UKand farther afield.

Alternatively, you may have a business that you think would work well for Shetland customers: perhapsyouve identified a gap in the market here, or believe you can offer something better than we alreadyenjoy. The councils Economic Development unit has specialist knowledge of the local marketplace andcan also tell you about the various forms of specific assistance they can offer.

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Some Recent Accolades and Endorsements for Shetland


It's not just us who think Shetland is a great place. There are plenty of others. Here then are a few acco-lades, awards and endorsements that Shetland has received recently:

In the November / December edition of National Geographic Traveler magazine, the vote for the top fiveisland destinations placed Shetland in joint third place along with the Lofoten Islands in Norway, and theChiloi archipelago in Chile.

You can read the whole story on the web site where they describe Shetland as having, "spectacular seacliffs; pristine beaches; fascinating geology; over a million breeding seabirds; the highest density of

otters in Europe; regular sightings of killer whales; and superb displays of rare sub-Arctic flora."

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/10/photogalleries/island-pictures/photo2.html

When it comes to the Top Quality of Life, the Bank of Scotland in its third annual Quality of Life surveyconsidered Shetland to be the place "where living standards are highest in Scotland" in 2008.

Martin Ellis, chief economist at the Bank of Scotland said, "People living in the Shetland Islands have thebest quality of life in Scotland. Residents of the Shetland Islands tend to have higher than average earn-ings in Scotland as well as a high employment rate; they also have good health, the best educationresults in Scotland and suffer low burglary rates."

That's impressive! Read the whole PDF report for yourself here:

http://www.hbosplc.com/media/includes/22.11.08%20Scottish%20quality%20of%20life%202008.pdf

Rough Guide is a publication that, not unsurprisingly provides a rough guide for travellers to all kinds ofdiverse places. In their Scotland's Top 40 list Shetland scores very high with no less than three attrac-tions listed with the number one being the Mousa Iron Age Broch in Shetland.

This is no mean feat, especially when you consider that some of the Top 40 listings are nebulous andnot actual places; things like hill walking, pubs, Hogmany and Pictish stones, all of which can be seen orenjoyed in Shetland as well!

Check out the Rough Guide PDF report for yourself here:

http://www.roughguides.com/website/aboutus/Press/Assets/UK%20Press%20Releases/scotland.pdf


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Your Next Step


We hope this small ebook has inspired you to take the next step and consider moving to live and workin Shetland. The lure of the north is strong for those who let it be.

The rugged islands that make up the Shetland archipelago some 15 inhabited ones in all, over 100 in

total have a kind of magnetic charm and beauty that tends to capture the unwary visitor, convertinghim or her into a believer.

Living in Shetland means living in the contrasts between raging storms and balmy mid-summer bliss; the

commercial and social bustle of Lerwick and the stark total solitude of the heather-clad hills. Here theold and the new sit comfortably side by side; some things never change and other things always have.

If you would like to take the next step, we would be delighted to assist you in any way we can. This

ebook is designed to be a brief taster a glimpse into a world that is proud to be far apart from the restof the UK, yet equally proud to be firmly a part of it at the same time.

Take the next step now!

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +44 (0)1595 745885

Fax: +44 (0)1595 744 961

Mail:Shetland Islands CouncilEconomic Development Unit

6 North Ness Business ParkLerwick

ShetlandZE1 0LZ

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