Moving to The Highlands / Life in The Highlands

[ProudGrandsonofClanGrant]

I am considering moving my young family to the highlands of Scotland (I am a dual citizen) and I thought this would be an excellent place to get some opinions on life there and the feasibility of moving. I have a couple of questions:

1. Is there much work on offer in a city like Inverness, or would one have to commute to a larger city outwith the highlands such as Aberdeen (I possess a mechanical engineering degree but have also worked as a technician)? Other suggestions for cities close to the highlands with good prospects?

2. How rare is the kilt really? What are your thoughts on someone moving to the highlands and wearing highland dress (on appropriate occasions)? Is it disrespectful or is it more akin to “when in Rome do as the Romans do?”

For any Xmarkers who live in the highlands or have thought about a move, I’d love to hear your thoughts, kilt related or otherwise. Cheers!

[Jock Scot]

This is a far too important question to be anything other than honest.

1: Work is hard to find in Scotland and particularly in the Highlands. Aberdeen the Center of the British/Scottish oil industry is in decline ..... not out for the count.....so jobs there for people with your sort of skills are more tricky to get than they were. On the plus side people from all over the world are employed there.

2: As to the kilt being worn regularly by many of the locals, it is almost a myth. Yes, a very few of us do wear the kilt more regularly but they are few and far between. Take your time ( think in years) and pick your places for wearing the kilt and avoid the dreaded tartan /kilt justification lecture at all costs.

3: Scotland needs the skills that you have so perseverance in finding a job may be required and perhaps places like Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh might be better places for a fruitful job search.

4: Your chosen field has such a huge scope of application so there really must be opportunities out there as Scotland is these days a modern thinking country in the industrial and agriculture sense. However, you may find society in general outwardly friendly but with a reserved and conservative(small "c")way about them. Give them time( a long time, particularly in the Highlands) to get to know you and you will not have better friends.


I am being driven home from a days shooting at the moment and I am tapping away on my iPhone so I hope all this makes sense! Good luck laddie.

[tpa]

As I understand it your SC average temperature is around the maximum temperature in Scotland and that is probably on only a few days of the year. Are you sure your family will want to move?

That said my wife and I would like to move back from central England were it an option.

[ProudGrandsonofClanGrant]

Jock,

Thank you for taking the time to write such a thoughtful and honest reply. I am fortunate to have studied such a broad discipline but I must agree that a city such as Edinburgh may prove a much better option for employment. I fear that perhaps making a go of it in the highlands may be better for a retiree than for one in my current situation.

tpa,

Whilst I must admit that the weather is not a selling point, I am used to much colder temperatures than South Carolina My family would be just as happy in Edinburgh or even in England but I do love the highland culture and beauty. Thanks for your reply

[ForresterModern]

If you do end up finding yourself in Inverness or thereabouts give a shout out to Jock Scot and show him true thanks by sharing a few drams of Talisker with the true gentleman of the north (I believe I remember Talisker as his drink of choice) and you will both be the better for it, and the friendship I am sure he can offer. Good luck. I envy you more than you could imagine.

[KMCMICHAEL]

You could open a pulled pork eatery!

[Jock Scot]

If you do end up finding yourself in Inverness or thereabouts give a shout out to Jock Scot and show him true thanks by sharing a few drams of Talisker with the true gentleman of the north (I believe I remember Talisker as his drink of choice) and you will both be the better for it, and the friendship I am sure he can offer. Good luck. I envy you more than you could imagine.

You are very kind Jeff and yes you are quite right, Talisker is my whisky of choice. I am always in for meet up with members of Xmarks when they are in "my" area and I have met more than a few in the time I have been a member here. In fact I had a memorable meal with "Livingstone" and his charming wife only a few months ago.I am not sure if they survived the meet up or the fairly choppy crossing across to Lismore as I have not heard of them since!

Sadly though, life sometimes gets in the way and its not always possible and regrettably I have missed meeting up with some of our visitors from afar.

[neloon]

I don't quite agree with Jock over unemployment. The current US figure is, I believe, 4.1% whereas the Scottish figure is 3.8% and the Highlands and Islands figure is around 1.9%. Of course, these figures fluctuate in real terms especially locally and sometimes definitions change. Although Aberdeen has been "hit" by the fall in oil price, there are many moves to counteract this and the growth of renewable energy seems set to continue as Government policy throughout the North of Scotland. You might like to look at the Highlands and Islands Enterprise site
http://www.hie.co.uk/

Alan

[Jock Scot]

I am not at all sure that the unemployment figures reflect the reality Alan. Nevertheless if the statistics are reliable, then I am delighted.