Would a £150,000 wage tempt you to a Scottish island?

Island GP practice offering £150,000 to attract new doctors to live and work there. Isle of Rum is seeking a new school teacher for its five primary pupils and two nursery children - with a package worth £68,000. It is part of efforts to tackle a recruitment crisis in many rural services. NHS Western Isles is offering a 40% ‘enhanced rate’ above a typical salary.

They are appealing to doctors with a “sense of adventure and passion for rural medicine’ The group of six islands in the Outer Hebrides have a combined population of 4,700 people. Highland Council is offering an annual salary of £62,000 for their new headteacher, with remote working allowances on top of this worth more than £5,500. The council said it had received ‘some interest’ in the post, but the recruitment process was still underway. It comes after Kilchoan Primary, on the Ardnamurchan peninsula, advertised a £53,000 job for its 15 pupils.

And in 2022, four-pupil Foula Primary School, 16 miles from the Shetland mainland, offered £62,000 and a rented three-bedroom house. Isle of Rum Community Trust said they hope these would to attract young families and ‘make island life suitable’ “We are also currently investing in a comprehensive leadership programme for newly appointed head teachers, as well as teachers at other levels, to encourage retention and growth of staff across our schools. Wherever possible, posts are advertised on a permanent basis to encourage applications.

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