A headteacher is being sought for one of the hardest to reach schools in Scotland.
The “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” is on the island of Foula, which lies around 16 miles west of the Shetland mainland and has a population of 28 people.
The island, which covers 4.9 square miles, is looking for a headteacher at its primary school, where there are four pupils and another child in the nursery.
Shetland Islands Council said applicants will find a “welcoming community” on Foula, where they can “create an idyllic island home”.
It says that the successful candidate’s qualities should include “a can-do attitude, vision, energy, initiative, good communication skills and self-discipline”.
The post has a salary of £61,374 per year, including an annual distant islands allowance of £2,397 and an annual remote school allowance of £3,237.
There is also a rented three-bedroom home available to the headteacher.
A Shetland Islands Council job listing says: “We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for an enthusiastic headteacher to work in Foula.”
The council is looking for a current or aspiring head who is “looking for an exciting new challenge” to be “part of a friendly, dynamic island community with a slower pace of life”.
The school has a solar array, part of the Foula’s off-grid renewables supply and the island is renowned for its birdlife. One quirk of Foula is that it follows the old Julian calendar, celebrating Christmas Day on 6 January and New Year’s Day on 13 January.
Last year, Tes Scotland recorded a podcast with the headteacher of Fair Isle Primary, another Shetland school that, like Foula Primary, can make a strong claim to being the most remote school in the UK.
Those interested in the post on Foula have until 6 June to apply. Details can be viewed here.
