Over the years, we have come across a plethora of dream jobs. Some of them are so incredible you are coerced to suspect their authenticity. There was one opening for a shopping expert who spent $8000 on a luxury shopping spree and kept the stuff. Another dream wine job paid $10,000 per month plus rent to work in Sonoma. More recently, Dodge accepted applications to fill the position of Chief Donut Maker with $150,000 a year and a free Hellcat. The good news is that another one of these fantastic opportunities has cropped up for someone with an allergy to crowds, people-pleasing, and fast-paced life. UK’s most remote inhabited island, Foula, requires a new head teacher to run their small primary school.
If you ever dreamt of becoming a teacher in a noiseless, nuisance-free classroom, this is it! Foula is spread across just 4.9 sq miles with a permanent population of 28 people; that explains why the school boasts a register of just four pupils and one child in its nursery. The island’s single-room school has bid farewell to Beverley McPherson, a popular headteacher who has now retired and, as per The Guardian, was described on Facebook as “truly fantastic” by one islander. The lucky one filling her big shoes will take home a salary of $77,500 per annum, including a distant islands allowance of $3000 and a remote school allowance of $4000 per annum.
Do you think this is a great offer to teach a tiny school of only four pupils? It only gets better. The package also includes a rented three-bedroomed home, which means your home will actually be bigger than the well-paying school you teach. The advertisement placed by the Shetland Islands council reads: “Are you a head teacher or aspiring head teacher looking for an exciting new challenge? Do you dream of being part of a friendly, dynamic island community with a slower pace of life? Qualities we are looking for in the successful candidate are a can-do attitude, vision, energy, initiative, good communication skills, and self-discipline.”
Ms. MacPherson also gives her take on the job that she described to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme as the most relaxing ever. She stated, “It is probably the most relaxing head teacher job I have had and I have had several including in England with bigger schools than this. It’s just a beautiful setting and such lovely families to work with.” she continued, “The day-to-day job is very different from any teaching that I have done before because these little ones are with me for six hours a day. There are no shops or pubs on this island so it is very peaceful and quiet, as I look out my windows I can’t see another house north or south of where I live. You have to like the tranquility and the isolation that comes with this job.”
