Rona: Scottish island in Inner Hebrides aims to double population with two new jobs

An island is aiming to double its population after creating two new “off grid” jobs.

Rona, which is situated near Skye in the Inner Hebrides, is around five miles long and has just four cottages, including two holiday homes run by a couple.

The jobs – one full-time and the other part-time – involve “estate and property maintenance and management, housekeeping, logistics, and assisting with deer management, stalking, and venison processing”.

The successful candidates will need to help maintain the properties, as well as boats, diggers, and machinery, although previous experience of such work is not essential.

A job advert posted on hijobs.net says: “The island is off grid and has solar panels, generators and inverters, a significant amount of equipment including boats, digger, and machinery, and a variety of properties, all of which need to be maintained.”

It added that required personal attributes included reliability, resilience and “happy in remote areas for long periods”.

Bill Cowie, island manager at Ardochy & Rona Estate, said: “We’re looking for an enthusiastic estate worker and partner who will really throw themselves into our island life and outdoor work.

“Someone just like the island itself – self-sufficient, resilient and perhaps a little rugged.

“The island is our home and living, and we know the right candidate will fall in love with it just as we have.”

Around 180 deer live on Rona, which is served by a private chartered boat which leaves the island just once a week.

Laura Saunders, founder of Hijobs, added: “It’s always been a priority at Hijobs to help promote job opportunities across Scotland’s rural and Highland communities.

“This role is the complete embodiment of that, and I’m not surprised it’s one of our most popular job ads of 2023 to date.”