Scottish Island calls for new shopkeeper to run the only store on remote Isle of Rum

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A new job opportunity has come up on the Isle of Rum.

The only store on the Isle of Rum is looking for a shopkeeper to join the team on the remote Scottish island. Islanders on the Isle of Rum, Inner Hebrides, consider the shop to be ‘the hub of the village’.

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The community trust is recruiting a shopkeeper for the Isle of Rum General Store, with applications closing on May 5. While making such a move may seem daunting, the island also currently has a two-bedroom modern house available to rent, which will be available from the end of this month.

Additionally, the island also has a school which has a population of around 40, meaning the opportunity is a possibility for those with a family looking to relocate for a new adventure. The role is currently advertised as: "a life altering opportunity to live and thrive on a small Scottish island."

Steve Robertson, development officer at the trust, said: "It’s really a centre for the island. It can work as a pub, with people buying alcohol and drinking outside. But it is also the pharmacy and the post office as there is nowhere else to buy anything.”

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Robertson also added that there are plans in the future for the island’s community hub to expand which he hopes will include a brand new shop and cafe, however, this is dependent on funding. Mr Robertson added: "It means whoever takes on the shop can maybe look ahead to working with this development in about three years’ time.

“There’s an opportunity for whoever takes on the shop to process the venison we have here, of which there is plenty, and make it more widely available to locals. It’s a challenging place to run a business, with it being the only shop on the island. But for some people, it is the ideal sort of environment and exactly what they want.”

The old pier and beach where the new development is planned. Picture: Isle of Rum Community TrustThe old pier and beach where the new development is planned. Picture: Isle of Rum Community Trust
The old pier and beach where the new development is planned. Picture: Isle of Rum Community Trust

This isn’t the first time an opportunity on the secluded island has come up. Three years ago, Mr Roberts said the trust received about 4,000 enquiries and 400 applications for new houses that were built on the island at the time. He said: “It was a phenomenal response. I don’t think we’ll be short of interest for this.”

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