One comment my girlfriend made when she signed the waiver form is that it was a relief not to have to worry about where she ended up. She just waited for the letter to arrive. Friends of hers doing the course got their second or third choices in some cases which led to much gnashing of teeth. The money my girlfriend got has definitely helped her/us but unfortunately, she did end up in Unst, the most northerly island in the British Isles. The flip side of that is that she has got a brilliant school and a very supportive Local Authority. I am in the same situation as you but won’t be ticking the box purely because my girlfriend and I need a bit more of an idea where I will be so she can start applying for jobs in that area - one year apart is enough! If I was single though, I would tick the box and go for the adventure! It is only 1 year and you never know, you could just get Glasgow and £6,000! Interestingly my girlfriend is also from East Lothian.

Don Vass: thanks for commenting, did my dad set you up to it? It’s correct that I won’t have much, if any, say in where I go for the first year, and after that it just depends on where there is a job. I can imagine myself living in any of these places quite happily, for a year at least. Nice to hear from you.

Other Don: I didn’t mean it as a slight on East Lothian, I see it as a great place to teach. What I had meant though is it is somewhere I know well - I know the background of the pupils, I know the area, I know what it is like growing up there - and I am not sure that it would be best for me to go there straight away when I have the chance to go somewhere that is unknown to me and learn what it is like to teach in a different place.
Your point about getting the best start though is a strong one. There are two ways of looking at the decision I have to make:

• One, I could say this is perhaps the only time I will have the chance to go and live somewhere very different, to try things out.
• Two. Somewhere new might be somewhere nice to live but it might not be a good place to start off a teaching career - too many new things to find out might make a hard year more difficult than it need be. I should maybe find somewhere that is good to be a probationer and do my best somewhere where there is support and then decide if going off to somewhere else still appeals.

I have a feeling that over time my life will drift back towards East Lothian and surrounding areas, too big a part of me is attached to the area to ignore it.

I’ve got lots to consider and the day where they hand out the forms is fast approaching.

There are good schools in both Moray and Highland, but it will always be a bit of a lottery where you end up, as I assume that you will not actually be given a choice of schools. As an HMI, I have also visited schools in the other authorities you list, but it would feel it appropriate to recommend individual establishments. South Lanarkshire and Stirlingshire might also be worth considering, as both are highly regarded authorities and have some very good schools.

Get in touch if you would like to have a longer chat about your options.

Best of luck in your teaching career.

Don

Sorry. I’ll get me coat.

MoraG. MoraG is nice.

eh? I don\’t get it.