A teacher who relocated from Spain to the Highlands fears she and her family could be left homeless due to difficulty finding accommodation amidst coronavirus.
Aberdeen-born Sarah Leckie started a job at Nairn Academy last month after leaving Madrid, where she taught at the British Council School.
Her husband, a primary teacher and maths specialist, is also hoping to find a full-time post or work as a supply teacher in the area.
The couple and their children Amaya, 5, and Alexander, 4, are currently staying in temporary accommodation in Nairn but are due to leave on Saturday, although they have a potential offer of two weeks in another property.
Mrs Leckie said: “We’ve found it incredibly difficult to find accommodation to rent in Nairn. It was something we were unprepared for.
“There wasn’t much available initially due to lockdown.
“When we spoke with estate agents, we would make an appointment and then beforehand the property would be given to someone else, or we would get to the viewing stage only to find it had already been allocated.
“It has been very stressful.
“Highland Council advertised it had a comprehensive relocation package, but we found out it doesn’t include accommodation.
“We accepted that because I didn’t think for a minute it was going to be so difficult.
“We’ve gone from lockdown, where we were not allowed to leave our apartment, to a situation where we may not have an apartment at all to call home.
“The most worrying thing has been watching our time dwindling away in an AirBnB with nothing on the horizon thinking ‘were going to end up homeless in a week’s time’.
“We may have accommodation for another couple of weeks, so we are slightly relieved by that.”
Mrs Leckie said the family decided to relocate after spending summer holidays in the Highlands.
“We wanted the children to have a Scottish education.
“And being in lockdown in Madrid made me feel even more like I wanted to live in a rural area with lots of open space.
“The reality of moving to the Highlands is slightly different from what we were expecting.
“We are still very happy to be here, but we had no idea there was going to be such a limited market for rented accommodation, even though we are key workers.”
A Highland Council spokeswoman said: “While we do not comment on personnel matters, we can confirm the council applies its corporate removal and relocation policy where relevant, including for teacher appointments.
“Appointees eligible for removal and relocation expenses can claim up to a maximum of £6,500 through five different categories.
“There is no separate policy or entitlement for teachers regarding provision to relocate to new accommodation.
“Any member of staff who has a concern should raise this with their line manager.”
