Your first day at a new school can always be a bit daunting.
So spare a thought for Stuart Benjafield, who has travelled all the way from Somerset to start a new life as a teacher on the peninsula of Scoraig.
The 38-year-old’s appointment to the tiny Wester Ross school comes after a global, year-long appeal for staff to teach its five pupils.
He arrived by ferry this week in preparation to start his new job on January 7.
Mr Benjafield said: “Somerset to Scoraig – definitely to be recommended. Truly, a stunning place with a very special, warm and welcoming community.
“I was so pleased and delighted to be offered the opportunity to be able to come and teach the children on Scoraig and, to become a part of this very bright and resourceful community.”
The new “Sir” arrived on Monday at Badluarach Jetty on the “mainland” side in a 4×4 carrying his belongings before loading them on to the ferry and crossing Little Loch Broom to begin his 35 hours a week £21,687 to £34,887 post in the schoolhouse.
The 70-strong community, founded on a self sufficient lifestyle back in the 60’s, have been waiting for a year for a new permanent teacher, with supply teachers stopping up the gaps.
Two attempts by Highland Council to find a full time teacher willing to tackle Scoraig – a place with no roads, no shop, no pub and no doctor, failed.
Then the Scoraig folk themselves stepped in and advertised world wide – and there was interest from as far afield as Canada and India – for a suitably qualified teacher.
Their advert said they were looking for: “Someone with an adventurous spirit and a resourceful nature who would embrace living close to the elements in a remote off-grid community.”
And they found Mr Benjafield.
Bill Alexander, Director of Highland Council’s Care and Learning Service added: “Congratulations to Stuart on his appointment. We are very pleased to have filled this vacancy on Scoraig which has been helped enormously by the local community creating media interest in Highland life.
“Scoraig is a wonderful community and there are many other equally welcoming and beautiful locations in the Highlands that we can have difficult recruiting to.
“At a recent Northern Summit we agreed to work with the Scottish Government and neighbouring local authorities – Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Western Isles, Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands Councils to address the challenges in teacher recruitment across the north, and considered a range of ideas and potential actions.”