Thinking of making a major career switch in the New Year? Done with the big city? Perhaps a ranger on a gorgeous isolated Scottish island could be the role for you.
The Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) is on the hunt for a ranger for Handa island between March and September 2026. Handa is a tiny 760-acre island off the west coast of the Highlands and can be reached via 10-minute ferry from a small village on the mainland called Tarbet. Its last human inhabitants left in the 19th century and these days it’s mostly homes to thousands of seabirds such as puffins, guillemots and razorbills.
Handa’s new ranger will be in charge of monitoring those seabirds, leading volunteers and helping to manage the 8,000 people that visit the island each summer. The job description reads: ‘This role at times can be physically demanding yet hugely rewarding and will more than satisfy your desire to work outdoors in a remote and stunning location.’
Despite being on a remote island, SWT describes the job as ‘highly sociable’. As well as thorough knowledge of seabird monitoring and marine and terrestrial history, it says the perfect candidate should have a ‘high degree of emotional maturity’, have great people skills, be able to thrive in a social environment and be able to work on their own initiative.
The person chosen for the role will receive a £26,112 salary and free accommodation in the form of a purpose-built bothy. There will also be weekly trips to the mainland village of Scourie so that the ranger can carry out essential life admin like laundry, banking, shopping and exchanging gas bottles for cooking and heating. That means you’ll need a driving licence and access to a vehicle if you want the job.
Think you tick all the boxes? You can apply for the post here. The closing date is January 7.
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