There are a number of factors that feed into overall job satisfaction. Are you being paid enough? Is the work/life balance right for you? Is it convenient to commute to your work? All of these are important but it’s fair to say that turning up to work knowing that you’re going to spend the day in one of Scotland’s most beautiful places does no harm at all!
Think about the stunning venues that you’ve taken friends visiting Scotland to see. Many of them are also workplaces. So if you fancy a change of scenery to perk up your working day, it might be time to get working on your CV and get your application in!
Inchcolm Island
OK, so commuting may not be such an easy option if you want to be the person to welcome visitors to Inchcolm Island and open the gift shop at Inchcolm Abbey for them. You are expected to stay on the Island but, as one of the previous holders of the role pointed out, “there aren’t many places to live where you can see seals every day”.
Located in the Firth of Forth between Aberdour on the Fife coast and Edinburgh on the other side, a job on the island provides the perfect opportunity for work that lets you ‘get away from it all’, while experiencing the beauty of the Abbey, the Island and the surrounding River Forth. Just make sure that your Kindle’s charged up!
Glasgow Science Centre
Glasgow Science Centre may be at the other end of the visual spectrum from Inchcolm Island but its space-age style is no less striking for that. If the outside is eye-catching then the indoor experience takes things up another notch.
Various interactive audio-visual exhibits allow visitors of all ages to learn more about science and enjoy themselves along the way. This also means that there’s a whole range of roles to work in, from being a science communicator helping to bring the subject to life for visitors, to working in the finance department or the design department. It’s the perfect place to experiment with a new role and generate a positive reaction.
Atholl Palace Hotel
Knowing that you’re travelling to a building of baronial grandeur should put a little bit of a spring in your step as you head to work in the morning. The Atholl Palace Hotel is not only a beautiful building in its own right but also overlooks the picturesque Perthshire town of Pitlochry and is surrounded by stunning grounds.
If that’s not enough to get you through the working day then simply look up and enjoy the view of Ben-y-Vrackie. That’s without even mentioning the CV boost that you can gain if you’re looking for more experience in the hospitality and tourism sectors.
The Armadillo
Located just across the Clyde from the Glasgow Science Centre, the Armadillo (or the Clyde Auditorium to give it its proper name) is another striking piece of architecture. The reason for its nickname becomes clear when you see it! As well as being one of Scotland’s most iconic buildings, working there could also allow you to catch some fantastic performances. Oh, and did we mention it was where Susan Boyle auditioned for the X-Factor? A job there and you could have been in at the start of her journey!
Rosslyn Chapel
Whether you believe that the unusual and decorative carvings at Rosslyn Chapel have the kind of hidden meanings suggested in The Da Vinci Code or not, it’s still a magical place to work. Also, how can you feel stressed out while William, the Chapel cat, is gently snoozing somewhere within your eye-line?
Edinburgh Castle
Being employed at Edinburgh Castle comes with many bonuses. A stroll up the Capital’s historic Royal Mile becoming part of your daily commute, always knowing when it’s one o’clock and of course, the stunning views across the city that are afforded by the castle’s elevated position. Getting to be the one to fire the one o’clock gun might be a tough ask but there are plenty of other roles to be filled at Scotland’s number one paid-entry tourist attraction.
Don’t lose heart if your workplace doesn’t look like these
Remember though, just because your workplace may not be as initially striking as the locations we’ve mentioned here, it doesn’t mean that it’s not beautiful in its own way!
If staring at the same four walls is starting to get you down though, maybe it is a sign that you’re in need of a change. In which case, there’s no harm in having a look to see what else is out there.
All photographs used in this article are used under Wikimedia creative commons license.
Edinburgh Castle photograph by David Monniaux
Rosslyn Chapel photograph by Mike Pennington
Clyde Auditorium photograph byThomas Nugent
Glasgow Science Centrephotograph by Florian Fuchs
Inchcolm Islandphotograph by William Marnoch
Atholl Palace Hotelphotograph by Jeanie Hale
