It was back in 2017 that Jennifer Sim was asked by her local newspaper, The Shetland Times, to take part in an interview for its YouTube channel. She was coming to the end of her law degree at Edinburgh and the paper was interested in the experiences of a young islander who had gone off to live and study in the ‘big city’.
Expected topics arose - cultural enrichment, social opportunities, employment – all the benefits that city life can offer an ambitious student. But the interviewer decided to round things off with a pertinent question: “Would you ever consider moving back to Shetland?”
The hint of irony in his voice suggested he might already know the answer, and Jennifer duly replied:
“I really have no plans to, and I can't see that happening anytime soon. But never say never."
In hindsight, Jennifer was right not to dismiss the prospect of moving back home out of hand. It’s five years later, and I'm chatting with her on a 10 a.m. Zoom call. She’s in the home office of her house in the centre of Lerwick, and just back from a morning walk with her neighbour's dog. I’ve managed to get some time with her before she settles into work for Brodies LLP, the law firm she has been with since she graduated in 2017.
“I meant it when I said I didn't plan to move back,” Jennifer assures me with a chuckle. “It didn't seem like a possibility as someone starting out in the law profession. I felt I needed to be in the city - that I would be sacrificing something of my career if I moved home.”
And as has been the case for so many city dwellers, Jennifer says it was the COVID-19 pandemic that prompted her change of heart:
“It feels strange to say it, but the last two years have had a silver lining for me. As soon as the first lockdown hit, I took the opportunity to go back to Shetland and work remotely from my parents’ home. I think I made the decision at 9 a.m. and was driving to the ferry port in Aberdeen by lunchtime. At first I thought it would be for a couple of weeks. My suitcase was filled with only a few essentials and a couple of dresses; but two years later, and I'm still here.”
On the face of it, it's easy to see why Jennifer wanted to return to Shetland, even if she had only intended to stay a short time. The peaceful and scenic surroundings would have offered an appealing antidote to the anxiety-inducing crisis that the pandemic brought to us all. But why has she stayed? Jennifer takes a moment to consider her response, but is resolute in her answer:
“When I came back to Shetland, I realised something that was missing since I'd moved away - a real sense of belonging to a place and feeling at home. I’d missed knowing my environment like the back of my hand. Don’t get me wrong, I had a good life in the city, but it's never quite the same as home. You don't have your childhood memories interwoven into every street you walk down and every corner you turn. Back in Shetland, I started to feel happier and more complete as a person.”
“I suppose I realised that my Shetland identity is a huge part of who I am. Being away strengthened that identity, or at least showed me how strong it was in the first place.”
Jennifer also believes that the pressure put on young people to move away from their home communities to find success can lead to a repression of their true selves, but that it’s a mindset that is slowly changing as more people choose to live and work away from large city hubs.
She says: “I’ve spoken to quite a few people I studied with about this, and it's so true that we had a perception that if you don't go away to university or to live and work abroad, you somehow haven't succeeded in life as much as someone who did. I think that's sad. I don't regret moving to Edinburgh when I did, but I do feel it's a perception we need to dismantle. A lot of people have been re-evaluating their life priorities in the past two years, and this is a big part of that. Life really is too short to follow some template that society created for you.”
"when I first decided to come home, I was a bit embarrassed, as if it was a step backwards."
But Jennifer also recognises that dismantling the preconceptions about why a person would move back to a small town or rural community is in its very early stages.
“There's definitely more openness to the idea now,” she says. “But I must admit that when I first decided to come home, I was a bit embarrassed, as if it was a step backwards. I'm sure some of my friends were quite shocked and couldn't see how this could be a feasible option for someone in the field of commercial and corporate law.”
Jennifer's role at Brodies involves handling both Scottish and international clients, and the reality of her move to Shetland is that it hasn't affected her ability to deal with either. In fact, the company has been highly supportive of her decision and recognises the asset it has in having employees located away from its city-based offices.
“Brodies operates with a policy of trust,” says Jennifer. “They trust me as an employee to get on with the job wherever I am, and that’s a great morale booster. I know working remotely isn't for everyone, but it works for me. It's brilliant that the company can reflect the fact that a diverse workforce should work in diverse ways.”
She has also found that she's now been able to take on clients closer to home and is using her local knowledge to develop relationships with Shetland businesses built on trust and mutual understanding:
“We have a lot of clients here. I'm not saying it's about being able to go out and meet them in person, because it's not. It's about knowing businesses and knowing sensitivities that affect people in the area on a monthly, weekly, even daily basis.”
"Working in smaller firms, doing local work, that really is the backbone of the whole industry."
Jennifer also believes that the school of thought that assumes a student’s goal should be to establish themselves at the very centre of their field, both professionally and physically, is implied in too many aspects of the journey from university applications to securing a graduate job, and that this needs to change.
“There's a lot of value in people going back to smaller communities and using their education there,” she says. “I remember another student on my law degree, and she arrived at the university knowing that what she wanted to do was to get qualified and get a job in the law firm on her local high street. But that kind of career path was never talked about. There is no information or resources for people like her, and I really believe there should be. Working in smaller firms, doing local work, that really is the backbone of the whole industry - certainly in law – and we need to encourage people who want to do that, and to show it as a viable option that can be aspired to.”
Indeed, the constant threat of ‘brain drain’ on the UK’s regional towns and smaller cities isn’t about to subside, despite the impact of the pandemic on people’s mindsets and priorities. Recent reports suggest that the trend for young people migrating into UK cities for work is once again on the incline, with a City Hall report identifying a high number of young adults returning to London, and the population increasing for the first time since 2020. It’s an issue that Jennifer believes leads back to availability of opportunities and making sure employers in regional areas are equipped to attract a young workforce.
“Employers are now at a point where they can start to turn the tide,” she says. “There’s a real chance now to stem the brain drain to major cities, and to take advantage of the shift in working habits. The benefits of taking advantage of local talent include reduced recruitment costs, and an increase in the skills on offer to them, as well as a boost in employee retention. But employers can’t achieve this on their own – they will need policy and investment at government level.”
Recent research from Iowa State University has also found that students often feel that their teachers, colleges and even peers reinforce the idea that they should shun smaller town life for the seemingly abundant career opportunities in the city, but also showed that this approach ignored the students’ other motivations in life, including a strong desire to contribute to their local community. This resonates with Jennifer:
“Getting involved in the work here in Shetland has been much more exciting for me. It might not always be huge multi-million pound deals, but I know the people involved and I know that my work will directly impact the islands in a positive way. There's a recent project that I worked on and, although I can't give away any details about it, it has been so exciting to get involved in something that is going to be so beneficial to the community."
And as well as working for the community, Jennifer is immersing herself back into Shetland life, including by joining the local badminton club.
“I had been a member as a teenager but when I re-joined the club, it was like I'd never left. They welcomed me back and it's great to be playing again. I also help organise community events and outdoor activities, and really feel like I’m contributing to island life again.”
“Ultimately, it's about my well-being and doing what makes me happy, and by coming back home to Shetland I think I'm doing just that.”
We asked Jennifer to tell us about her favourite place in Shetland, somewhere that she might take a visitor to the islands. She chose Loch of Strom on the west side of Shetland and explains why:
"The pictures show me at the partially tidal Loch of Strom outside my family's little boathouse on the west side of Shetland. It isn't the usual picture-postcard white sandy beach or cliff-side landscape of Shetland that you might see on TV or on Instagram. It's a quiet spot, off the beaten track, and you have to walk to it. It's home to otters and seals and lots of birds, but on a really nice day there are often some kayakers or other boaters.
I love the sense of peace and calm here. I also love the feeling of community and the cheerful waves between boaters or stand-up paddle boarders. You really get a sense of belonging here, as across the voe there are lots of abandoned settlements. No one knows a great deal about these ruins, but it's amazing to explore and wonder what life must have been like."
Multi Story Edinburgh, the podcast
Five more Edinburgh graduates have told us why they have decided to go 'back to the future' by returning to their home region or the place where they studied. Hear from Ashank, Barav, Laurence, Martel and Laura in the latest season of our alumni podcast, Multi Story Edinburgh.
All photos by Ray McGinlay.