Living and Working: Fife

{mosimage}Fife: a better work-life balance
Care Appointments turns the living and working spotlight on The Kingdom of Fife…
{jos_sb_discuss:6} Innovation, creativity and a commitment to improvement are part of Fife’s tradition. Fife Council believes in making the most of this by building on the skills of an exceptional workforce.

Fife provides over 180 schools, supporting children and young people to help them reach their true potential. Fife is also home to Scotland’s oldest university at St Andrews and four further education colleges in Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy, Glenrothes and Cupar – all are within an hour’s drive for more than 65,000 students every year.

Fife is going from strength to strength and is one of Scotland’s fastest growing regions. Within easy reach of all Scotland’s major cities and with a wealth of natural resources, Fife is a quality alternative to city-centre living and all you need for a healthy work-life balance.

Fife is the birthplace of Adam Smith and Andrew Carnegie and the historic seat of Scottish kings. From the ancient towns of Dunfermline, Falkland and St Andrews to the modern community of Glenrothes, Fife offers the best of both worlds, each building on Fife’s long tradition of creativity and innovation. Located in the heart of Scotland between Edinburgh and Dundee, over 350,000 people in Fife enjoy the benefits of coast and rural living alongside the convenience of modern towns and cities. From lighthouses, renovated mills and traditional cottages to quality, affordable new housing, living in Fife presents more choice, value and opportunity than ever before.{mospagebreak}

Fife provides over 180 schools, supporting children and young people to help them reach their true potential. Fife is also home to Scotland’s oldest university at St Andrews and four further education colleges in Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy, Glenrothes and Cupar – all are within an hour’s drive for more than 65,000 students every year.

As Fife’s community grows and changes so do its local services. Schools are being renewed, community facilities improved and town centres re-developed. Fife’s public services are driving long-term improvements in the economy, health, education, environment and communities. It’s an exciting time that is changing the face of Fife’s future.

Leisure comes naturally in Fife – from modern sports facilities to some of Scotland’s most beautiful parks, gardens, countryside and coastal paths. The region’s award winning beaches offer miles of clean white sand and protected wildlife – so good that Fife welcomes over a quarter of a million visitors every year. Of course Fife is also the 5-star home of golf. Whether you are an occasional or seasoned golfer you can enjoy playing on some of the most famous and historic courses in the world.

Getting around Fife is all about access, not congestion. By rail the local Fife Circle Network connects all major towns and villages, and the main east coast line from London to Aberdeen provides fast and regular links to the cities. By car, Fife is next to Scotland’s major motorway network. From south Fife, Edinburgh is just half an hour away and Glasgow just 45 minutes. From the north, Dundee can be reached in just 15 minutes. For longer trips you can reach both Glasgow and Edinburgh airports in under an hour or catch Scotland’s only direct ferry service to mainland Europe via Roysth’s Superfast Ferry Service to Zeebrugge.{mospagebreak}

The NHS provides a wide variety of health services to the 350,000 people living in Fife. More and more the NHS is working with partners such as Fife Council and the Voluntary Sector to increase the numbers of services available, and to improve the quality of these services. Fife offers its residents a broad spectrum of health services with community based dentists, doctors, pharmacists, occupational therapists and a wide range of other practitioners in all areas.

Fife Council is the third largest authority in Scotland. With a budget of over £580 million each year, the Council is a team of over 22,000 people delivering more than 900 individual services to the people of Fife every year. Council services are organised into 17 major areas from social work, education and housing to transportation, environmental and support services. Fife Council is the largest employer in Fife and among the largest employers in the whole of Scotland.

“Joining the Fife team will mean sharing our values. Together we believe in putting people, partnerships and performance top of the list and having the courage to turn our backs on rigid ways of working that no longer meet our customers’ demands or provide best value for the people of Fife. Giving and sharing responsibility, being open, accountable and responsive are all central to the way we work as employees. In return we offer excellent employment packages including a competitive salary, flexible working hours, generous holiday entitlements and a final salary pension scheme. Innovation, creativity and a commitment to improvement are part of Fife’s tradition. Fife Council believes in making the most of this by building on the skills of an exceptional workforce, investing in their development and creating new and flexible ways of working that are good for our customers, our employees, the Council and our collective aspirations.”