Falkland Islands Government

United Kingdom

About Falkland Islands Government

Working for the Falkland Islands Government presents a unique and fulfilling experience, which will challenge you both personally and professionally.

Many roles offer a huge range of responsibilities and a level of variety and autonomy not often found in other professional environments. Senior employees will be expected to get stuck in with operational activities, whilst also providing leadership and management for their teams.

Falkland Islanders are proud of their self-sufficient, resilient and practical nature and this is reflected in the culture of the workplace too. In contrast to many large public sector organisations or corporations, there is relatively limited guidance or rules on how to operate, so you will need to be proactive and practical in your approach.

There is a reluctance to legislate unless strictly necessary, instead allowing common-sense and pragmatism to guide professional decisions and personal conduct. Thus, you will need to be comfortable in applying your own judgement and really understand what good looks like for your profession.

Decision-making can be both slow and fast. You will be encouraged to 'get things done' and often have the ability to make your own decisions on operational matters. Yet, sometimes it can take a really long time to make things happen. Managing your own and others expectations is a key part of any job here.

Resources can sometimes be limited and there will be times when you need to come up with innovative solutions to overcome the logistical and operational challenges of working in a remote location. Supplies can take six weeks to arrive by boat, so you can't always just pop out and get what you might need. Internet access can sometimes be unreliable, so you can't always rely on that to give you all the answers.

In an environment of full-employment, people can change jobs frequently and institutional knowledge can be lost, so sometimes it can be hard to understand the history or context of past decisions or systems. You will need to build relationships quickly, listen and ask questions to fully understand the environment you are operating in.

Overseas contractors are also expected to come to the Falklands fully equipped to do the job they have come here to do, which means you'll need to take responsibility for your own professional development to get up to speed and keep pace with advances in your field.

You will also need to be comfortable with living in close quarters with your colleagues and the people you serve. It is not unusual to live next door to your boss or to have children in your class living across the street. Customers may come up to you in the supermarket to complain about your department or patients may ask you for medical advice whilst you're queuing in the bank. This can be both charming and a challenge and you will need to find your own way of coping with this aspect of small-town life.

Overall, this gives you a flavour of what life can be like working here, but the best way to find out is come and experience it yourself. If you have the professional drive, ambition and initiative, coupled with a proven track record of successful service delivery, then we certainly want to hear from you.

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