Scotland

Greetings

Man greeting Man - Men shake hands when greeting one another and usually throw in a "How do you do". Handshakes are usually on the lighter side and don't linger that much. In more casual situations, men often greet each other with, “You alright?” or “Hiya”.

Woman greeting Woman- At a first meeting, women generally shake hands.

Greetings between Men & Women - At a first meeting a regular handshake will do. Women tend to extend their hand first.

Communication Style

• Scots are not nearly as direct as say Americans. They are usually hesitant to complain about things and most would rather “grin and bear it” than make a fuss.

• Politeness is highly valued. You’ll often find yourself exchanging four or five “thank yous” during a transaction with shopkeeper. If you bump into someone, they will usually apologize to you. Expect a lot of "please" and "thank you" and "sorry".

• Scots tend to be more indirect than overly direct. Being too blunt may be considered impolite.
• Pay attention to tone of voice and facial expression, as it may be an indication of what is really being conveyed.

Personal Space & Touch

• The more personal space, the better. People tend to keep about an 2-3 feet between them while speaking.
• Touching is usually kept to a minimum and is generally not acceptable unless you know the person very well.

Eye Contact

• Maintaining eye contact during a conversation is considered polite in most all cases.

Gestures

• An inverted two-finger "peace sign" or "V for victory sign is an obscenity.

• People tend to walk on the left and pass on the right.

• People usually point using one finger. Just not the middle one.

Views of Time

• Punctuality is generally valued and trains run reasonably on time; buses somewhat less so. Most bus stops will have timetables, but they change quite often.

Gender Roles

• Women have the same rights as men both in the home and at the workplace.

• Women have the same rights as men both in the home and at the workplace.

• Work opportunities for women are varied and available yet earnings maybe lower.

• It’s acceptable for women to dine alone and to go to local pubs and clubs.

Taboos

• It is very rude to jump the queue (cut in line).
• It is also rude to turn down a drink if someone offers you one or not to buy a round of drinks when out with a group (everyone takes turns buying drinks for everyone else in the group).

• You should never call a Scottish person English. Some people get really offended if they think you don't know the difference between and.

Law & Order

• The legal drinking age is 18 but this is rarely enforced.

• The smoking age is also 18 (it was 16 until recently) and is also not heavily enforced.

• Penalties for possession, acquisition, and trafficking of drugs are severe and include mandatory lengthy imprisonment in local jails.

Dress

• For Men- It depends on the working culture of the company. Men may wear suits or just dress shirts and trousers. They may or may not wear a tie.
• For Women- Women will often wear trousers and a blouse or sweater depending on the season. They may also wear a skirt or dress, but it will usually not be too short.

Titles & Business Cards

• Titles are important and it is best to address people directly by using Mr., Mrs., or Miss, followed by the surname. Note that these are spelled without the “.” throughout the country.

• One should always wait to be invited to use first names before doing so yourself.

• Business cards are essential and usually exchanged without formal ritual.

Meetings

• You should show up on time to meetings and generally the person who called the meeting will begin the business discussion.

• A bit of small talk is common – the weather is always a good, safe subject.

• When doing business, direct questions often receive evasive responses.

Negotiations

• Decisions tend to be made from the top down and can take sometime.
• Humor is often used in negotiations, sometimes as a defense mechanism or in the form of self-deprecation and/or irony.
• Avoid hard selling and any sort of conflict or confrontation.
• Negotiating/bargaining over price in shops or markets is rare.

Gift Giving

• Gifts are not usually exchanged at a first meeting.
• If invited to a Scottish household, it is appropriate to bring good wine, liquor, or chocolates.
• Make sure that gifts are nicely wrapped.

In the Classroom

• The school usually begins in either September or October and ends in May or June. You will usually get between one and three weeks off for Spring Break in March or April. You’ll also get between four and six weeks off in December and January for the Christmas/New Year’s holidays.

• Students tend to dress in casual clothing.

• The grading system depends on the university. Some give A-F grades; others use a scale from 1-20 or 1-22.

• Most students tend not to have too many graded assignments. It’s common to have the grade for the semester based upon one or two papers and a final exam.

• Many courses will have one day of lecture a week and one day of tutorial a week. Tutorials are held in a smaller group and are discussion-based. Sometimes tutorials are taught by postgraduate students instead of professors.

Other Observations

• If you are relying on public transportation, be aware that buses often run limited schedules or don’t run at all on Sundays.
• Tipping is generally expected in restaurants and cafes but not in pubs. It is common to tip 10-15%. In most cases it’s fine to leave the tip on the table, but some cafes will have tip jars up at the counter.