Each country is unique. What is right for one may not suite another at all. One of the purposes of this article is to share an overview of developments in public-service interpreting in the United Kingdom with South African colleagues, to enable them to consider various models while establishing their own. In this article, the author explores starting points in the United Kingdom (existing levels of language skills, existing levels of skills in the public service, existing levels of skills among speakers of other languages), before entering into short-term, medium-term or long-term objectives.