Groundsman Rates

[Ty Korrigan]

I have a few occasional 'groundies' for who I think even €120 is too much.

Yet I also have an experienced older guy who also does my quotes in his area, who I pay €280+ and consider him to be good value too.

 Depends what people bring to the table in the way of skills and motivation.

  Stuart

  

 

 

 

[Ty Korrigan]

Ben Edmonds,

The vets know personally have salaries around £70k 

It is also not a fair comparison to put self employed gross earnings against gross salary of employed with their assured holiday and sick pay.

 Stuart

[eggsarascal]

13 minutes ago, benedmonds said:

Eggs, you are often on here telling us how poor rates the rates of pay are employees and subbies get and they all need £xxx... Correct me if I am wrong but I don't believe you work full time in the tree industry..  It is low paid...

 

I run 3 teams, I do most of the quoting and therefore probably do as many quotes as anyone..  I don't try to be the cheapest and we have kit and guys to make us pretty efficient..  I lose many of my jobs as: "we had a cheaper quote."   

 

The point is I have a pretty good idea what the domestic market will pay and in the East Midlands. 

Many firms work for £450-£550 for 3 guys truck and chipper.

 

You cannot afford to pay the sort of rates you are talking about when you have to get lots of work.. A gardener doing an odd job who needs a top climber for the day might be able to afford top rates and maybe in different areas rates are higher, but in the East Midlands I can't..  If you can then let us all know how...

 

£150 day rate equates to £33,000 a year.. £200 day rate is £44,000.   The average UK salary is  just over £27,000

look at the jobs on the list.. A vet only earns £38,000 and they were straight A students who spent 5 years at uni..

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/worklife/careers/a33179/average-job-salaries-uk/

 

Like it or not arboriculture is an easy industry to get into, some do it as hobby at weekends.. others get into it as a lifestyle choice.. a fair few set up after doing something else with capital behind them, many are just poor business people...

 

Maybe I am doing it wrong, I make a living but I would not advise anyone to get into it for the cash.

It's not about correcting you if you're wrong Ben, you know full well I don't work in the tree industry.

 

£450-£550 a day for 3 blokes is nonsense. Without the truck and chipper.

 

[Mark Bolam]

It might be nonsense Eggs, but there are plenty doing it, including down here in Kent, which is expensive.

Stuart has already mentioned the SE/PAYE thing Ben, to save me doing it, but I totally get the gist of your post.

[Coletti]

Eggs, you are often on here telling us how poor rates the rates of pay are employees and subbies get and they all need £xxx... Correct me if I am wrong but I don't believe you work full time in the tree industry..  It is low paid...
 
I run 3 teams, I do most of the quoting and therefore probably do as many quotes as anyone..  I don't try to be the cheapest and we have kit and guys to make us pretty efficient..  I lose many of my jobs as: "we had a cheaper quote."   
 
The point is I have a pretty good idea what the domestic market will pay and in the East Midlands. 
Many firms work for £450-£550 for 3 guys truck and chipper.
 
You cannot afford to pay the sort of rates you are talking about when you have to get lots of work.. A gardener doing an odd job who needs a top climber for the day might be able to afford top rates and maybe in different areas rates are higher, but in the East Midlands I can't..  If you can then let us all know how...
 
£150 day rate equates to £33,000 a year.. £200 day rate is £44,000.   The average UK salary is  just over £27,000
look at the jobs on the list.. A vet only earns £38,000 and they were straight A students who spent 5 years at uni..
https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/worklife/careers/a33179/average-job-salaries-uk/
 
Like it or not arboriculture is an easy industry to get into, some do it as hobby at weekends.. others get into it as a lifestyle choice.. a fair few set up after doing something else with capital behind them, many are just poor business people...
 
Maybe I am doing it wrong, I make a living but I would not advise anyone to get into it for the cash.

Where in the east Midlands are you? I'm lincolnshire and anyone any good around me is 650+ for a 3 man day with truck and chipper. I'm only a one man band that uses both subby climber and groundies with no issues what so ever paying 120/130 for a groundy and 150 for climber. Yes there will always be those that will do the job cheaper but there are also a lot who don't care about the price, they want a good job done. Maybe I'm lucky in that 99% of my clients just want a good job done and not too fussed about cost (within reason obviously)

[WesD]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again your only as good/fast/efficient as your ground crew and personally I pay people what they are worth not what people perceive to be an industry standard.

[Husqvarna King]

5 hours ago, Rough Hewn said:

Well where do I start?
Groundies are expected to have a skill set above and beyond.
Saw tickets
First aid
Hgv license
Aerial rescue
Rigging ground and aerial
Trailer license
Signs and lighting
Rolo/cscs
DBS
Chipper ticket
Grinder ticket
Tracked vehicles
Tractors
Loaders
Polite and courteous to clientele.
Tree identification
Knowledge of silviculture
Etc
Telepathy when you can't hear the climber
Psychic ability to know what the climber is about to think.
Rhino skin to take all the verbal shit from diva climbers.
Cape
Underpants on the outside
Ability to fly
Oh and £10k of kit.
Your own vehicle and 100+ miles a day commute/ sleeping in van.
Pissing in the chip box and shitting in a hedge.
All for less than a curlywurly a day.
And all you climbers wonder why you can't get a decent guy on the ground?
 

You missed out having ninja capabilities with a rake when it comes down to batting branches away from car windscreens and other targets

[eggsarascal]

1 hour ago, Mark Bolam said:

It might be nonsense Eggs, but there are plenty doing it, including down here in Kent, which is expensive.

Stuart has already mentioned the SE/PAYE thing Ben, to save me doing it, but I totally get the gist of your post.

Would/could you put three blokes out with a truck and chipper for £450-£550/day, while you are out quoting?

[Mark Bolam]

I could.

But I wouldn’t.

[eggsarascal]

2 minutes ago, Mark Bolam said:

I could.

But I wouldn’t.

Why not?