Going freelance

[Lee Winger]

Must be working for carp company's or cowboys if they NEED you to bring a chipper along, not being funny just saying it as I see it, all I ever wanted from a subby was a climber and his climbing gear and an ms200t and silky

[Tree cutter Stu]

well im very lucky to live in the tree surgery capital of england. Some times for the bigger companys its easier just to get us in when they have a heavy work load on.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

just as i thought, there really isnt THAT much work around for the sort of money that makes it worth doing. 150 a day for rigging and a 20t, plus insurance plus self accounts etc no garauntee of work higher risks, i had one lad tell me he was getting 13o a day on a wage!

[Lee Winger]

Don't know if its dawned on you lads, we're in a recession you know, go with the flow don't beat yourselves up..................

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Yes that is true, but in hard times the more efficient, better service rules. more efficiency, better prices, more work.

[gibbon]

Sorry to jump in. I did a similar route to cts a few years earlier. I subbed with all my kit(poles, range of saws, rigging. chipper was extra), started at £140 and ended up charging £175-£250. The going rate 4/5 years ago was £110-120 for a ticketed, experienced climber and its the same now. I had to fight to get £140 to begin with until I was known.

 

I doubt you will get £200 plus as a freelance climber, without putting in the work and showing a firm what you can do. I even expect you would have to work for much less to get yourself known. I found most firms already had a good climber on the books or called one in and were happy working that way. The firms you could pick up easy work with were generally ones that the other subbies were avoiding for a reason.

 

The best route is to find work with your own kit and sumpliment it with high paying freelance work on big jobs. The trouble is you will need to show your self to be better and quicker than all your freelance competetion to be called in for this work

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

yeah, i kinda get that from the thread.

 

i think i am just going to stay on my current , longer term, goals, finish the FdSc and go into consultancy, too risky in these hard times to start over in what is now a tough market.

 

I am not earning top wack as a climber, but its safe, secure.

[gibbon]

How do you plan to get into consultancy? this is also a competative market for which you will need to gain experience.

[combined tree services]

How do you plan to get into consultancy? this is also a competative market for which you will need to gain experience.

 

if he was in cornwall i could put lots of consultancy work his way lol

 

Do you ever hear much about Paul Hambidge that used to be the tree officer for exeter city ??

[Steve Bullman]

I don't know what you're worrying about really....you seem pretty confident in your abilities looking at all your other posts, why are you concerned you wont be able to get work at the rates you want?

despite what people say, i think theres still plenty of work out there if you can stand up above your competition...are the right people are still more than happy to pay for that