How did you get into arb?

[KateH]

Hi Arbtalkers, we sent out an Instagram post yesterday asking this question and have had some fascinating replies so thought we’d ask here too.

 

To see the Insta post and join the conversation click here but can you take a moment to answer this questionnaire too?

 

We are keen to find out how people get into arb (and by default perhaps get an insight into how people don’t hear about it too!).

 

If you'd like to tell us more, please comment - we'd love to hear from you.

 

We're running the poll for just over a week and will share the results afterwards.

 

Thanks, Kate & Beccy

 

 

[Steve Bullman]

My brother got into it first. I started splitting wood for him on the Sundays for spending money when I was about 15. Got my first full time job at 18, and as I had mondays off I would go out working for him doing groundwork. This was back in the days before wood chippers so there was plenty of dragging, stacking in the back of the truck, and stamping down. Couldnt use a chainsaw so I would have to wait for him to come down from the tree to trash everything down in the back so I could get more stuff in.
It was a long wheel base transit with a 12ft buck, and no tipper...so as well as hand loading it, we had the job of pulling it all off by hand at the end of the day which was no fun at all.

 

Was offered a full time job at the age of 21 and went on to do 21 years in Arb before hanging up my harness.

[KateH]

Thank you, Steve! It's going to be an interesting poll, I think. Kate 😊

[daltontrees]

I was stuck in an office job I hated, drowning in management nonsense. Mid 40s I baled out, decided to satisfy a life-long urge to be involved with trees, made a deliberate decision to work as a contractor for 5 years to learn the business as a route to cosultancy. And by and large that's how it went. Started arb business, went into business with someone. WIthin 5 years , knocking on VAT registration but already had done the professional exams. Business partner emigrated, I was turning into a manager again so I wound down the contracting business and now am run off my feet purely on cosusltancy referrals. Nirvana, getting paid to look at trees. It hink this counts in the poll as 'other'

[KateH]

Another completely different story, thank you Jules. This thread is going to make an interesting read. Congratulations on making a shift in your career. Out of interest was it easy to find the information you needed to do it? Kate

[daltontrees]

3 hours ago, KateH said:

Another completely different story, thank you Jules. This thread is going to make an interesting read. Congratulations on making a shift in your career. Out of interest was it easy to find the information you needed to do it? Kate

I enrolled on a chainsaw course just to get me started, met a guy on the course who was in the same situation, we started a busines stogether and made it up as we went along. What was hard was identifying and sticking to good standards while all around I saw cowboys and chancers with no qualifications, insurance, PPE or elementary knowledge of trees devastating peoples trees in my patch and putting themselves, their subbies and the public at risk. The solid foundation we worked from was the NPTC/LANTRA courses and qualifications and the lore gleaned from some good instructors. I was and am appalled at the almost complete absence of reliable information and policing of standards, H&S, law etc. It was all made easier by deciding to always do things right in the hope that reputation then income would follow. It did, eventually.     

[treevolution]

Went to Merrest Wood with the hope of doing Countryside management but ended up on the tree surgery course by mistake and was to shy to say anything. 

 

Had to be rescued within my 1st week but stuck with the course. 

 

Did my work placement in Dublin which was great fun but full on days (start at 7 in the yard and then finish at 5 on site before going back to unload) and been doing it now 23 years. 

 

Will carry on for as long as possible as I still really enjoy it. 

 

[Treeman123]

Left school at 15 and thought I was having the summer off messing with mates, turns out i was into full time branch dragging on the Monday thanks to my mother. Much appreciated now tho!

[PeteB]

Wanted a holiday job before Poly.  Asked Uncle for a labouring job and stayed. Went from self employed to being employed to the employer. Had 6 teams out but bad luck on my part and bad management on the side of the Utility company and it crashed after 18 years! Mother's side of the family had been contracting since before the First World War. Went to work for GreenMech so have technically been in the game (loosely) since 1982!

[Pete Mctree]

Dropped out of uni without a clue what to do. Saw a trainee climber job advertised at the dole office offering the princely some of £10 on top my giro to learn. I was not scared of hard work and it seemed like a good idea getting paid to climb trees, so without an idea what it was about, I applied.

That was about 27 years ago…….