Making the leap

[SussexHarry]

Hi everyone,

 

About a year ago I began the process of leaving my current career and getting started in tree work. I got some tickets and did “experience days” with local companies on my days off. I’m at the point now where I feel ready to leave and go full-time in the trees.

 

The issue I face now is that I can’t find the work! All of the companies I did part time work for are well staffed enough that they can’t offer me more than a day or two here and there - not enough to fill a calendar.

 

I've looked into going PAYE with a company full-time and have only had one offer at a utility firm. It’s good money but not the sort of work I was hoping for.

 

Is this just a terrible time to join the Arb workforce, or am I doing something wrong here?

 

Thanks

[Sviatoslav Tulin]

I am afraid you not good enough,or from a wrong background,how old are you?

[SussexHarry]

2 hours ago, Sviatoslav Tulin said:

I am afraid you not good enough,or from a wrong background,how old are you?

Mid-20s. Ex military. Got CS30/31, and would have climbing certs if my local college didn’t cancel the course last minute 🙄

[Steven P]

Reckon most firms will have their full time staff sorted but will want occasional extra hands on larger jobs - they have to still pay the wages if there is no work though. Might be you need to get your name out there and take the odd job here and there to build a reputation as reliable. Never easy switching careers where you are competing with everyone with limited experience on their CV.

 

If you took up the firm offers of days here and there, how many days a month would that give you? Are you also able to stick at your current job till you get an opportunity you want?

 

Final thing, I guess you have looked at the employment threads here. Might be you put your details in there, include stuff like how far you can travel to work ('Sussex' - but is that the whole county, is it the neighbouring ones or is it just your town you can get to)... the more details that can help the better.

[Stubby]

2 hours ago, Sviatoslav Tulin said:

I am afraid you not good enough,or from a wrong background,how old are you?

Harsh .

[SussexHarry]

55 minutes ago, Steven P said:

Reckon most firms will have their full time staff sorted but will want occasional extra hands on larger jobs - they have to still pay the wages if there is no work though. Might be you need to get your name out there and take the odd job here and there to build a reputation as reliable. Never easy switching careers where you are competing with everyone with limited experience on their CV.

 

If you took up the firm offers of days here and there, how many days a month would that give you? Are you also able to stick at your current job till you get an opportunity you want?

 

Final thing, I guess you have looked at the employment threads here. Might be you put your details in there, include stuff like how far you can travel to work ('Sussex' - but is that the whole county, is it the neighbouring ones or is it just your town you can get to)... the more details that can help the better.

Thanks for the advice.

 

Unfortunately I’m locked into a full time job that doesn’t offer any means of cutting down hours. I’m either in or out - and working 6 day weeks it’s very difficult to find the time to do part-time work or get tickets. It’s been a struggle just getting the tickets I have.

 

If I could find enough work to fill maybe 4 days a week I could stomach the transition. As it stands, it’s like you say - they only want me for the odd job and are otherwise fully staffed. No room anywhere for full time, and no one I can find trying to expand their company and take on more staff. Very much a case of “dead man’s boots”. I’ve been told by one company I did some work for that they can’t find any jobs at the moment! Can’t find work for the staff they already have - let alone anyone extra.

 

I’ll keep looking, but at the moment I think my best bet is to keep trying the bigger companies for a full time position, rather than relying on smaller businesses to provide drips and drabs. All seems quite unreliable…

[kram]

Perhaps a secondary employment, days off, you could do window cleaning. Low cost just a ladder and bucket.. Good chance you could earn more than arb to begin with.

 

Sounds like you dont understand the industry.

Tickets are just covering an employers arse and you will not get anywhere without them. Climbing tickets will add zero value to your CV without a year or twos experience to go with it. At the moment, you might made a good groundy, if you have no problem dragging brash, logs, chipping, and most improtant, good with a rake, reliable and good with customers.

 

No one enjoys the cleanup at the end of a day. Master the rake and cleaning up, be fast at it, everyone can go home sooner, and you will be first choice for domestic work.

 

I suggest small businesses would be the place to start. If you can find several that can offer occasional work, if your any good you will be busy.

[Mick Dempsey]

I think utility arb might be your foot in the door, it can be a tough job, but it’s time with the saw in your hands, and after a year or so doing that you are much more of an attractive proposition employment wise to firms. Plus financially it’s steady good money.

 

Forget window cleaning, ridiculous from Kram, he gets some really daft notions.

Edited April 22 by Mick Dempsey

[SussexHarry]

10 minutes ago, kram said:

Perhaps a secondary employment, days off, you could do window cleaning. Low cost just a ladder and bucket.. Good chance you could earn more than arb to begin with.

 

Sounds like you dont understand the industry.

Tickets are just covering an employers arse and you will not get anywhere without them. Climbing tickets will add zero value to your CV without a year or twos experience to go with it. At the moment, you might made a good groundy, if you have no problem dragging brash, logs, chipping, and most improtant, good with a rake, reliable and good with customers.

 

No one enjoys the cleanup at the end of a day. Master the rake and cleaning up, be fast at it, everyone can go home sooner, and you will be first choice for domestic work.

 

I suggest small businesses would be the place to start. If you can find several that can offer occasional work, if your any good you will be busy.

Totally get where you’re coming from. I’m no stranger to hard work and like to think I’ve grafted for the companies who have given me the time. I know tickets aren’t much but they at least show some drive, no? All self-funded.
 

If I could find enough companies willing to offer me work I’d do it in a heart beat. But as it stands it’s literally nothing - drips and drabs, a day here and there. Finding even 3 days a week seems impossible, so I have a hard time believing I’ll be “busy”. Not before I’m bankrupt anyway.

 

Trying to convince family and the girlfriend that giving up my full

time job to get into arb, so that I can do 2 days a week and window cleaning…. Bit of a hard sell!!!

[SussexHarry]

3 minutes ago, Mick Dempsey said:

I think utility arb might be your foot in the door, it can be a tough job, but it’s time with the saw in your hands, and after a year or so doing that you are much more of an attractive proposition employment wise to firms. Plus financially it’s steady good money.

 

Forget window cleaning, apologies for that from Kram, he gets some really daft notions.

Yes I am tempted by it. Certainly got some perks - well paid (so I won’t have to stomach much of a pay cut leaving my current job), fully funded development, and the team seems good.

 

Only thing that puts me off is that I’ve heard utility work is akin to butchery, which is not the sort of work I think I’d like, nor the direction I’d want my career to take…. Decisions…