Realistic chances of employment?

[Fellstoflats]

7 minutes ago, AHPP said:

There's cake business and cake business btw. Does she advertise on the local facebook groups or have a contract with Heathrow? One of you is probably going to need a real job. Unless you're otherwise secure for shelter and nutrition. A lot of arb is unreliable and a lot of arbs are self employed and at the mercy of it. There is employment of course. Couldn't tell you a lot about that though. I'm fairly unemployable.

We'd be reasonably secure either way. What sort of income would you expect I'd be earning? This is all good input, I appreciate it.

[Joe Newton]

3 hours ago, tree-fancier123 said:

If Ive gleaned it correctly you started at a similar age to the OP, about 30?, you've progressed from climbing as an employee to climbing for yourself in your own firm. Have now done about 30 years climbing and have earned enough for a decent retirement.

But just because you did it, doesnt mean others would be so resilient and motivated!

Try again. Mick's been climbing for over 60 years. Did 20 years as a groundy before that. 

1 hour ago, Sviatoslav Tulin said:

Iam 48 >>>>>>yet to meet 22 year old who beat me in anything !!!!!

I live with a 6 year old who'd mop the floor with you as far as humility is concerned...

25 minutes ago, Mike Hill said:

 

 

 

I don't know the cost of all the tickets you will need,however why not volunteer for a few days at a few firms.

Around £3,500 for the basic 4 that most people seem to care about. 

 

Mike's idea is a solid one. You get a feel for a few companies, they get to guage your worth.

 

I wouldn't ever volunteer a day for free mind. If you're willing to do that you're setting a terrible precedent.

[AHPP]

9 minutes ago, Fellstoflats said:

We'd be reasonably secure either way. What sort of income would you expect I'd be earning? This is all good input, I appreciate it.

 

Not a clue. I suffer from a severe financial limp. I do tree work for the babes.

[Mick Dempsey]

9 hours ago, Fellstoflats said:

Thanks, that's good knowledge. 

 

I guess one of the main questions is the money front- what do you call really decent money? 25k, 30k? More? Less?

 

I think this deserves an answer. 
Someone on here must know.

All the ads I’ve seen say ‘competitive salary’ or the like. 
 

 

[Bocca]

9 hours ago, Fellstoflats said:

Thanks, that's good knowledge. 

 

I guess one of the main questions is the money front- what do you call really decent money? 25k, 30k? More? Less?

 

£25k is basically minimum wage. So I wouldn’t class that as really decent money. All depends on your financial circumstances so everyone is different. I came from a £40k a year salary when I switched. Which I thought was decent money. But that had a ceiling. Was impossible to earn more than that. This industry doesn’t have a ceiling. But it does have a cellar. If you’re self employed and can’t find work then you could earn **************** all. 
 

the point is there are easier ways to make money. As I think someone stated earlier  you could earn £25k stacking shelves. So don’t get into this industry thinking you’re going to be making £100k a year. If you want them lofty sums go be a bricklayer…apparently…

[Fellstoflats]

43 minutes ago, Bocca said:

£25k is basically minimum wage. So I wouldn’t class that as really decent money. All depends on your financial circumstances so everyone is different. I came from a £40k a year salary when I switched. Which I thought was decent money. But that had a ceiling. Was impossible to earn more than that. This industry doesn’t have a ceiling. But it does have a cellar. If you’re self employed and can’t find work then you could earn **************** all. 
 

the point is there are easier ways to make money. As I think someone stated earlier  you could earn £25k stacking shelves. So don’t get into this industry thinking you’re going to be making £100k a year. If you want them lofty sums go be a bricklayer…apparently…

 

1 hour ago, Mick Dempsey said:

I think this deserves an answer. 
Someone on here must know.

All the ads I’ve seen say ‘competitive salary’ or the like. 
 

 

Thanks both- the ag sector is pretty tight money wise, less than £25k isn't abnormal, and that's what I'm on now. I've no ambition to be making silly money, but as others have said, I'm looking for that sweet spot between satisfying work and a decent wage.

[Dan Maynard]

If you look through arbjobs some of the firms offer an estimate, eg team leader at Beechwood 30-39k. 

 

It's going to depend on area too, can't find it now but I think there was a an from Edinburgh botanical gardens for around 20k.

 

I'd have thought 25k is achievable in Oxfordshire though.

[Mark Bolam]

35 minutes ago, Dan Maynard said:

If you look through arbjobs some of the firms offer an estimate, eg team leader at Beechwood 30-39k. 

 

It's going to depend on area too, can't find it now but I think there was a an from Edinburgh botanical gardens for around 20k.

 

I'd have thought 25k is achievable in Oxfordshire though.

 

They obviously haven’t read the memo then Dan.

 

 

[AHPP]

Now watch as this thread goes in a different direction.

 

13 hours ago, Joe Newton said:

Around £3,500 for the basic 4 that most people seem to care about. 

 

Yeah, he could buy the tickets. Or he could buy a second hand GRCS, a new 500i with three bars and nine chains, two helmets with comms and some poles with a hook. For an extra £350, he can get a train ticket to Newcastle, a taxi to my house via Oddbins and I'll show him how to use it all.

 

Bosh. Useful groundsman to have around. Do one day a fortnight for six firms. 150 days a year at £150/day. £22,500. Probably better than £25,000 PAYE even after running costs and you have Mondays and Fridays for the lord. You still have to pay to drive to a PAYE job.

 

He'll need NPTC 207 (CS45) of course, like everybody who runs the ropes on the ground has.

 

EDIT: Glossary since the bloke reading this isn't an arb, yet.

 

GRCS - A really gucci rigging device. There are probably only a hundred in the country. They make you better than average on most jobs and a god on the right job.

500i - A really good, fairly big chainsaw. Most tree firms' big saws are shagged and have running problems and nobody can be bothered to sharpen the chains for the long bars. Turn up with one that works with big, sharp cutting gear and you're making their lives easier not having to fix theirs.

Comms - Tree firms struggle to use them because their employed blokes forget to charge them. Turn up with yours and you're just that little bit slicker than anyone else.

Poles - An underused piece of kit. Climbers use throwlines to get ropes into the top of a tree. Most people are shit with them and spend half an hour untangling them and getting angry before just getting a ladder instead. You can poke a rope over a high branch with your poles and save everyone a lot of embarrassment. Plus they're very handy the rest of the day.

Edited 7 hours ago by AHPP

[Mark Bolam]

I think you could piss £25k, I’d say nearer £30k.