Do i Buy a Chipper

[pos1981]

Hi all,

ill keep it short. Im new to the industry and have my cs 30 31 booking for a months time.

 

Ive enquired with quite a few people about voluntary work to get me some experience within the industry.

 

Things have been quite for me, so i was wondering do i buy myself a van and a chipper, get my chipper ticket and then offer my chipping services in return for work experience.

 

I would appreciate all thoughts.

 

Cheers

 

Ed:confused1:

[born2trot]

Hi pos , this smacks of desparation to me and trying ' to buy ' your way in . If i were you i would continue getting as many relevant tickets as possible and then get your own public liability insurance , this would make you much more sellable imo .

[jrose]

if you're after work experience, I would have thought offering your services with a van and chipper means you will get a lot of experience at chipping, but not much else!

[scottythepinetree]

Also, what sort of experience are you hoping to get from companies that don't own a chipper?

[scotspine1]

Forget the chipper idea, it's a total waste of money and people will exploit you, your chipper would be ruined and worthless within two weeks.

 

By all means get a cheap van if you dont have any wheels. Having the means to get to the yard or jobsites is a priority for employers when considering hiring in subbies or part-time workers.

 

Just keep calling companies until you get work, even if it's dragging branches all day or raking hedgecuttings for low wages. Send out cv's to all the local companies, then a few days later make the calls to the companies. It'd be a good idea to get basic ppe if you dont have it. Hardhat, chainsaw trousers and boots.

 

Good luck.

[Lee Winger]

what Scotspine1 says is spot on...........

[Stephen Blair]

So you want your local tree guy to let you onto his job, meet his customers, show you how to do the job and basically train his oposition.

that isn't going to happen imo.

 

Listen to Scotspine

[Jesse]

No , not for a few years.

[pos1981]

Thanks a lot guys for the info a great help and in reality confirms what i thought, really but just wanted someone elses thughts.

 

i just seem to have hit a brick wall really trying to find experience.

 

I have my own ppe and will keep getting in touch with companies.

 

It may seem like buying into the industry but i just thought it may be a way to see others work and get some experience but like others have said id only get the experiene chipping which is something that i did think.

 

Im not looking to start up on my own, anytime soon if ever really. If somebody took me on once i was experienced then i would be more than happy to work for them.

 

Ive heard a lot of poeple say that the industry is saturated with both genuine and very good aborists and there are also some not so good ones.

 

I think this may be down to not being able to get a foot in the door to start with, I think some people get a few tickets and then start on their own with little knowledge or exprience.

 

I think that all the comments are very valid and i thank you for them.

 

Hopefully ill get there:thumbup:

[claudie345]

NO. Get qualified work your ass off starting as the bitch and work your way up like everyone else, you need way more than just a chipper and a few tickets, main factor for me to take someone on is their general attitude and enthusiasm towards work (good fitness helps too), go and prove yourself - good luck!