rookie day rate?

[will.morris]

Depends what your like ... if your having to chop things up into tiny pieces to lift them and getting the saw stuck every 5mins then you might get £40 and no further work. Graft hard and have common sense regarding tension/compression, grounding saws, using your initiative to work with the climber etc and you'll be worth more. I think £50 is a standard rate for a rookie groundsman, its a big risk for any employer as a school boy error can make a good day very expensive in a flash. I've worked for £6ph as a rookie climber before... way below a climbers wage but it got me off the ground initially (no pun intended ).

[Tom10]

There is a difference between a groudie and a labourer.

 

A groundie working efficiently with a climber, rigging, lowering and holding CS38 is over £100 but dependant on area.

 

A labourer cleaning up, cutting the stuff dropped from the tree and organising it, own ppe but not expected to be efficiently working with a climber and holding no CS38 then 50 - 70 IMO

 

Tom.

[BarneyH]

In Glasgow I started on £70 a day. Wouldn't go much below that bringing qualifications and my own gear to the site, but I guess it depends what you're prepared to take. I think that we shouldn't forget though that we'll work be working as hard as we can whether we're experienced or not, if we're prepared to take £50 a day then we may as well take minimum wage jobs where we can earn the same and have much less demanding days.

 

Please note though - I have been lucky to have a very good, fair employer. I didn't set that day rate, I took it when it was offered, and any increase I've got with experience has been offered, not asked for.

 

So my advice would be: ask what they are prepared to pay you. If you feel that they are chancing the arm, ask for more. If they aren't prepared to offer you more than you'd get in a less skilled job chances are they aren't the kind of folk you want to be working for.

 

Maybe that's unfair, but that's how it seems to me. Ultimately even what seems great to rookies like us will still be a major saving for the employer against getting someone with lots of experience in.

[Czlowiek Drzewo]

Take what your given until you prove yourself.

 

I have had many calls recently from rookies looking for work. I have had rookies out who want over £100 a day but can't do a very basic removal & i about 3 rookies fresh from college wanting around £70 -£80 a day..and then overtime on top!

 

Colleges are firing out hundreds of beginners who all have tree motions, hitch climbers and Vt and all the fancy gear ..but no frickin idea!. You think because you LOOK the part you are going to get paid well?!

 

When i started out i worked real hard for £25 per day then worked up to £50 a day after couple years.

 

Advice: If you rookie ..and are after work and calling around - Don't dicate to the business owners you are calling with how much you want per day...go to a day a day or 2 with them and they will tell you how much you are worth.

 

Rant over.

[Pedroski]

Right then, when I first started back in 1986, I was on £1/hour. That gave me fuel, record and beer money so I was happy. But now, I won't get out of bed for less than £100/day and when I price a job and hire a hard working rookie, then I won't pay them less than £100/day. Any less really is crap, regardless. This whole country has gone tits up when people think it's acceptable to pay someone £50/day for sweating their nads off for 8 or 9 or 10 hours. Tight gits.

[Paul Cleaver]

Right then, when I first started back in 1986, I was on £1/hour. That gave me fuel, record and beer money so I was happy. But now, I won't get out of bed for less than £100/day and when I price a job and hire a hard working rookie, then I won't pay them less than £100/day. Any less really is crap, regardless. This whole country has gone tits up when people think it's acceptable to pay someone £50/day for sweating their nads off for 8 or 9 or 10 hours. Tight gits.

 

totally agreee

[Mozza]

Right then, when I first started back in 1986, I was on £1/hour. That gave me fuel, record and beer money so I was happy. But now, I won't get out of bed for less than £100/day and when I price a job and hire a hard working rookie, then I won't pay them less than £100/day. Any less really is crap, regardless. This whole country has gone tits up when people think it's acceptable to pay someone £50/day for sweating their nads off for 8 or 9 or 10 hours. Tight gits.

 

The trouble with that is, if everyone said £100 across the board, that's the price end of.

 

You'd still get people saying "well I'll do it for £80" to get the work, then 70 then 60, then doing it for the wood or free for experience, stupid people working for nothing are killing it these days! Not the guys employing them

[Tom D]

It's the same for the employers, I'd love to charge £2k a day and pay my guys like footballers, but so long as there's someone willing to work for less.....

 

TD Tree & Land Services Ltd.

[Stephen Blair]

Right then, when I first started back in 1986, I was on £1/hour. That gave me fuel, record and beer money so I was happy. But now, I won't get out of bed for less than £100/day and when I price a job and hire a hard working rookie, then I won't pay them less than £100/day. Any less really is crap, regardless. This whole country has gone tits up when people think it's acceptable to pay someone £50/day for sweating their nads off for 8 or 9 or 10 hours. Tight gits.

 

What if back in 1986 there were guys who needed every penny for bills and food who needed £1.50 an hour just to survive, yet you were happy to go in cheap and still waste a high percentage of your wage.

donkey work is donkey work, and will always be minimal pay, it's the bottom of the ladder, some may decide to stay on that rung for 20 years, but it's still the bottom of the rung reguardless.

there is lots of money and good customers out there, you just have to go and find them.

good luck:)

[jltree]

See what your employer thinks... I have had lads with every ticket going and wanting top dollar BUT they are usless.. Straight out of college and been promised the world of colleges that just want numbers on books {HOUGHALL}and turn students out who should not of passed some of there tickets.. Also look on this forum, lads willing to work for experience as its a hard industry flooded with students who are forced into college or lose there benefits { not all before some PC starts to twist}who then become a danger. So just stick in and graft and sure you will earn what you want in time