Progress within the IRATA system

[Jamie]

Cash, depends on your tree work. Average level 1 wage i've found is c. £12 per hour. Geo that may be 12 hours on a mattock, span-ex gun. rock drill, spinner or hauling mesh. my worst shift was 3 days shovelling and breaking slate in Macyclelth, or however its spelt.

 

As for hours, Assessors and trainers tend not to look to favorably on thousands of geo hours, dont get me wrong, a lot are spent doing some complex rope work, a lot are also spent on very simple drops rigged off yesterdays grouted rebar.

 

Jamie

[Littletree]

Hi there I know this post is old but it seems at this moment in time there is just masses and masses of devegging being taken on by the geo rope access company's , I know for us it seems our company is taking on huge railway devegging long term contracts . All under the IRATA banner .

 

So for anyone with there IRATA tickets there is no shortage in work at all levels

The company's mentioned in the above post all have a glut of this work at the moment

 

Littletree

[Ian88]

I got my IRATA level one six weeks ago, its a great course!

 

I had a weeks worth of work felling trees of a cliff at night on the edge of the A38 nr Buckfastleigh. It was pretty hardcore work doing 12 hour shifts at night but I loved it. Descending of a tensioned traverse on top a cliff to fell 12" tree with a huge spot light on you feels pretty dam cool!

 

I am currently looking into how to do more of this work towards the end of the summer and over next winter. It seems like rail line work is a good place to start looking.

 

With me providing a range of saws and all my own climbing gear(excluding ropes) it was actually much better paid for me than standard arb work.

[alistairmagee]

myself and jon turnbull both did our arata training in 2008, we both did the course for level 1 over a week with a company called narc in London.

 

I carnt quit remember how much it cost, but it was interesting, but trying to get into working with it was just simply impossible, i even offered to work for free just for experience and did nt get any offers.

 

a must of really sucked!

[Littletree]

Hi there yes the money is much better then average rail work for a level 1 your pay will be between 130 to 150 per day but you will need to find digs when you get there or most of us just van or car live ,

 

If it was a a couple of years ago when y applied I would say try again as this glut of tree/ devegging work has only in the last year taken off in the last year or so ring round again , When I first did my IRATA over 3 years ago I also for the first year of having it could not get work with it but but then did and have been flat out since

 

The drawbacks are its backbreaking work 11 and 12 h days every day working 11 days straight with only one rest brake in a 11 or 12 h shift .It's a different set up to normal tree tree surgery company's , you will work uk wide you can be placed anywhere .

 

For me it's been 2 years flat out with it and I am now trying to get out of this side of it

 

All the best

Littletree