Rates of pay?

[swinny]

totaly agree, but the young lads need to appreciate that you cant come along all wet behind the ears and demand top rates!

 

That is correct. And thank you

[Ty Korrigan]

Moving to Europe as an employee or self employed still requires language skills that few have.

Its not greener here on this side of La Manche, just differently coloured...

If you can't make it back home then in all probability you won't make it here either.

But you will have a real life adventure even if it does lead to divorce, lost capital and confused kids.

Ty

[Riggerbear]

ha ha ha, yep, thats what worries me too, how long do we have? when will those guys start saying "he aint what he used to be"

 

worries me sometimes, but what else would I do!

 

I'm 40 at the end of the year, been climbing 20 years soon and I think I've slowed a little over the last 6 months.

 

 

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[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I'm 40 at the end of the year, been climbing 20 years soon and I think I've slowed a little over the last 6 months.

 

 

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the build up to forty is worse than the post forty! I was in a right pickle for the 12 months of 39!

[Riggerbear]

the build up to forty is worse than the post forty! I was in a right pickle for the 12 months of 39!

 

It's funny, when I was 30 it didn't bother me 1 bit. Had a big fancy dress party and really enjoyed it. I've got no interest in doing the same for my 40th. Sorry everyone we seemed to have gone off topic slightly.

 

 

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[Jesse]

the build up to forty is worse than the post forty! I was in a right pickle for the 12 months of 39!

 

Thats nothing, i'm 50 this year , still climb, but have got over the 40 thing, eldest daughter is just about to make me a granddad , thanks, my old boss died last week at 64 and all i keep thinking about is dying , not in a negative way as i have had far too much fun in my life and have in a way had more lives than a cat. But all you have to remember is ' Always look on the bright side of life' those lyrics resonate in my head every day. You know the lyrics

[Big J]

Whilst I would agree with much of this I wouldnt agree that middle management/pen pushing roles are worth anymore than the top rates a climber/foreman would receive. Both roles require different skills, both high levels of skill and experience, but one thing that is not factored in is the short lifespan of a climber, many will bang on and on about this guy or that guy at 70 still doing the climbing blah blah, but these are exceptions to the rule.

 

A bad climber will kill somebody, a good climber is jugling many responsibilities, the poor one couldn't give a hoot. You get what you pay for in this world.

 

I couldnt get 200 pounds a day if i tried as a freelance climber, not and be busy 6 day weeks, theres so many factors in determining your own value, I have always relied on my capacity to do ANY tree thrown at me and to complete works in the most efficient way possible. This alone means I will always get a little more than the average Joe fee wise, but it also means i will not be called in for average jobs that Joe can do.

 

I also agree with you for the most part, but I do have a great deal of respect for people who undertake vocational training/study, particularly as the financial rewards aren't great (and usually aren't the reason they choose that career path). My wife is an example - she is an architect, taking 9-10 years to fully qualify, and earns about what an average employed climber would get. She is extremely good at what she does, has led projects of up to £7m (for the Foresty Commission - Glentress Mountain Bike Centre), and is also the only one of her friends in architecture/engineering who hasn't been made redundant. The hours that she has done when a project has been busy are daft (80 hours a week were quite common) and there is no overtime payment as it's just assumed that you will do it for the salary you are paid.

 

We have pretty good job stability in this industry. If we are reasonably competent and diligent, there is the opportunity to earn good money for something that requires very little training. The competence after training takes quite some time to develop, but it is worth bearing in mind that we are only regarded as a semi skilled profession (though I would at times disagree with that statement).

 

I now have a couple of cutters working for me who have experience, though a little limited in places. They are however incredibly enthusiastic (which is infectious - I was ready to drop the forestry after Christmas, but was asked by my main client not to) and work very hard. When you get used to working with people who don't really want to be there, it's a breath of fresh air. At present I pay them a healthy training wage as I am there cutting with them every moment of every day. I will increase their pay incrementally as their skill and experience builds.

 

Either way, there certainly isn't the money in forestry that there is in tree surgery, but I am very glad indeed that it's forestry that I do. The clearing up alone would drive me nuts!

[Jesse]

the build up to forty is worse than the post forty! I was in a right pickle for the 12 months of 39!

 

Hay you should check out ' rugbysongs.net' 172 A song about turds 94 that should cheer you up in fact theres lots on there.

[rossy]

The rate of pay isn't as important I don't think as enjoying the type of work your employed does and the company of the guys you work with. I'd rather be settled somewhere I like than chase the top money. I don't know why people moan about the wages, surely some research would have shown the wages were crap in this business before you even thought about getting qualified. I for one and happy to get my same crappy wages every week and budget too them. The market is getting tighter and tighter and the result is more hours less money, suck it up or choose a different path.

 

 

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[Taupotreeman]

]

 

 

New outfits? Just like they were you mean?

 

Nothing wrong with one man bands or lawn mowing companies that dabble in small tree work. Can be a profitable buisiness model. It certainly worked for me when I was getting started. Just because you can use a chainsaw doesn't mean you're special. Particularly with the huge amount of college leavers with their CS courses under their belt.

 

I'm with those who mentioned the cost of living. Thats the real issue. The fact that this country is screwed. You can't tell me that the current generation has the same opportunities (as things stand, it may get better but I doubt it) as the generation that went before.

 

I blame the baby boomers and the banks.

 

 

*closes cat box quietly, exit dovecote stage left...*

 

Just because you can pick up a chainsaw doesn't mean to say you know how to use it, as some of the lawn mowing contractors here have shown. As for the statement about competing with new companies starting up; that's just a fact. You still have to compete against them do you not?

 

 

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