Tree surgeons like confetti ....

[aspenarb]

There may be a lot of trucks and chippers floating about but they dont affect anything we do There is a dire shortage of reliable skilled ticketed climbers,cutters and forestry machine drivers in these parts.

 

This has a lot to do with it and keeps a lot of arb guys busy with roadside work . http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/englandsmostwoodedregioninventory.pdf/$FILE/englandsmostwoodedregioninventory.pdf

 

Bob

[TORNADOS7]

There's tree surgeons everywhere but everybody wants staff. But on the opposite side of that, nobody is willing to have a trainee.

 

A lot of the problem is that a lot of companies these days want fully trained staff but are unwilling to contribute towards that training and this is because they are finding that in the past they've invested a lot of time, patience and money in a trainee just for the little scrote to up and feck off on their own as soon as they get their qualification therefore 'understandably' they are unwilling to take an apprentice on !...

 

This leads onto the next problem which is that the people (like me) who are reliable, hard working, honest and loyal to a point don't get a bloody look-in, surely you would be better off taking on an older/more settled/married bloke with a family to provide for who is less likely to just up and do one than you would be in taking on some bleary eyed 17yr old who's more interested in texting his mates about who he shagged in the back of his slammed 'Golf GTDI' or how much he drank last night, you know the type they usually have Monday morning syndrome !...

[JLA Arborists]

A lot of the problem is that a lot of companies these days want fully trained staff but are unwilling to contribute towards that training and this is because they are finding that in the past they've invested a lot of time, patience and money in a trainee just for the little scrote to up and feck off on their own as soon as they get their qualification therefore 'understandably' they are unwilling to take an apprentice on !...

 

:

 

 

Makes me think of the quote "train your staff well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough they want to stay" or something along them lines

[Eddy_t]

Makes me think of the quote "train your staff well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough they want to stay" or something along them lines

 

 

Pity so many company owners can't manage one, let alone both! Speaking of the latter part of that statement, how're things with you? Looking after you better yet?

[Robert_S]

You can see why there is an attraction to it, we make a fortune and only work a few days a week who would not want to do that

[Stoatally]

A lot of the problem is that a lot of companies these days want fully trained staff but are unwilling to contribute towards that training and this is because they are finding that in the past they've invested a lot of time, patience and money in a trainee just for the little scrote to up and feck off on their own as soon as they get their qualification therefore 'understandably' they are unwilling to take an apprentice on !...

 

This leads onto the next problem which is that the people (like me) who are reliable, hard working, honest and loyal to a point don't get a bloody look-in, surely you would be better off taking on an older/more settled/married bloke with a family to provide for who is less likely to just up and do one than you would be in taking on some bleary eyed 17yr old who's more interested in texting his mates about who he shagged in the back of his slammed 'Golf GTDI' or how much he drank last night, you know the type they usually have Monday morning syndrome !...

 

 

I also see it that the 17 year old is more likely to 'do one' after they've been trained as they have nothing to lose. If their business venture doesn't work, chances are they're still living with mum and dad so no rent etc. It could also be that 'kids' don't know what they want to do with their lives at school leaving age. It took me to 35 to realise I want to be outdoors, in the arb / groundy world and 40 to get to point where I'm seriously starting to train, study and look for a career move.

 

Older more willing trainees or new starters have more to consider - likely to stay with a company to pay the mortgage, bills etc. I know I have a set amount to bring in each month just to pay my way. My partner is stressing that if I don't bring at least that much in then it puts loads more pressure on her to be the main bread winner. She has agreed that we'll jointly pay for some of my retraining though. She's an absolute diamond.

 

I wonder if that's the other problem with companies taking on older trainees - either they expect I'll rock up asking for £25k starting, or the minimum wage makes it too expensive? Although I make it that minimum wage would put someone on £12.5. I'd be willing to start on that as a permie which would be a big drop. I see the apprentice wage (for first year apprentices over 19 is £5.5k - Yikes!). You'd like to think there'd be some consideration for maturity, experience, life skills and so on.

 

Tornados7 there was a Devon company looking for a trainee in the employment section (I think) and I got a PM from an apprentice provider who has contracts in Devon - which is too far for me unfortunately

[Al Cormack]

Is it me or are there tree surgeons every where now a days ? Seems to me here in West Sussex there is an epidemic of high sided trucks towing chippers here there and everywhere . There is the " old Guard " of familiar names plus a large percentage of new guys who I have never heard of cropping up daily !

 

 

Same here in North Surrey. There's now 6-7 small companies within about 1.5 miles of me.

[Shane]

It may seem unfair that we train someone up then they leave to set up on their own and become a competitor, but how many on here went straight into running their own company without getting ANY experience working for someone else?

 

My trainee wrote to me last year (while he was still at school) asking if he could just come along and see if he thinks tree work is for him, before applying to any college.

 

Thats a bit of forward thinking and attitude I liked. So he is with us now.

 

PS still now work round here - steer clear of Sussex all work has dried up.

[Andrew Gale]

In recent years I've had a number of guys leave to start up their own business and it is frustrating but as Shane says, we all did it one way or another.

 

I find the most frustrating thing is with the increased number of gangs out there the quality of work hasn't increased.

[Rye Oil Ltd]

I must admit I have seen a huge amount of crews in Sussex both East and West. Not sure if its because of the nature of my business I take more notice of trucks pulling chippers, or whether there has been a big increase in new firms setting up.

I am all for competition but I think I might get the hump if loads of oil companies suddenly started popping up near me.

Jon