hamilton32

Hi Patrick, I am already in Nelson in New Zealand. Do you have any part-time positions or options for self-employed workers? I am helping with my cousins business in forestry but still want to climb and do arb work! I have a 3-year essential skills visa, 5 years arb experience and a level 3 extended diploma in arboriculture, I am always looking to meet more arborists and tree firms to further develop my skills. If you think you might have a position for me id love to hear from you. You can contact me here or call me on 0212042836. Cheers, Hamilton

i bit the bullet and got a spiderjack3 you don't really notice the size or weight, its definately an improvement on the 2.1 id highly recommend it!

We've got a 2007 Jensen A540 it starts fine and picks up revs fine when engaged nothing sounds wrong but then after a minute or so the revs drop suddenly and it cuts out. This happens repeatedly. It's recently had a service and I can't find any obvious fault's. Does anyone know what it could be? Help massively appreciated! Thanks

Cheers man that's really helpful I think il go for it!

I currently climb on a Spiderjack 2.1 which I now really enjoy using. Has anyone gone from the 2.1 to the spiderjack 3 and found that the switch is easy and there are benefits worth the price tag? The locking function interests me, a drawback on the 2.1 is working above your anchor or going out on branches with the rope pulling behind you... I'm used to and like the braking system on the 2.1 and want to know if its basically the same on the sj3? Interested to hear what peoples experiences of it are? # Cheers

hla 65 is fantastic. So light, no fumes or noise highly recommend!

I want something like this https://engrope.com/shop/industries/arborist/ring-to-ring-slings/ for general rigging. I like the simplicity of it and have been in situations where being retrievable would be good. I can only find the rings by themselves in the UK which is not much good to me... Cheers in advance!

I've been a subby for 3 years now and just charge each company an individual day rate as there are a few variables: i factor in the hours i'll be working there, distance travelled and the kit I'm required to use and how regularly they can guarantee me work. This varies alot. I travel up to 45 mins without thinking about adding cost for travel. Most people that work have to travel to work and get paid nothing for it. It's finding a balance between getting paid fairly and not pricing yourself out of work.

I can definitely do some days for you guys if you need the extra manpower, although I am not looking for permanent full-time work I could happily commit to part-time if the pay suits. I've just got back from New Zealand and I'll be here for a few months.  I am a self-employed climber looking for a couple of days a week. I have 5 years experience in the industry, 3 years as a subby climber/2nd climber. I have a Level 3 extended diploma in Arboriculture with distinction Tickets from chipper to rigging, first aid and full clean licence. I'm hard working and easy going, with good organisation and communication skills and experience in all aspects of tree work and all operations like reductions etc are carried out to the highest standard. I turn up on time every day and work hard without moaning. I can email a CV and provide references and copies of qualifications etc on request. Give me a call on 07934782915. Cheers, Hamilton

Hi Mike, I'm a bit late for those dates obviously. But if you get stuck again give me a call on 07934782915. I'm currently living in Cheltenham but don't mind the drive to Bristol. I have 5 years experience in the industry, 3 years as a subby climber. I have a Level 3 extended diploma in Arboriculture with distinction Tickets from chipper to rigging, first aid and full clean licence. I'm hard working and easy going, with good organisation and communication skills and experience in all aspects of tree work and all operations like reductions etc are carried out to the highest standard. I can email a CV and provide references and copies of qualifications etc on request. Cheers

I've just got back from New Zealand and i'll be here for a few months. I am a self-employed climber looking for a couple of days a week, ideally in the Gloucestershire area but I'm willing to commute further if people are in need of a good worker and can offer a good rate of pay. I have 5 years experience in the industry, 3 years as a subby climber. I have a Level 3 extended diploma in Arboriculture with distinction Tickets from chipper to rigging, first aid and full clean licence. I'm hard working and easy going, with good organisation and communication skills and experience in all aspects of tree work and all operations like reductions etc are carried out to the highest standard. I can email a CV and provide references and copies of qualifications etc on request. Give me a call on 07934782915. Cheers, Hamilton

Hi Richard, I'll try and remember to call you tomorrow. I'm a self-employed climber, I'm not looking for a permanent position but need a couple of days a week. I have 5 years in the industry and 3 years as a self employed climber. I have an extended diploma in arboriculture and all the tickets from chipper to rigging. I live in Cheltenham but don't mind the drive to Bristol if the pay suits. If you want my CV I can email it over. You can contact me on 07934782915 but i'll try and call you tomorrow! Cheers, Hamilton

Cheers Joe! What's treescape like to work for? they have all the big contracts down here and all the big gear, very difficult to compete with. Do you have any idea what rates of pay a good climber should get? I expect you should be getting a bit more in Auckland. I'm still not sure how much I should be earning in a day!

Yes mate! still here, now applying for essential skills visa to get a couple more years here and maybe a residency. Ive travelled most of the south island, it's awesome. I'm still working in Nelson area and looking to explore the north island soon. My cousin owns a forestry business here so I'm now manager of arboriculture for him starting up an arb team, it's slow going currently but should snowball!

Yeah Im with you now. I think I may have been nieve in thinking I could claim on it on someone else's job. Luckily nothing ever went wrong and I got paid a decent wage. But yea we can conclude you just need both ELI(legally) and PL(to cover your ass)to do your 'own' jobs.

If something goes wrong and you drop something through someone's property surely it's better to be covered to fix it through your own insurance, as it's your fault. Especially at such a low cost. Not everyone has house insurance. And people aren't going to want to pay for excess and premiums for things that aren't their fault and why should they. I'd invoice the landscapers, but the ones I worked for weren't covered for anything over ten meters. i'd work for them as a climber and having my own PL insurance just meant if something went wrong we were definitely covered. And yeah you're right about employers liability it is a legal requirement I didn't know that when I started.

It's worth having if you want to do your own weekend jobs etc. I worked for companies most of the time but occasionally climbed for landscapers who weren't covered for certain heights and it's needed for your own weekend jobs. A guy with a farm i did some weekend stuff for, actually wanted proof of my PL so that was useful. My Personal accident and public liability was only 500 for the year (arborisk) and i hurt my knee and had time off, they paid out no problems. So yeah i'd highly recommend getting it. Worth noting that if you want to do stuff with builders/landscapers they often require PL £5mil minimum.

Ha, that's nothing to a property manager! The fines should be much greater to actually put people like that off.

If you have previous convictions they'll want all the details and it's best to be honest. Otherwise, no, you won't need one.

I entered at 25 and did the extended diploma in arboriculture at Sparsholt college it's a fulltime 2-year course. It gives you a lot of knowledge that some guys working for ten years+ don't have. I was skint as and worked as a part-time groundy then 2nd climber for two years whilst attending. However, there is nothing like actual work experience. Even with all the knowledge and tickets it takes 2 years just getting to a good and profitable working standard. The deeper understanding you get from the L3 is a great advantage and sets you up for the future if you're in it for the longterm. It also helps you get to places like NZ,oz and canada if you're interested. I started as a subby climber for different companies as soon as I finished college and my wage went up relatively quickly as my technique and confidence improved. If you're already fit you won't need to train but might be beneficial. You will get fitter at work and what really matters in climbing is technique. I was asking about doing the 10-week course, L2 1 yr or L3 before I went back to college and I'm very glad I went for the highest level qualification. I doubt my progression through the industry would have been so quick without it.

So moving to work in New Zealand has been a daunting but simple process and well worth it! As expected there are epic landscapes everywhere here. I've got a few small tips for anyone looking to do so to make it a bit easier: To work you need a bank account and IRD number: I opened an account at kiwi bank which is really straight forward and most of it can be done online. You need an ID and proof of address. If you're staying with friends or family you need them to give you signed a letter stating you live there with a utility bill with their address on. IRD offshore or non-resident application form. You'll need your UTR (unique taxpayers reference) number from the UK and your ID. You can complete the IRD form at the bank when you go in to open the account. They had a good look at my kit on the way in but it was all fine and worth the hours cleaning. Make sure you get rid of any signs of sawdust and anything which could be a tiny seed. I put my ropes etc in a bag on a cool wash and cleaned all krabs etc thoroughly. Tree kit is very expensive here up to 2x the price (regardless of the exchange rate) so unless you are going to be employed I'd recommend bringing pulleys karabiners and rope with you or get a friend to post stuff as a gift to avoid customs costs. Tree kit here can be bought at http://treetools.co.nz/ or https://www.metrogreen.co.nz/ I haven't found any other good sites yet. The food here is 3x the price unless you go hunting and fishing which is free! So be prepared for that. Rent is also pricey but I'm in Nelson which is apparently a sort-after location you can check prices on www.trademe.co.nz which is like ebay/gumtree with things, jobs and vehicles. I've found some small tree ID books that are OK for a quick reference but nothing comprehensive like the UKs Collins Tree ID book. I'm keeping an eye out. There's no need for insurance whilst working for another company. You are covered by ACC and the reciprocal agreement. https://www.health.govt.nz/new-zealand-health-system/eligibility-publicly-funded-health-services/reciprocal-health-agreements Vodaphone is the main service provider on the south island and you can buy a sim card and plan at the airport upon arrival.

Nice one Joe! That's a great help. I've also got a 30kg allowance and managed to get my clothes etc in with my climbing kit and my other bits laptop etc fit in hand luggage so that's all good! Just sorting a bank account and updated my CV.... I'm finally getting sorted and that's good news about getting the tax back cheers

Tumbleweed..... Obviously no one knows anything ha. ima put this here before everyone forks out hundreds on travel insurance they don't need as I almost did. https://www.health.govt.nz/new-zealand-health-system/eligibility-publicly-funded-health-services/reciprocal-health-agreements

I'm moving to New Zealand to Nelson this month for at least a year, maybe more depending on what happens. I'm hoping to carry on as a self-employed climber and my cousin(a forester) want help setting up an arb team, but I imagine work will be very slow there too begin with. Does anyone have any idea of the best way to get climbing kit over(harness,helmet,boots,rope,lanyard,krabs and pulleys etc) without paying tons for an additional heavy bag in hold luggage I was thinking posting might be cheaper than a per KG airline fee but I don't know if I'd have to pay an import tax on it? Also looking for advice on travel and Personal accident insurance if anyone has any recommendations that would be hugely appreciated! If anyone has any recommendations for a good NZ tree ID book and P+D book that would also be a great help! Also with banking do I need to open an account in NZ or will my UK internet banking be alright? What tax might I need to pay if I'm only there for a year? And will NZ sim cards work in any UK phone? Thanks in advance!!!