Mick Dempsey

So retop em.

You lucky bastard! You do have to play the long game as a climber though. We’ve had this chat before about freelance climber/small business owner and we haven’t agreed. I have always thought that freelance climbing serves two purposes. 1: More money than employed climbers, allowing you to get machinery bought. 2: Prepares you, both from a skillset POV (you get the tough stuff regularly) and a business POV to start getting your own work.

True.

Unlikely. Very small outfit.Though in fairness I learnt the job there. It was very 1950s but all the basics were the same as today.

£107 according to my research, but I take your point. Self employed paying your own stamp, tax, no sick or holidays, ‘twas buttons. After a year I asked for a pay rise on a Friday after work as I was climbing a lot more etc. he gave me a lot of old flannel about how he couldn’t afford it, ok I said I won’t be back Monday, I’ll be starting on my own (I was never going to stay but I wanted to ask just to see what he said) I wasn’t employed so I owed him no notice, cuts both ways. 27 years later still makes me happy thinking about it.

I think he’s talking about climbers specifically.

Aim high! If you want to be a climber (let’s face it, who doesn’t? The money, the adoring girls, the buff body) your best bet is to get yourself on a college course. They will teach you the basics as a kind of foundation to really learn the job on the job so to speak. Most of those courses will also give you your chainsaw certifications so you can get a job working for a tree work company as a groundsman/second climber/brash slag. From there you watch and ask and push to be allowed to do stuff, get your own gear, till you’re where you want to be. I did a 10 week course at Merrist Wood near Guildford in ‘95 but there is probably a college near you. If you don’t have the money maybe try grants from the government. Like you, I had to take a very low wage while I was learning the work, £50 a day on a self employed basis, but you have to look down the line and play the long game. ATB.

What aspect of the work interests you the most? ie. What is it you want to do, climber, forestry, Tree officer etc?

Alright Dave.

Wow!

That horse has not only bolted, it’s left the country and is drinking margaritas on the beach in Costa Rica.

Bit more than that, persistant rule breaking then persistant lying about it. But you didn’t want him to go did you?

If only she had shown as much moral fibre and followed the rules like Boris eh?

Desperate stuff.

Cheating how? Post it up.

I did, you got nothing.

Who did she cheat on her husband with?

Your words not mine. Who did she have sex with?

I guess because she’s not a ‘proud housewife’ you disapprove of her.

Finnish PM clear of drug taking. People having a good time 1 Miserable gits. 0

Ok, fair enough.

Where is this lack of respect you talk about? As for the ‘holding each other up and respecting our fellow arborists’ well that’s just New Age touchy feely nonsense. Anyway, give it ten years and everyone will be in Mewps or using remote control lorry grab things.

Yes, this is a factor.

Why is Arb poorly paid? You weren’t completely wrong, just putting too much store in your theory. Better now:)? Ok, so give us a little glimpse of the magic, throw us a bone so that we can understand a bit better the psychology of it.