SussexHarry

Oh I see! That one did throw me off a bit 🤣

Thank you. Well said and right on the money I think. May I ask what you’re up to now?

Yes I am tempted by it. Certainly got some perks - well paid (so I won’t have to stomach much of a pay cut leaving my current job), fully funded development, and the team seems good. Only thing that puts me off is that I’ve heard utility work is akin to butchery, which is not the sort of work I think I’d like, nor the direction I’d want my career to take…. Decisions…

Totally get where you’re coming from. I’m no stranger to hard work and like to think I’ve grafted for the companies who have given me the time. I know tickets aren’t much but they at least show some drive, no? All self-funded. If I could find enough companies willing to offer me work I’d do it in a heart beat. But as it stands it’s literally nothing - drips and drabs, a day here and there. Finding even 3 days a week seems impossible, so I have a hard time believing I’ll be “busy”. Not before I’m bankrupt anyway. Trying to convince family and the girlfriend that giving up my full time job to get into arb, so that I can do 2 days a week and window cleaning…. Bit of a hard sell!!!

Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately I’m locked into a full time job that doesn’t offer any means of cutting down hours. I’m either in or out - and working 6 day weeks it’s very difficult to find the time to do part-time work or get tickets. It’s been a struggle just getting the tickets I have. If I could find enough work to fill maybe 4 days a week I could stomach the transition. As it stands, it’s like you say - they only want me for the odd job and are otherwise fully staffed. No room anywhere for full time, and no one I can find trying to expand their company and take on more staff. Very much a case of “dead man’s boots”. I’ve been told by one company I did some work for that they can’t find any jobs at the moment! Can’t find work for the staff they already have - let alone anyone extra. I’ll keep looking, but at the moment I think my best bet is to keep trying the bigger companies for a full time position, rather than relying on smaller businesses to provide drips and drabs. All seems quite unreliable…

Mid-20s. Ex military. Got CS30/31, and would have climbing certs if my local college didn’t cancel the course last minute 🙄

Hi everyone, About a year ago I began the process of leaving my current career and getting started in tree work. I got some tickets and did “experience days” with local companies on my days off. I’m at the point now where I feel ready to leave and go full-time in the trees. The issue I face now is that I can’t find the work! All of the companies I did part time work for are well staffed enough that they can’t offer me more than a day or two here and there - not enough to fill a calendar. I've looked into going PAYE with a company full-time and have only had one offer at a utility firm. It’s good money but not the sort of work I was hoping for. Is this just a terrible time to join the Arb workforce, or am I doing something wrong here? Thanks

Hi all. Sussex based, ex-army, 27 years old, with CS30/31. Currently employed elsewhere and starting university in September. Looking for full time work starting as soon as, until September. Would like to self-fund my way through climbing courses and then do that part time while studying. If anyone’s looking to hire an aspirational groundie let me know Harry

Hi all, Plumpton College, or LandPro training, have let me down by cancelling my aerial rescue course that was booked for NEXT WEEK at short notice… the trouble I went through to secure leave from work to attend this course is immense and I’m very disappointed. Does anyone know of any courses being run next week (starting 21st Oct) that have spaces left? Closer to Sussex the better but I don’t mind getting a B&B! Thanks

A friend of mine has one and works it retrieving. Bit of a toss-up. I prefer the way cockers work and the smaller size, but feel the temperament of a FRL would be better. It’s going to be a shot in the dark as, like you say, both breeds can be a handful. Will come down to the individual dog I think.

Thanks, I’m currently thinking along the lines of a working dog - cocker, or maybe a fox red lab - with the intention of actually working them. Good to see that plenty of the people here have success taking their dogs to work. Leaving the dog at home is absolute last resort, but there are plenty of family who have offered up to spend the day with a puppy - whether that will continue after puppyhood, I don’t know… doubt it! Then there’s dog walkers, and the odd day when my partner isn’t working. All going well, pooch would be at work with me all day, but I’m trying not to hedge all my bets on that being a given. You never know how they’ll turn out. Worst case scenario is I have to drop the dog off with family on the mornings I can’t have them with me, and the poor thing will have to spend all day in the company of two sassy chihuahuas!

In my research before getting a dog I’ve found lots of similar advice about having a cage as a safe place for the dog. How’d you go about training that when they’re puppies? Any tips?

Is yours on site every day then?

This is why I’m asking. Seems like lots of people have spaniels, labradors, pointers, etc, which makes me think they either take them to site every day or have someone at home all the time - quite a luxury either way!

Hi all, I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a dog. Me and the better half are both on board, but we aren’t sure about leaving the dog at home during the day. We both work… Does everyone here take their canines to jobs with them, or have someone at home? Or are we best off forking out for a dog walker every day? Any dog pictures appreciated!

Yes, but understandably so… Employers aren’t afforded much else in the way of protection from trouble employees. And once they’re in, they’re in. So it makes sense having an extended probation period to make sure they aren’t serial dossers 😂

As far as I know there is no maximum probation period set out by HMRC (if that’s what you mean?). Guidelines suggest 3-6 months. One company I trialed with asks for 9.

I was thinking this. But I am starting to wonder if some time on PAYE would be beneficial to start, just for some job security and steady income while I save up and acquire my own kit. Starting up on my own is a long way off though. There’s enough one-man-bands in my area doing jobs for cheap… I’d rather wait a while and get something a bit more professional established, as and when the time is right. Still got a while to go.

I appreciate it’s not the most exciting topic but, as someone who is joining the industry with the idea of one day starting my own company in the back of my mind, it’s important to me. Start as you mean to go on, and all that…

I figured this was the case. I get that arb is a very seasonal career, and the jobs tend to be short and sweet (negating the need for a whole team of full-time staff), but it seems to me that efforts by employers to dodge this comes at the expense of their “freelancers”, who are working full time but missing out on holiday pay, sick pay, and missing out on crucial employees right and entitlements. One company I worked for briefly runs an entire team of full-time “contractors”, who show up at the yard every day at 7 sharp. I’m sure this works great for them at the moment, as they don’t have to pay any NI, Income tax for their staff, sick pay, holiday pay, and so on. But I can’t help but think the young lads on the team are getting royally f***ed by this setup and I don’t think the poor sods realise it. Not to worry though, because the boss got a nice big new truck recently 🤦‍♂️ and I doubt he’ll care much when the work dries up and his staff haven’t got a leg to stand on when they start wondering about redundancy pay…

I’m sure it does, when done lawfully! But there is no such thing as “self-employed” when you’re doing it for one single company full-time. HMRC would consider you to be an employee in that case, and that puts your “client” (employer) in a very tricky position when someone decides to have a nose around their tax affairs. They would also be liable for any missed sick/holiday pay.

Yeah, I don’t plan on working full-time for a company unless it’s PAYE. If I had my own truck, saws, climbing gear, and worked for a few different companies then fair enough. But dragging brash and climbing for one company full-time as a “contractor” seems like a great way to get bent over by the tax man. Just seems strange that most companies around me are doing this. I can only assume they’re all just dodging employer’s responsibilities and tax just to save a few bob.

I seem to recall reading that part of IR35 is that it’s now the employer’s responsibility to work out whether a contractor is inside/outside IR35, and any NI/income tax due because a contractor is actually an employee is owed by the employer.

I get this - however as I understand it, if I am working for the same company and operating in a similar manner to an “employee”, when I would actually need to be on the books. By claiming to be self-employed, I’m creating a tax liability for the company due to IR35. It’s my understanding that you simply can’t be self-employed and working for the same company full-time - especially if you’re using their tools, branded clothing, and calling the boss “boss”.

Hi all, I’m sure this topic has been beaten to death, however I’m having some issues working things out. Essentially I am looking to move into full-time employment in Arb and have been looking at employment opportunities again. When I was last exploring this earlier in the year I was offered two full-time jobs (which I incidentally turned down for personal reasons at the time). One of these positions was PAYE, with a large company. All above board. The other was also full-time - show up at the yard at 7, wear the company hoodie, do what boss says needs doing that day and then come back to the yard to do whatever needed doing there. 5 days a week… except this person wanted to pay me as a “contractor” - as in I invoice him for the money owed, and then it’s up to me to sort out tax, expenses, holiday, sick pay, etc. As I understand it under IR35, that second scenario is not lawful and, should HMRC come knocking, land both myself and the prospective employer in some trouble. My issue is that now I’ve started to look for full-time tree work it seems most local arb companies are operating in a similar fashion. Full time work, kit provided by the company, boss on-site, except no-one is on PAYE! Am I missing something, or is everyone just winging it and hoping HMRC don’t come knocking?