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Hi guys, my names Ed and I’m fairly new to he forums. I left school last year and started my search for a career. I had been working whilst at school as a landscape gardener and I thoroughly enjoyed the days I spent outside even when it was raining and I was soaking wet I was glad I wasn’t in a classroom so I knew I wanted to work outside. I always enjoyed the arb aspects of my summer job, trimming a few hedges and dragging brash around so I began a search for a apprenticeship in Tree Surgery, I wrote to 11 different local company’s and applied at dart training to see if they could find me an employer, no luck. Out of The 6 companies that replied to me 1 was willing to take me on as a labourer but was not willing to offer put me thru any training. The other 5 either didn’t have any vacancies or expressed concerns over the paperwork regarding taking on a apprentice. I also offered to work voluntarily on the off day for a few company’s purely to gain experience, however again these companies had concerns regarding paperwork and employing young people. So I ended up taking a offer of an appentiship in bricklaying and it’s going well. I’m 6 months in and have passed every practical exam with either a distinction or a merit. My employer is thrilled to have me and looks after me pretty well financially. However when I was on the scaffolding today I found my mind drifiting to awful condition of the surrounding trees. There was inward growth everywhere and most of the trees had outgrown there environment. I wanted to be in doing tree work, having fun dragging brash around and learning a trade I’m genuinely interested in, not tied to a trowel on a dodgy scaffold laying brick after brick after brick. I’m just after a few opinions from people who have been in the arb trade for a few years about what I should do. I plan on sticking my appentiship out for the remaining six months and then evaluating me situation. However id like to be gaining experience now around my existing job.