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Tree Surgeon / Arborist


Kennedy Bakircioglu

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Kennedy Bakircioglu

Is there anyone on JKB who would recommend this as a career? I work in finance and am thinking of getting out before my mid life crisis.

 

 

How many years would I be looking at before earning above minimum wage?

 

 

Would prefer to stay in Edinburgh, but not overly fixed to one location.

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Is there anyone on JKB who would recommend this as a career? I work in finance and am thinking of getting out before my mid life crisis.

 

 

How many years would I be looking at before earning above minimum wage?

 

 

Would prefer to stay in Edinburgh, but not overly fixed to one location.

I think loads of guys would like swinging their choppers and getting paid for the privilege :whistling:

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:ermm::ermm::ermm:

Oh your actually being serious?why on earth would you want to go up trees to get out of a mid-life crisis,buy a sports car or waist it on wine,women and song but hey if climbing trees rocks your boat then go for it :blink::blink::unsure:

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I have no knowledge or experience in that industry but am not sure ive ever seen a tree surgeons transit that wasn't pulling a caravan. Take from that what you will. unsure.gif

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Kennedy Bakircioglu

Oh your actually being serious?why on earth would you want to go up trees to get out of a mid-life crisis,buy a sports car or waist it on wine,women and song but hey if climbing trees rocks your boat then go for it :blink::blink::unsure:

 

Being in an office from before day light to leaving well after daylight, is beginning to rapidly reduce my happiness in life. I can't see myself doing it til my 70th birthday, so just looking at other options.

 

To be fair, I guess any tree surgeon worth their salt will be outside, grafting away; whilst everyone on here is skiving, doing the complete opposite!

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Being in an office from before day light to leaving well after daylight, is beginning to rapidly reduce my happiness in life. I can't see myself doing it til my 70th birthday, so just looking at other options.

 

To be fair, I guess any tree surgeon worth their salt will be outside, grafting away; whilst everyone on here is skiving, doing the complete opposite!

And if you don't mind me asking what does your wife or girlfriend think about it?,or is it the lack of either that is putting the urge to chop down trees in your head or to release your obvious tension your feeling in your time of crisis.

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Can you see yourself setting up your gear and working outside when it's cold, dark, wet, and windy? Have you tried doing some kind of hard manual work outside, in the depth of a Scottish winter, to see if you could cope?

 

Might be worth contacting Pentland Rangers, Friends of Corstorphine Hill, Scottish National Heritage, or some such group. See if you can get some experience doing this type of heavy work, in the rubbish weather, on a voluntary basis first.

 

It may be that the grass (or hedge!) is not always greener on the other side (of the double glazed office window) and you may want to look at alternatives.

 

Good luck with whatever you decide. :thumb:

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Kennedy Bakircioglu

Can you see yourself setting up your gear and working outside when it's cold, dark, wet, and windy? Have you tried doing some kind of hard manual work outside, in the depth of a Scottish winter, to see if you could cope?

 

Might be worth contacting Pentland Rangers, Friends of Corstorphine Hill, Scottish National Heritage, or some such group. See if you can get some experience doing this type of heavy work, in the rubbish weather, on a voluntary basis first.

 

It may be that the grass (or hedge!) is not always greener on the other side (of the double glazed office window) and you may want to look at alternatives.

 

Good luck with whatever you decide. :thumb:

 

I worked on the building of the medical centre at Cameron Toll for a full winter. I tended to find it probably on a par with motivation for getting up and heading into the office. A winter like last year may be a different matter however!

 

I have spend summers in the past working for landscaping companies so I'm not new to manual labour.

 

I fully appreciate the greener grass argument. I'm more considering my options, rather than jumping into anything immediately.

 

Thanks for the decent reply though! :)

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What you could do as a starting point is to do a course to enable you to get your chainsaw certificate: various colleges (including Oatridge near Broxburn, I think) and other organisations run these. You would definitely need this to do that type of work anyway, it'd be some sort of introduction into what would be involved, and would give you the chance to speak to tutors and fellow-students about that line of work.

 

The Forestry Commission themselves might run this type of course, so it'd be worth looking at their website and seeing what courses and information they have available. Additionally, you could look on the web and/or Yellow Pages for tree-surgeons in the Edinburgh area and contact one or more of these for a chat and to get a better idea of how much of that type of work there is around. Who knows - you might even get a job out of it!

 

Having also had more than my fill of corporate life, open-plan offices (and the thronging multitude of erseholes who frequently inhabit them), office-politics, and working for borderline-sociopathic incompetents, I have every sympathy for your desire for a total career-change and would encourage you to pursue actively alternative options! :thumbsup:

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I worked on the building of the medical centre at Cameron Toll for a full winter. I tended to find it probably on a par with motivation for getting up and heading into the office. A winter like last year may be a different matter however!

 

I have spend summers in the past working for landscaping companies so I'm not new to manual labour.

 

I fully appreciate the greener grass argument. I'm more considering my options, rather than jumping into anything immediately.

 

Thanks for the decent reply though! :)

What about taking a sabbatical and if you don't feel like it was the right move after all then you've got the option to go back to your office job.

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It's hard work, but if you get it right can be very rewarding. Although the tree surgeon I know would probably say to stay away from training now as the market is becoming very populated as loads of people think they can just train up and make a mint. Have to spend a year in London too for the qualification, although if you can get work as a tree surgeon while your there you'll make loads.

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Kennedy Bakircioglu

What you could do as a starting point is to do a course to enable you to get your chainsaw certificate: various colleges (including Oatridge near Broxburn, I think) and other organisations run these. You would definitely need this to do that type of work anyway, it'd be some sort of introduction into what would be involved, and would give you the chance to speak to tutors and fellow-students about that line of work.

 

The Forestry Commission themselves might run this type of course, so it'd be worth looking at their website and seeing what courses and information they have available. Additionally, you could look on the web and/or Yellow Pages for tree-surgeons in the Edinburgh area and contact one or more of these for a chat and to get a better idea of how much of that type of work there is around. Who knows - you might even get a job out of it!

 

Having also had more than my fill of corporate life, open-plan offices (and the thronging multitude of erseholes who frequently inhabit them), office-politics, and working for borderline-sociopathic incompetents, I have every sympathy for your desire for a total career-change and would encourage you to pursue actively alternative options! :thumbsup:

 

I've spent the morning constructing a list of courses I would need to complete. I have the basic chainsaw license, but of course there are a large number of other courses I'd need, combined with a hell of a lot practical experience.

 

I had a good chat with the owner of one of the big companies also this morning. Very informative and he spoke positively for the future of the industry.

 

The third paragraph is a beautiful summmary of why I am considering alternative options. Obviously this might not be a long term option, but I'm hopefuly change will spark some new energy into life.

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I'm afraid i can be of no help regarding the thread topic but i love the OP's username!

 

What a player the wee guy was on Champ Man :)

 

 

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I've spent the morning constructing a list of courses I would need to complete. I have the basic chainsaw license, but of course there are a large number of other courses I'd need, combined with a hell of a lot practical experience.

 

I had a good chat with the owner of one of the big companies also this morning. Very informative and he spoke positively for the future of the industry.

 

The third paragraph is a beautiful summmary of why I am considering alternative options. Obviously this might not be a long term option, but I'm hopefuly change will spark some new energy into life.

 

It sounds like you're not going into it with your eyes closed then, and are taking the right steps in preparation for this. I'm looking actively for alternative paths and projects myself so would be interested to hear how you get on. Good luck.

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Setup on your own, most have a chunky offroader with all the kit in the back.

 

Also pest control would be a good addition skills wise so you can get more work.

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What about doing your offshore training seeing as you are familiar with Aberdeen?

 

:ninja:

 

Always an option.

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southside1874

Is there anyone on JKB who would recommend this as a career? I work in finance and am thinking of getting out before my mid life crisis.

 

 

How many years would I be looking at before earning above minimum wage?

 

 

Would prefer to stay in Edinburgh, but not overly fixed to one location.

 

Don't do it. I have a few mates that do it and its a young mans game.

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Kennedy Bakircioglu

Don't do it. I have a few mates that do it and its a young mans game.

 

 

I am younger than 30 (young man IMO! :thumbsup: )

 

 

Have considered off-shore work as well. It would be a good laugh but being my own boss / working towards that is a massive aim career wise!

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southside1874

I am younger than 30 (young man IMO! :thumbsup: )

 

 

Have considered off-shore work as well. It would be a good laugh but being my own boss / working towards that is a massive aim career wise!

 

I suppose it depends on what you know about trees already, but there is nothing wrong with getting work experience initially to see if you like it. Its the offshoots from the work like selling the logs in the winter and making garden furniture in the summer as well as knowing how to treat disease and when to prune different trees and bushes.

 

 

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It would probably be a decent option if you're interested in doing that kind of work, i certainly wouldn't fancy it in the winter though!

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Sorry to take this on a tangent, does anyone know a decent Tree Surgeon in West Lothian? I've had a couple round in the last few years, one was extortionate and the other was cheap but my trees are now rather odd shaped. Looking for something in the middle I guess!

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Sorry to take this on a tangent, does anyone know a decent Tree Surgeon in West Lothian? I've had a couple round in the last few years, one was extortionate and the other was cheap but my trees are now rather odd shaped. Looking for something in the middle I guess!

 

i don't know who it was but we had tree surgeons out at kirknewton earlier this year and they were very good, i could find out who they were from my boss

 

and to the OP: go for it, it's hard, hard work, but it can be very rewarding, both mentally and financially. i'd reccommend working for someone to get experience and knowlege, or even just get your chainsaw ticket (?500 odd, and you can do it at Oatridge) and do it small-scale whilst landscaping, then move on up to big-ass trees if you feel like it

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Sorry to take this on a tangent, does anyone know a decent Tree Surgeon in West Lothian? I've had a couple round in the last few years, one was extortionate and the other was cheap but my trees are now rather odd shaped. Looking for something in the middle I guess!

 

 

 

Why not ask the OP to do it............be good experience for him :thumbsup:

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Edinburgh Council are starting apprenticeships and looking for arborists, gonna be posted up sometime before new year, not sure when though.

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I get tree surgeons all the time in my a+e.

 

Falls from height mostly.

 

With the odd d.i.y., chainsaw-assisted, venesection and amputation, no doubt...? :mellow:

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With the odd d.i.y., chainsaw-assisted, venesection and amputation, no doubt...? :mellow:

 

Or is it tree stumps & branches up the rectum? Honest, I was gardening naked and just fell over onto it........... :whistling:

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i don't know who it was but we had tree surgeons out at kirknewton earlier this year and they were very good, i could find out who they were from my boss

 

and to the OP: go for it, it's hard, hard work, but it can be very rewarding, both mentally and financially. i'd reccommend working for someone to get experience and knowlege, or even just get your chainsaw ticket (?500 odd, and you can do it at Oatridge) and do it small-scale whilst landscaping, then move on up to big-ass trees if you feel like it

 

 

So you've had two already and now want a third. That will be tree fellers

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