Find your route into consultancy

The right experience , qualifications and CV will put in pole position to land a role as Beccy Blackman director of CTC Recruitment explains

To read all about it turn to page 45  Pro Arb June 2024

Get in touch if you would like to discuss your options or need any advice regarding your progression  admin@ctcrecruitment.co.uk   We would love to hear from you.

The route into Consultancy in arb can be varied but the starting point is a Level 3 in Arboriculture. If you don't have a Level 3 and have plenty of industry knowledge then you may be able to choose to move straight to the Level 4 with an online provider; for one example click here but there are lots of other Level 3 and 4 courses you can read about online.

If you already have a Level 3 or above, great, the next thing to think about is your experience.

Consultancy firms looking to recruit always ask us to find arborists who have working experience and a good understanding of BS5837 (trees in relation to design, demolition and construction). We can't stress how often this comes up or how important it seems to be so if you can evidence this you're ahead of the pack. If you can't then read up and start applying it where possible in your current role so that you become confident with it ahead of time.

They also often ask about CAD and will expect experience and confidence with handheld GIS mapping devices. Additionally you'll need to be an excellent communicator who is comfortable with computers and the written word.

A good way of being paid to share your passion for all things arb with others is to become an assessor or a teacher. If you've been in the arb world for long enough to have guided junior colleagues, you should have a good idea of whether you'd enjoy it or not. Teaching isn't for everyone but if you do enjoy inspiring and helping people it you'll find it rewarding and you'll be able to continue to work in and around trees for many more years. 

If being an assessor interests you, you can find more out about it through Lantra and NPTC who both offer assessor training, follow the links below:

NPTC Assessor Approval Process

Lantra Become an Instructor or Assessor

If you're thinking of taking up vocational teaching and want to be based in an educational establishment, you can start leaning about the process here.

If you're thinking of a more academic route, such as a college lecturer, you'll likely already have contacts in the academic sector who will be able to advise. 

If the thought of coming of the tools and managing an arb team, an arb office, or your own arb business is of interest there are several ways in. Here are some practical tips which should help you:

You'll need a minimum of 5 years' experience in Arboriculture for most management roles; decent IT literacy and good communication skills.

As far as qualifications go you could already have a Level 2, 3 or 4 in arboriculture, which will get you in to any of the above positions, but if not consider achiving these qualifications part-time or look into the courses below. 

If you aren't keen on longer-term academic study all is not lost. There are lots of short courses which will help you, for example the one-day Tree Risk Management course (approx. £150+vat), and the one day seminar on BS3998 (approx. £120 +vat). Here's a leaflet from the well-known and respected Arb trainers Treelife: TreeLife short courses in Arb to give you an idea of the short courses on offer (they will be happy to help if you have any questions).

The QTRA is also training worth considering if you want to evidence your tree knowledge.

Other courses/skills to consider are:

Health and Safely training

IT literacy courses

PTI (read about this here)

Good knowledge of LOLER regulations 

Think about the skills needed for the role you're considering and evidence them briefly on your CV. Experience in the industry goes a long way but if you are ambitious to keep learning you can study most arb courses from Level 2 to degree online while you work.

The industry is crying our for every role in arb at the moment so if you can show skills and competency in the area you're keen to go in to you've a good chance of getting an interview. If you can't evidence what's needed yet start working towards it now, planning for success will lead you to a job you'll enjoy.