The climbing and arb community is a pretty small and specialist group. In the UK we really don’t have enough people coming into the industry let alone moving through it into the more technical or management, off the tools roles.

We’ve been working in the recruitment side of the tree world for nearly 20 years and have seen a fair amount of change in that time. You may not agree with the following, and if you don’t, we’d love to know and hear your perspective. The industry has changed a lot in the last few years and these are our thoughts about thinking ahead to when you down tools:

1) Have respect for yourself and your fellow arborists. Hold each other up. The industry is not well understood and working on educating and enthusing people about the specialist roles you carry out will help to elevate the industry’s reputation.

2) Be professional. Whatever stage of your career you’re at it matters. We speak to employers every day and it’s the arborists who are reliable, communicate well and add to a team who get the best roles to progress their careers.

3) Be open to employment. By this we don’t mean working, we mean PAYE. Changes in how HMRC treats self-employment mean that a lot of subbie jobs are not above board. Could you be seen as a disguised employee? There may be fines to pay if you are. A day rate might sound amazing, but you could be skating on this ice and, apart from that, many of the benefits of employment (like the ability to get a mortgage, have holiday pay, sick pay, insurance, PPE... the list goes on) outweigh the risks of subbing.

 4) Plan ahead. You may know a lot about trees and even have a Level 3 in Arboriculture, but if you want to get into surveying a Lantra Professional Tree Inspection course will be a real help, so start to plan before you decide to down tools. Whether that’s your path or you’re interested in management roles there are things you can do to plan a soft landing and stay in the tree world as you head to retirement – ask people in the know and imagine the future you want before you get there.

 5 Spread the word. There just aren’t enough people in the arboriculture industry in the UK so if you love what you do spread the word. Whether it’s to school levers or those who want a career change, your enthusiasm for all things arb can become part of the future of the industry and if there are people coming up the ranks there will be those ready to step into your climbing shoes when the time is right for you. 

Do you agree? Would you add anything to the list? Let us know. Thanks, Kate & Beccy

 Our APF 2022 Arb Competition is now closed - winners will be announced soon!

Two Arb prizes to be won – Which one is for you?

• We want to help the aspiring Arborist who is aiming to get off the tools and head into their first technical role - working with trees, but from the ground.
• We know from many years in the industry talking to arb employers that the PTI is the course that helps consolidate a climbing Arborists’ CV
• The PTI (Professional Tree Inspector) is a 3-day course which is respected throughout the industry. In combination with a Level 3 in Arboriculture it gets you the leg up to an interview for a technical post - from climber to tree surveyor/tree officer and beyond.

Now’s not the time? Not sure whether you’re ready? Or already have a PTI? Never fear – we are also offering a one-day Fungi course – another useful arb qualification.

The prizes are being offered by Tree Life in collaboration with us and they are both courses which will support Arborists on their career path and other technical positions.

For a chance to WIN either a Professional Tree Inspector course or a Fungi Recognition and Response course Click here and follow the instructions

You can also enter by dropping us a line at admin@ctcrecruitment.co.uk, following and messaging us on Instagram or LinkedIn, or popping by Stand D11c at APF2022 and saying hello. That’s all!

Once we’ve said hello back and had a short conversation, we’ll pop your name in the pot and you’ll be in with a chance to win.

*Small print: The course financial values are £450+vat and £120+vat respectively but it’s the value to a career we’re interested in. There is no cash alternative – the winners will be decided by Tree Life and CTC Recruitment and the judge’s decision is final. We’re doing this to spread the word; start conversations; support Arb careers and the industry and hope you’ll approach the competition in the spirit intended – thanks.

Links for further exploration:

CTC Recruitment Ltd

Tree Life AC Ltd

Professional Tree Inspector course (PTI)

Fungi 'recognition & response' 1 Day Course

At APF 2022, in collaboration with Keely at Tree Life AC, we are offering information, support and two amazing prizes for the Arboriculture community. Our theme for the show is – 'Supporting arborists in creating a long and satisfying career in trees'.

We're bringing our combined expertise to APF in September to share over 3 decades of experience in arb employment and training – no strings, no bull... just the chance for an honest chat about where your career can progress to as the years go by. If you're not able to attend the show don't worry, just follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram and you'll be in the know.

It takes planning to come off the tools into technical Arb roles and it's never too soon to start thinking about where you want your tree career to take you. Climbers have a unique view of trees and one that teaches something new every day. This learning adds up through the years and the right underlying planning and qualifications can support you in working in tree roles for life. Here's the problem though; many people don't think about what happens when they want to come off the tools until that moment arrives. All the tree knowledge in the world alone won't get you that Tree Inspector role without the right qualifications and here's where a visit to our stand can help.

Follow us to hear more and be in with a chance to WIN one of two Tree Life Arboriculture courses: a three day Professional Tree inspector qualification and a one day Fungi Recognition and Response course!

We'd love to hear what you think of our plan and if there's anything specific you'd like us to address. Just email admin@ctcrecruitment.co.uk and either Beccy or Kate will get back to you.

Ssssh! We've been secretly planning and are excited to share this with all arborists... it's a collaboration within a collaboration, it's all about arborists and their present and future plans and there's even the chance to WIN a course or two!

We are joining up with with Keely at Tree Life AC and the theme is - Supporting arborists in creating a long and satisfying career in trees. We're bringing our combined expertise to APF in September to share over 3 decades of experience in arb employment and training – no strings, no bullshit... just the chance for an honest chat about where your career can progress to as the years go by. If you're not able to attend the show don't worry, just follow us on LinkedIn or Instagram and you'll be in the know.

It takes planning to come off the tools into Arb roles and it's never too soon to start thinking about where you want your tree career to take you. As a climber you have a unique view of trees and one that teaches you something new every day. This learning adds up through the years and with the right underlying planning and qualifications can support you in working in tree roles for life.

Here's the problem though; most people don't think about what happens when they want to come off the tools until that moment arrives. All the tree knowledge in the world alone won't get you that Tree Officer role you know you could do standing on your head and here's where a visit to our stand can help. Follow us to hear more and be in with a chance to WIN one of two FREE Arboriculture courses!

We'd love to hear what you think of our plan and if there's anything specific you'd like us to address. Just email admin@ctcrecruitment.co.uk and eitrher Beccy or I will get back to you.

 Best wishes, Kate 

Does the idea of travel excite you? From time to time we have jobs come onto our books which excite us and this week has been a pearler!

Now we ought to say from the start, we are well aware that it's not easy finding qualified Arborists in the UK at the moment. We work hard every day to match Climbers and Tree Officers with roles which will fulfil them and further their careers.

Usually being close to home is one of the key factors in a role but from time to time a situation arises where the opposite is true. Sometimes it's all about finding someone who is looking to give themselves, and perhaps their family too, a new experience and an adventure to boot.

So this week we added jobs in Australia and Bermuda to our website. Both opportunities are for a couple of years so not a lifetime commitment, but what would be special about those two years?

Well, firstly, if you love climbing then the experience of new trees to appreciate will be one of the benefits. Can you spot the climber in the eucalyptus above? These giant trees can grow up to nearly 400th tall!

Then there's the weather. Probably still challenging at times but in a very different way to British demands made by the cold. Certainly, more enjoyable when not working and on the beach or cooking up a storm on the barbie.

The adventure doesn't only have to be for those in the trees either. Both opportunities offer a fully supported application system (which could include a visa for a spouse) so it could be an exciting time for a young family to experience the world.

If the thought of sun and sea, with an interesting and rewarding job thrown in is for you then drop us an email at admin@ctcrecruitment.co.uk or call us on 01743 344466 to chat through the opportunities. You can also read more about the Australia Climbing Arb jobs here. Thanks for reading and, wherever you're looking for Arb work, we're here to help.

Warm wishes, Beccy and Kate

Do you have a favourite tree? I had a think about this recently and really enjoyed reminiscing. 

When I was about 8-10 I lived in Gibraltar . There was a tree behind our flat called Old Tom. 
I’m not sure what type of tree it was. It was great for climbing. It's still there; I've just checked on Google Maps. 

I was not a good climber but I could do some of the ‘crossings’ which all had a name. I can’t remember the name of them all but I could do ‘zebra crossing’. Only the older, really competent climbers could do ‘Highest Point Crossing’. Looking up from my safe spot I would watch them cross nimbly from one branch to another, so high in the air. I can still remember exactly the base of the tree and where the trunk divided and left a gap in the middle for your foot. And the lumps it had kindly grown, like on a climbing wall, to help me up. I don’t remember there being an amazing view. It probably wasn’t very tall anyway. I think when we were in the tree we didn’t look out of it, being in the tree was the excitement.

Sadly I don’t have a picture of it but my sister Valerie says she can send me one. This is her memory of it: Highest point crossing was terrifying; you had to swing your legs and loop them over the next branch and then grab the branch above in the middle and swing across. I can't believe we used to do it! There were 3 knobbles, left, right, left up the two boughs, to get to the first proper branch on the right, I remember those knobbles very clearly! Someone fell out trying it, Fraser? Not sure but remember his being terribly winded and me realising just how dangerous it was. Marjorie the doll tried a few times after that but I don't think I ever did again.

My brother remembers being too little to climb it but once leaning his bike against it in an effort to use it as a ladder. I don't think it worked. He was only 4.

Do you have a favourite tree you'd like to share? If so Instagram is a great place to do it. We are @ctcrecruitment (click here to go direct). If you're not on Instagram you can email us at admin@ctcrecruitment.co.uk. We'd love to hear your stories.

Thanks and happy arb-ing, Kate (& Beccy)

When we asked Steve Bullman from Arbtalk about running a photograph competition we had no idea how many fab tree people would enter and we’ve loved going through the pictures.

It’s also been fascinating to see the arb world from different angles, looking up high into the canopy, looking down from a drone and up close with trees and machinery. From some of the comments on Arbtalk I think it’s fascinated arborists too. If you’d like to see them as they appear on our Instagram feed you can follow us by clicking here. But before you do that scroll down to enjoy some of the entries loved and to see the competition winners.

It’s been really hard to decide which are our favourites but we managed to whittle it down to a shortlist of 9 photos which we wanted to share because we loved them and 3 which were our out-and-out winners. We’ve explained why under each photo.

 We have 9 photos which we wanted to highlight for various reasons. These first two show a working day being enjoyed in very different weathers:

Credit: JonnyRFT

Credit: IronMike

The next two were amazing examples of being in the woods as the sun set...

Credit: Juddy  

Credit: IronMike

And these are gorgeous examples of the beautiful neaqr symmetry of trees:

Credit: AFtrees  

Credit: Patrick Goulding

And these were great examples of trees in various stages of removal:

Credit Tommy_B

Credit: Mike Dempsey

Credit: skyhuck

And our winners are... for the two runner's up prizes of £25 we have something old world and something very much more modern. We felt both had a great sense of atmosphere and portrayed the job in hand really well:

Credit: Cob-Logging

Credit: JonnyRFT

And finally, our winner is Carlos whose silhouette really seemed to us to capture a sense of purpose and concentration:

Credit: Carlos

A massive thank you to all who joined in. We'll look forward to showcasing the photos on Instagram over time and will credit the entrant wherever possible. Please follow us via the link at the top of this blog and we'll tag you if you know which was your entry. Thank you also to Arbtalk and the arb community there for the fun we've had with it. We'll message the three winners privately to arrange to send their prize.

If you've any photos you'd like us to share on Instagram don't hesitate to drop them across to us.

Stay safe and thanks again, Kate & Beccy 

If CV writing feels stressful we're here to help. It's probably easier than you think and one of the issues we find is that people often overcomplicate things. Think of it as neatly organised planting, less is more.

In the current market the most important thing to get across is your skills, qualifications, and experience in arboriculture. Putting all this in a few words as possible really helps your potential employer to see where you'll best fit into their team.

To help you we've put together a simple blank CV below which you can copy and paste into your chosen document.

It's important that you consider the role you are applying for when writing the CV. Whether it's a climbing role, tree Inspecting or groundwork there will be something in an advert which had appealed to you and that can come across in your CV. For example, if you're keen to get into a Tree Officer role and are studying for your Level 3 or PTI let the employer know. You may well be the best candidate for the role even if you haven't started your studies, it might be that you're a Level 2 but have loads of tree ID experience. It all counts and could get you the position you want with the promise of further training as an added bonus. It could even be that the location is ideal for you and would fit really well into family life; employers want a happy team so even the 'soft stuff' matters.

If a section of your career is self-employed it's important that you put in your start and end dates (month and year) and mention the employer you worked for in each instance. Potential employers will be very keen to see how you've spent your time being self-employed and the more detail you give the more credibility you'll have in their eyes.

If you're in any doubt we're always happy to help so drop us an email at admin@ctcrecruitment.co.uk letting us know what sort of roles you are interested in and we'll answer all the questions we can (with over 20 years of specialist arb recruitment experience on the team we'll usually be able to help).

If we don't have a vacancy that currently appeals, it's still worth dropping us your CV to the email above with a list of your dream jobs; we have new roles coming through the pipeline all the time so it's definitely worth a try!

Hope this helps and Good Luck!

Beccy & Kate at CTC Recruitment

Your Simple CV template for jobs in Arboriculture

First and Last Name

Tel:

Email:

Address:

Skills: (eg: driving license, all chainsaw tickets held, aerial rescue, aerial chainsaw, team leading experience, machinery qualifications such as MEWP & chipper, surveying, handheld device experience, PA1, PA6, pricing experience)

Education: (list your basic education here. School/college, and the qualifications achieved)

School/college:

Exam results:

List education history by repeating the above as necessary.

Experience: (in time order – newest first)

Employer:

Role:

Start Date:                     End Date:

List employment history by repeating the above as necessary.

Hobbies & interests etc: (not obligatory… just if you want to add something more personal)

Copyright CTC Recruitment Ltd 2022

You've found a new job! It's just what you're looking for. Better money, the position you're after, close to home and the boss is enthusiastic about you starting asap. Brilliant, well done!

So you can start on Monday, right? Ah, not so fast; there's a bit of paperwork to do first... well that's if the job is with a reputable employer who has your, and their own, best interests at heart.

The good news is that there's someone behind the scenes ready and waiting to get it in the system and get you working but they will need a bit of help from you.

It's not a lot, just a bit of compliance. Your chainsaw tickets etc. are probably close to hand... but the reference... that always seems more of an ask. Who to ask? And how? And what do they need to say? 

Don't stress though, it should actually be easy and quick. Here are a few hints and tips to make it easier and get you to the yard as quickly as possible.

Remember that references need to be from within the last two years so that means that it'll be someone you've worked with fairly recently.

You'll usually be asked by your future employer or recruitment agency to supply the name and email address of one or two referees and all they have to do is confirm the dates that you worked. They can offer more information but it's not obligatory. The Citizens Advice Bureaux give more detail on what an employer can and can't say here.

With 20 years' experience in the industry, we are well aware that there comes a time in every climbing arborists' life that being up trees for a living becomes harder. Often that moment is what pre-empts the conversation we then have with them about next steps but it really pays to think about this before that moment arrives... If you've spent years doing the hard yards up in the treetops and are beginning to feel that a change is on the horizon the below should help.

There are several ways that experienced climbers and even groundsmen can advance their careers. There are lots of options, whether it's going on to become a tree surveyor, a planning officer, a practical assessor, an expert witness, and lots more - there's definitely something for everyone. The thing is that decades of experience and chainsaw tickets just isn't enough. However, a bit of forward planning and some extra time and effort will gain you the qualification you need to progress higher while your feet are on the ground!

The links below will take you to the Arboriculture Association website and they offer a wealth of information and support in this area.

For a simple page of the possible careers in this sector click here and for a more detailed, clear view of the qualifications needed for different roles it's here. You can also access a list of training providers which offer suitable courses across the UK here.

We would love to hear from education providers and those who have gone on to qualify at Level 3 or above in the arb sector about other options that will enrich this blog. We'll keep it updated so that it's useful on an ongoing basis.