Working for the Forestry Commision.

[lostplanet]

I am going down the road of applying for a job with the FC as a Forest Craftsperson.

It's a really big decision to make as i will have to move from Kent to Norfolk where my Girlfriend lives.
I have no experience of Forestry/Arboriculture but i have had many pratical hands-on jobs over the years which allows me to adapt quickly to most situations.

I am 37 years old so this will probably be my last job until retirement.
Can anyone explain what it's really like working at the FC and what day to day life is like.
Next time i'm up in Norfolk i will call in to the Santon Downham office to get my face known and try and get a feel for the organsiation.
I have looked at courses for Lantra/NTPC chainsaw and pesticides which the job description said would be beneficial and am currently looking into
getting these done.


Any advice, tips or info will be greatly appreciated and I can spell commission but not all the time.

Jason

 

[law]

hi mate i applied for a position in the fc a few years ago the application form is/was very long winded wanted to know loads of info situations relevent to the job your applying for big full right ups descriptions etc i would defo get your basic chainsaw and pesticides certificates plus firstaid to be evan shortlisted dont let this put you off just really sale yourself but but dont lie on your cv they will check hope this helps

 

[huntersforge]

Hi Lostplanet ,
Dont want to p!ss on your fire mate but working for the Forestry commission is not all its cracked up to be , I was a wildlife ranger with them for 4 years .
To say competition is fierce for vacancies is an understatement , its a good thing they grow trees as the paperwork involved must account for at least half of them and everyone including the tea boy thinks they are in charge. However dont get downhearted it may be the job for you .
There are better run private companies out there who are into forest management , They might be a better bet .
All the best .
Paul

 

[lostplanet]

No go ahead, This is exactly what i want to hear, you can't know what its like to work for anyone until you know. experience counts good or bad.

I guessed that there will be all sorts of issues and problems but that's life. It's an interest i have and being where (thetford) I want to be is ideal. I guess i can shop around and find out more about the surrounding areas and who's employing, so i will.
I figure because i need training i should go down the civil service route to get help or less costs.

Why is it such a sort after career? the pay is hardly good inline with construction engineering etc.

Thanks so far.

 

[Aaron]

All of these organisations tend to be full of petty bureacrats - I work as a Woodland Officer for my local council and some days I dont know wether to laugh or cry. I just comfort myself with the fact that I am nothing like the rest of them. In all of these jobs its the people you work with on a day to day basis who make or break it - if you are part of a good team who just get on with it and have a laugh it could be a brilliant job. I have never worked for the FC but have heard that they do invest time and money in training their staff. By contrast I worked as a Forester for the National Trust for over three years - the wages were sh*t and I only got put on a couple of training courses, hence the maxim heard amongst its staff "The wages of sin is death, and the National Trust pays even less". If you can get a job with them stick it for a few years then go self employed would be my advice.

 

[Toddy]

I have friends who work for them, good and bad and not well paid seems to be the best (kindest ) description . It helps if you have an extra string to your bow they like the look of....an interest in fungi, animal management, public relations ( I kid you not) or the like. One of the guys particular interest is in the economy of peat bogs
Two of them ended up working for the local council arborist and also did a very lucrative sideline in working for the railways as contractors, felling and pruning along the lines. (usually night shift work, hard graft but well paid )
Might be worth while finding your local tree surgeons and asking if they need labour and if they put you through your chainsaw certificate so much the better.
Just an idea; best of luck with things.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[lostplanet]

I have found a college local which offers just about everything forestry, but sadly the costs are mounting up to nearly £1500, which is out of my league at the moment...still looking at alternatives and researching, this is a bit of a bump incase new members have something to add to the thread.

also found some voluntary groups in this line of work which i am going to see about doing.

thanks so far..

 

[addo]

If you want to do tree work, interesting forestry work is a bit rare and hard continuous work. I like the idea of coppicing/hedgelaying etc but would have to work for myself again as it dosent pay well employed. I went down the Arboriculture route and became a climber and there are loads of employers and opportunities to work for yourself combining estate/gardeneing work. The wages vary according to what u can do and whos paying. Local authorities are very good employers, all the best kit, training, wages and big jobs and 7.5 hrs a day!
I went to a local college full time and the training was almost free, just paid approx £50 for assesments and extra for some PPE, and learnt all the theary too, which comes in handy when your body cant take the practical work any more, and move on.
Hope that helps, all tree work is fun though and there are some great charactors.

 

[TallMikeM]

I'm currently a volunteer forester/warden at a NT estate near me, and I've just been accepted to do an ND in Countryside Management to start in the autumn. From talking to various bods in the industry (i.e. the employers) this is pretty much the only way in. You need experience and nowadays, unless you have a shed load of exp, a qualification. There are 3 people who are reletively new to the industry up there, and that's the way they got their jobs, getting a qual and volunteering to get experience.
That said, the volunteering is great fin, I spent most of weds offroading and the day before watching red kites and buzzards flying overhead (mind you, I spent Monday cleaning up after the weekend, mmmm, used condoms ).

 

[Rebel]

I might see you at college then Mike.

 

[Bob]

Jason

You might also want to consider joining your local Wildlife Trust volunteer group or local BTCV (British Trust for Conservation Volunteers) group.

Currently in conservation there is a large emphasis on involving local volunteers in landscape scale projects. As a result, more money has been forthcoming for training up volunteers in a range of skills. If you are willing to show a commitment to an organisation they may put you through your chainsaw ticket themselves. It goes without saying however that this is a two-way deal - not a cheap shortcut to a ticket. Both parties can benefit; the organisation gets much needed - and skilled - voluntary help, and you get trained, earn valuable experience and can also stay working to support yourself.

If you get a choice I would recommend an NPTC ticket rather than Lantra. From what I can gather from various trainers it would appear that NPTC is becoming the industry standard (in forestry and arboriculture) - this appears to be driven by insurance companies would you believe!

Hope that helps.

Bob

 

[TallMikeM]

I might see you at college then Mike.

still waiting to hear back from capel (they don't half drag their feet), this is Shuttleworth in biggleswade that have accepted me.
But does this mean you're going back to capel next year? If so, that's great news. If I do go there it'd be great to hook up.

 

[om2ae]

Hi Guys

first time post, I went to Shuttleworth, brilllant place to study. I did the ND and went on to do a degree, after which it took a long time to get a job, but now work for the wildlife trust (beds) keep in there and get the practical skills. Volunteering is the only way.

 

[TallMikeM]

Hi Guys

first time post, I went to Shuttleworth, brilllant place to study. I did the ND and went on to do a degree, after which it took a long time to get a job, but now work for the wildlife trust (beds) keep in there and get the practical skills. Volunteering is the only way.

I have a feeling that a woman I work with did some volunteering there.

 

[Rebel]

Jason

If you get a choice I would recommend an NPTC ticket rather than Lantra. From what I can gather from various trainers it would appear that NPTC is becoming the industry standard (in forestry and arboriculture) - this appears to be driven by insurance companies would you believe!

Bob

That's correct. NPTC is what you need for commercial work now and it is mostly driven by insurance. Lantra seems to be considered more of a hobbyists qualification. Even though I will have a BTEC chainsaw and tree felling qualification under my belt at the end of the year it counts for nothing in the industry, I have to do the separate NPTC test for insurance purposes.

 

[mr dazzler]

JasonYou might also want to consider joining your local Wildlife Trust volunteer group

Theres a good one at Lopham Fen, not a million miles from thetford (aboiut 6 miles west of Diss)

http://www.suffolkwildlife.co.uk/nr/sites/redg.htm

 

[lostplanet]

great info, I have some nore contacts to try, looking good so far.

Thanks to everyone for your valuable advice and information...keep it coming please.

I will reply in more detail as i can.

 

[lostplanet]

Just started voluteering at shorne country park and found an excellent website/forum for arborista.http://www.arbtalk.co.uk/
Thinking I might volunteer myself in the employment forums 'will work for knowledge and diesel'

when things settle down a bit more i will look at WTVG as well.
Thanks Again all.

 

[mr dazzler]

That arbtalk site is brillaint, spent the last hour totally engrossed in it

 

[Mirius]

You might also want to look at the BTCV. They have a training centre in Chichester and they do a lot of interesting courses, though not chainsaw.