Careers Spotlight: Arboriculture

What is Arboriculture? Arboriculture is a science and is the practice of taking care of plants, trees and shrubs – arborists are experts in green space. It is an industry that is bigger than many people think, being worth over £700 million each year and employing over 500,00 people across the country in a variety of roles.

Arboriculturists usually specialise in an area of work, such as:

• tree climbing and maintenance

• tree preservation and conservation

• parks and gardens

• planning

• tree survey and inspection.

Responsibilities:

• plant trees and shrubs

• carry out groundwork using a chainsaw and a chipper

• select plants and design landscaping schemes

• apply knowledge of tree biology for effective tree maintenance

• carry out tree inspections and surveys

• write reports for engineers, solicitors and mortgage and insurance companies, providing information relating to trees - for example if a tree root system is damaging, or likely to damage, a building or cause subsidence

• review and respond to planning applications

• provide training for junior colleagues and volunteers

• conduct development site surveys and give pre-planning advice on topics such as the effect a proposed development may have on trees in the area and how best to retain them and incorporate them into the finished project

Salary

Entry-level jobs such as graduate/assistant/technician arbiculturist attract starting salaries of around £15,000 while senior arboriculturist and arboricultural consultancy roles can attract salaries of between £25,000 and £40,000.

What to expect

Self-employment and freelance work are often possible. This is mainly at contractor level, with a high demand for skilled tree climbers, and at consultant level (possible after developing specialist knowledge and gaining adequate experience).

Women are currently under-represented in this profession, but the Women in Arboriculture Working Group are promoting the career and helping women develop skills.

There are good employment opportunities for skilled and qualified people. Expansion within the arboriculture industry has led to a significant increase in demand for arboriculture specialists who can work alongside allied professionals such as planners, landscape architects and environmental consultants. Competition is strong for work within well-established companies.

The role can be physically demanding, especially in more junior/trainee positions. A good head for heights is needed and the high-risk nature of the work means insurance costs can be very high for self-employed arborists and arboriculturists.  

For more information click on the links below.

Boosting your CV

So what is a CV?  CV is short for Curriculum Vitae and is a short document which summarises your unique skills, character, experience and achievements.  

For students it can feel difficult to know what to write as you haven't had the time to build up the experience that employers always seem to want.

In this section we will look at ways of making your CV stand out for future employers so you can get that dream job.  Last month we looked at after school clubs, this month we consider voluntary work.

Consider volunteering for a few weeks:

A great way to improve your working experience is to volunteer for a few weeks.

And we’re not just about the local charity shop.

If you have a particular type of job in mind that you’d like to do, why not search for companies within that industry and request to do a couple of weeks volunteering with them? The company will benefit from having an extra pair of hands for a few weeks, and you’ll benefit from improving your knowledge, understanding and experience, which will look great on your CV!

Finding volunteering opportunities is easier than you think. The first place you should start looking is in your local area. Drop by some of the places that you wouldn’t mind working in for a few weeks and ask if they have the capacity to take you on as a volunteer.

If you don’t have any luck in your local area, try searching online. There are a large number of volunteering websites out there that list opportunities all across the UK.

Current Opportunities

This month we have opportunities for students to learn how to start their career in medicine.

Your aspiring medical students in years 10-12 are eligible to attend a FREE LIVE VIRTUAL Get into Medicine Conference on:

- Saturday 29th October 10am - 3pm

- Sunday 30th October 10am - 3pm

Students can register using this link: https://airtable.com/shr66li3bqG3ZpkPM

We also created a Get into Medicine leaflet to distribute among your students, they just need to scan the QR code to register.

QR Code Leaflet: https://medicmentor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GIM-brochure-compressed.pdf

Once students have attended, they will be awarded a certificate from the Presidents at Medic Mentor to acknowledge that they are a student who has gone one step further than others.

The Get into Medicine conference is a significant turning point for Medic Mentor students. It will unlock exclusive opportunities such as scholarships and prizes, as well as help them to make a highly competitive application.

Please note that all students must be accompanied by a parent/guardian for safeguarding purposes.

The Get into Medicine Conference is a comprehensive guide to the medical application process. Dr Kennedy and I will cover:

-Application Timelines

-How to Tactically Choose Medical Schools

-CV Building

-Personal Statements

-Interview Schools

-Medical Leadership and Awards Programmes

-Accessing Work Experience

-UCAT and BMAT - Entrance Exams to Medical School

-Accessing Scholarships

Registration Link: https://airtable.com/shr66li3bqG3ZpkPM

QR Code Brochure: https://medicmentor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GIM-brochure-compressed.pdf

Getting into medicine may seem impossible to many students, but we’re here to break down the entire process into actionable steps.

We look forward to meeting your students at our conference