Gardening career as a tree surgeon

HOW TO HAVE A CAREER IN TREE SURGERY AND HOW TO BE A TREE SURGEON IN LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

Tree surgeons are professionals responsible for the felling, care, and maintenance of trees, planting trees and hazard assessments. They are also called tree climbers and arborists. The annual salary for a starter in the United Kingdom is £16,000 while experienced tree surgeons are paid about £30,000 on a yearly basis. They usually work for forty hours per week and could work on weekends at short notice.

Becoming a tree surgeon is possible through these means, and these are a university course, a college course, and an apprenticeship. If you want to study tree surgery in the university, you can apply for a foundation degree or higher national diploma. Other relevant courses related to tree surgery are forest management, arboriculture, forestry, countryside management, and woodland ecology and conversation.

Entry requirements for this course are as follows:

• 1 or 2 A-Levels or its equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma
• 2 to 3 A levels or its equivalent for a degree course.

Entry requirements for this course in colleges are as follows:

• Level 2 Certificate in Arboriculture
• Level 3 Diploma in Forestry and Arboriculture
• 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course
• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course

You can also become an apprentice through an arborist intermediate apprenticeship program.

Entry requirements for this position are as follows:

• GCSEs, usually including English and mathematics, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

You can start your career as a groundworker offering support for an experienced tree surgeon. You can go for more training courses in the handling of chainsaws, ladders, ropes, and harnesses.

You can also work as a volunteer for conservation agencies and horticultural groups to gain more experience and exposure. It is important to use agencies such as the National Trust, The Tree Council and the Woodland Trust for volunteer opportunities.

These are the required attributes of a tree surgeon:

• The capacity to interact with other team members.
• Paying attention to detail on the job.
• Possession of leadership skills.
• Mobility and coordination.
• Patience and the capacity to maintain calmness in the face of difficult situations.
• Dexterity in the use of machines and tools for planting and maintenance of trees.
• Ambitious and ability to work without supervision.
• Capacity to perform tasks with computer and hand-held devices.
• Do not have a phobia for heights.
• Possess a Certificate of Competence. This is essential for carrying out dangerous tasks such as handling pesticides and chainsaws.
• Drivers license

These are the daily tasks performed by tree surgeons:

• Assessment of the hazards posed by the presence of trees
• Offering an assessment of the trees to check the health of trees and offer treatment.
• Removal of overstretched tree branches.
• Planting and Felling of Trees.

WHERE TREE SURGEONS CAN WORK

In the United Kingdom, professional tree surgeons can work in places such as parks and gardens, streets, woodland and rail tracks. The work of a tree surgeon can be complicated as it requires working outdoors in all types of weather conditions.

Tree surgeons are also required to wear safety clothing and protective safety equipment. A tree surgeon can gain more experience by studying more courses and be promoted to the position of a manager or supervisor. You can also start your consultancy services to help people prune and maintain trees in their spaces.

arborists