If you love the outdoors, have a deep-seated appreciation for nature and don’t want to earn your daily bread cooped up in an office somewhere, consider a career in tree surgery. Tree surgeons are essential workers who keep our nation beautiful, protect our landscape from invasive species, keep roads and power lines clear, and are among the first to respond when extreme weather wreaks havoc. But how much does a tree surgeon earn in the UK?
Requirements to Become a Tree Surgeon
Before you can become a tree surgeon you will need to undergo training that will teach you the fine points of the trade including, but not limited to:
● Tree Removal - All tree surgeons must be thoroughly trained in the process of tree removal.
● Tree Pruning - All tree surgeons must be adept at pruning trees.
● Stump Removal - Tree surgeons must know how to remove stumps properly.
● Aerial Work - You must be thoroughly trained in working at height.
● Root Pruning - Cutting back roots is exacting work that requires expert training.
One thing you need to be mindful of when considering a career as a tree surgeon is that part about aerial work. You can’t prune trees or perform other aspects of the tree surgeon’s job without working at height. If you are not comfortable with the idea of aerial work, tree surgery is not for you.
That said, let’s take a quick look at tree surgeon salaries.
How Much Do Tree Surgeons Earn in the UK?
The salaries of tree surgeons in the UK vary pretty widely depending on experience level, location and other factors. As a general rule, new hires can expect a base salary of around £16,000 per year. That is for someone with no experience who just completed the required tree surgeon training courses at the DTE Academy.
It is not unusual for experienced tree surgeons to earn upwards of £45,000. That amount is predicated on the tree surgeon working 40-50 hours per week, performing lots of aerial work, leading crews and more. Some tree surgeons choose to work for themselves which can result in even higher earnings if the person is good at what they do and reasonably business savvy.
Your Career Prospects
There are lots of levels when it comes to careers in this industry. The more qualifications and experience you have, the further you can go, and the more you can earn. Whilst ground workers with little experience are expected to earn around the £16,000 mark, those with lots of experience can go on to earn triple that, if not more.
Specialist tree surgeons tend to earn around £30,000, with those putting in some serious hours and with a few extra qualifications bringing home around £45,000. However, that’s just the start. Get yourself in a consultancy, planning or teaching role (with us, perhaps) and you can well exceed that number.
All it takes is a little bit of commitment and application from you, to not only earn your stripes on the ground, but to invest in your development by attending one or more of our DTE Academy courses. Whatever topic you choose, you won’t regret it.
The Benefits of Being a Tree Surgeon
The benefits of being a Tree Surgeon extend beyond the pay to include:
Varied work: For some people spending every day at the same desk in the same office is the ideal situation. Others, however, are simply not cut out for that life. If the possibility of working in different locations all the time and performing a variety of tasks appeals to you you’ll love being a Tree Surgeon.
Working outdoors: Not only do Tree Surgeons move from location to location on a regular basis almost all of their time is spent outdoors. Tree Surgeons work with their hands in the natural environment, breathing fresh air and communing with the flora and fauna.
Highly satisfying work: Spending each day helping to ensure the health and well-being of trees on both public and private land leaves the Tree Surgeon with a deep sense of satisfaction. Every day the Tree Surgeon helps make the environment a little healthier, safer and more beautiful.
No shortage of work: The Tree Surgeon is kept busy pruning, removing, planting and assessing trees in both rural and urban areas. It is estimated that there are now more than 1.3 billion trees in England alone, 10% more than 40 years ago, and the area covered by trees is increasing by 20,000 acres per year.
Opportunities for growth: Advances in the field of Arboriculture are ongoing, requiring the Tree Surgeon to continually upgrade and refine their skills through a variety of training programmes and certifications. Contrary to popular belief the field contains a multitude of opportunities for advancement and growth.
Flexibility: The Tree Surgeon can choose to work for an established company like DTE or they can be a freelance contractor, or they can start their own business. It’s the kind of flexibility you don’t find in many jobs and tends to attract those who value independence and like to keep their options open.
Good for your health: The Tree Surgeon’s work is physically demanding meaning that it will help you stay in shape while your office worker buddies are packing on the pounds.
How We Can Help
Our courses can give you qualifications and experience in a wide range of things – such as tree felling, climbing, aerial rescue and chainsaw use and maintenance. Not only does this make you a better employee, a better colleague and just generally a more skilled individual – it really helps when it comes to your take-home salary too.
As established already, qualified tree surgeons can earn up to and beyond £45,000 a year. That’s a lot of money, but the operative word there is qualified. That’s where we can help. Our courses are industry recognised and will teach you both the hard and soft skills you need to flourish in this industry.
About Our Academy
We are proud to say that our DTE Academy is run by fully qualified tree surgeons with a wide range of experience. Collectively we are all hugely passionate about our work, and take great pride in developing arborists of the future.
All we ever ask from our students is that they turn up with a positive attitude and ready to learn. As long as you are willing to work with us, we'll ensure you get where you need to go.
We will do everything we can to provide you with a productive learning environment. From providing you with full meals, setting clear learning outcomes and being strict on the staff we employ, we always go the extra mile to give you the best experience.
Get in Touch With DTE
To learn more or to sign up for any or all of our tree surgeon training courses contact the Down to Earth Academy today by calling 01959 524 623 or writing to us at enquiries@dtetrees.co.uk.