Help!

[treeman82]

Guys, I am going for an interview on Monday with The Care Of Trees for a 5 month internship starting in March. I am not sure if it's worth it and would appreciate some feedback.

What I have to offer:
starting on 6th year of climbing experience
been a DEC certified pesticide technician for 2 years now which means I can apply most pesticides without supervision.
can drive a standard transmission
have some pretty good references for the area
can work for up to 5 months straight
willing to work 6 days a week, 8 - 10 hours a day
No problems with drinking or drugs.


My Drawbacks:
not a fully liscenced applicator with the DEC
no CDL, however I do want to get it this summer after I turn 21 on June 1
liscense has a few accidents on it, no tickets though
back troubles... can't drag brush and hump logs for extended amounts of time

What they have to offer:
training in sales, PHC, climbing, pruning, consulting, etc.
a good work environment
20 minutes from my house by car
$10 - $12 per hour on the books of course.

My commitments:
credit card bills totalling $200 per month
cell phone bill totalling no less than $90 per month
food bill which would be approximately $10 per day

My problems:
$10 - $12 on the books isn't much after taxes which doesn't leave me much money left to either sock away, or play with.
I have approximately $1,000 invested in my climbing system.
I am fairly doubtful that The Care of Trees would be dishing out 50+ hours per week due to overtime and what not. I think they are 40 hrs per week and that's it.
Working for myself, I can take home at the end of the day no less than $400 after paying for the chipper, truck, dump fees, laborer, gas, and lunch.
I however cannot come up with 5 months of work for myself at this time. I can get some work... but not that much right now unless I push some people.

 

[Treeman14]

1. Take the job.

2. Hang up the cell phone.

3. Pay off the credit cards and STOP using them.

4. Be the best employee you can possibly be. Show up every day, on time and do your job well.

5. Learn as much as you can and let your superiors know you want to advance within the company. The experience you gain will pay off in the long run. Don't burn any bridges and above all, control your temper.

Good luck.

 

[treeclimber165]

I'm not saying that my perception is accurate, but in your post you seem to come across as a spoiled kid with not enough structure in your life. You come and go as you please, run up cell phone and credit bills, then whine about how much money you owe. You cried the same tune a few months ago after blowing several hundred dollars at Sherrill, then 2 weeks later were all in a tizzy because you had creditors calling you and knocking at your door. I believe this all happened about the same time you were discussing bankruptcy (NEVER take responsibility for your actions!).
Brett's advice is good. Take the job and get some structure in your life. If you are going to have a successful business, there are a lot of things you need to learn. Working in and observing a successful business is a good place to start. Heck, you aren't even legal age yet!

 

[treeman82]

Thanx guys. I was planning on taking the job. I just wasn't sure if it would work out financially.

 

[budroe69moni]

go for it!!!!!
steady work for 5 months will pay your bills.
is it a monday thru friday gig???? if so.....
line up some side jobs on the weekends for
your spending $$$$$. it's a great chance to
learn....on the job training. it's like going to
arbormaster training for 5 months and they
pay you
budroe

 

[Eric E.]

If I had a bad backat 20 I might consider a different occupation. If I have a bad back at 40 I'd think about it too.

 

[treeman82]

Eric, my back isn't bad to the extents of many here on this site. However if I go up in the trees and take some jolting around for a while I will feel it pretty well that night and the day after.
I think the main reason I made this post was because, to me $10 - $12 per hour for climbing trees seems a bit low. I know that I could go to a bunch of lawn companies around here and make that much for just cutting grass, and not have to worry about busting up my gear, or getting injured. That was basically what I meant by the job working out financially. I know that ground guys who can run ropes well can make up to $15 per hour.

 

[Joe]

Listen to Brett if you are serious about getting a good start in life. What you do now will dictate the direction of your career. You are being offered an internship. Ask yourself what an internship is designed to do, then, be happy with the pay.

If your back gives you problems, listen to Eric. Unless your dad owns the business and you're getting the business no matter what happens to you, you have to pay your dues. You will not be able to do this with chronic back problems and your employers will see this.

Joe

 

[Higherup]

I get a kick out of the tough love u guys hand out and Im really amazed how well he 's taking it. but they are right about the structure and experience u gain in 5 mths there will be priceless in the future I believe i would try for 16 hr and work down from there maybe settle for $14 or so i pay my ground help 12. and as for as the bad back i was laid up for 3 mths and told I d never walk again last yr, so if I were u Id take care of that first get it checked out and find out if physical therapy can straighten it out (which usaully is the case) if you stick with it and use common sense in the future??? Im 100%? today without surgery so get it looked at and fixed before you laying on the floor crying in front of your loved ones because the pain is scruciating. if I could lay around for 5 mths to get my back straightened out versus living with the pain for a lifetime I think u get the point. the bills and financial stuff will work out especially for a 21 yr old who lives at home.

 

[TREETX]

Many internships are not paid. Be happy with what you get. If you are doing it for the money, get a job, not an internship.

I know from your posts you are bright and have the academia end. If your back is declining, maybe use your climbing experience combined with academia to get into a sales or operations position. You may do better interning for one of these positions.

.02, good luck

 

[treeman82]

I just talked with a friend a few minutes ago on the phone. He owns a tree company which employs about 12 people plus him. I explained the situation to him and he agreed that $10 - $12 per hour was low. He told me that $15 per hour would be fair. I know he has help that he pays a LOT more than that. If I can get The Care of Trees to $15.00 per hour I will take the job. BTW @$15 per hour that would only be $31,200 per year if it was a regular job. That amount per year would not allow for living ANWHERE near here at a mildly comfortable abode

 

[treeclimber165]

Originally posted by treeman82
BTW @$15 per hour that would only be $31,200 per year if it was a regular job. That amount per year would not allow for living ANWHERE near here at a mildly comfortable abode

But you AREN'T paying for housing, you're living with your parents! You have no idea what it is like to have to provide your own housing. Get your training while you still have the LUXURY of free rent. Besides, if you are making $40K per year, your parents would expect rent (or for you to move out).
You will understand in a few years, when it is too late to take advantage of good training because you are too busy humping 50-60 hours a week to support yourself, your pregnant girlfriend, rent on a slum apartment (that keeps going up every year), food, electricity, utilities, not to mention the basic essentials like a cell phone, delivered pizza and cable TV!

 

[treeman82]

Brian, I was not saying that I would be using it to support myself. I was using it to relate the figure to the area. I know that I am living with my folks. There are some areas of the country where I am sure that $6 per hour would keep you living alright... this is NOT one of those areas. I just wanted to convey that point.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I thought you wanted to keep going with your own biz, so do the internship with the suck up the crimp in youir lifestyle and get the experiance you want.

 

[treeclimber165]

Matt, you last post is totally out of perspective. 'The Area' is not applying for the internship, YOU are! YOU are not paying rent, so rent costs in your area do not apply to you!
AAAAAARRRRGH!!!!!!

WHY do I try to reason with a hard-headed kid? He's as oblivious as I was when I was 20 and knew it all! At the rate he's going, he may end up as a 37 year old freelance climber with a bad back and no savings account (sound familiar?).

 

[treeman82]

Brian, never mind. I am sorry to have aggrivated you. That most certainly was not my intent by this post.

 

[treeclimber165]

I'm only irritated because you are heading down the same path I did 17 years ago. If I could do it over again, I would have pursued more training and education instead of the quick bucks from self employment. Now I have nothing to show for it.

$12 per hour X 40 hours = $480, $360 per week after taxes. That's about $1500 per month. Your living expenses are ZERO, your only self-proclaimed expenses are $300 per month plus food. If it costs more than $1200 per month for you to eat, then you got big problems.

 

[rahtreelimbs]

Just having turned 40, I would have really liked to have the opportunity that you have at such a young age. I didn't start in this biz until I was in my early 30's. This kind of experience is priceless. As a climber on a scale of 1 to 10, I'm probably a 6 or so. I may never get to the level I want to be at. Tighten your belt and go for it! Your future business will benefit from it.

 

[treeman82]

Alright. This is the what I have decided. I am going to try my best to get them up to $15 per hour. If I can't get them up that high, I will still take the job so long as it's not dirt cheap. The education is valuable. I will also try to sell some work for the weekends and what not. We will see how far and how much that gets me. Thank you all for your help.

 

[Newfie]

This is an INTERNSHIP, wages are meaningless. If you want to do an internship, do it. If you are really looking for steady employment in the tree care industry look eslewhere. Is this internship sponsored or approved by Umass yet? If so, how many credits are you getting? You have to figure that into the equation. The "education" you are receiving has some intrinsic value, otherwise it is pointless to call it an internship. Does the company know its an internship?

Others have said it already, most internships are UNPAID, so any $$ is bonus, not a low wage for the area.