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OP, you aren't the only one considering it.
We've been inundated with volunteer offers at work.
I've had a large group of unqualified and inexperienced people looking to 'change career' apply for our jobs.
I've taken about 10 random phone calls in the last fortnight from people after advice about how you 'get into the outdoors', and half of them were taking the opportunity of moving to Scotland to make a career change too.
Business is booming during Covid at Royal Mail and other couriers.
The government run job website doesn't exist anymore.. When I "signed on" 5/6 years back you had to sign up to it.. out of interest I searched out of my skills area and found a few outdoor things - one was caretaker/groundskeeper to a local private school. The job description was superb. I didn't get it. But the sort of broad search you could do on that website made it a lot easier to find jobs like that. This seems the equivalent now - https://findajob.dwp.gov.uk/
Here's one, can't get much more outdoors than this - https://findajob.dwp.gov.uk/details/5431253 🙂
Here’s one, can’t get much more outdoors than this – https://findajob.dwp.gov.uk/details/5431253 🙂
Looks like "Beach Caretaker" is the new job title for "toilet cleaner"
I think there's a gap in the market for dog turd hunters.
Go crawling through your local park/woods/etc hunting down those lovely piles, track owners by cameras, dna tests, whatever, then report them and get a commission from the council fines.
Everyone's a winner 😁💩
* Keep highly-paid indoor job
* Work fewer hours when you have the option (I'm on 8 days a month)
* Build trails in your lunchbreak and at weekends to get your outdoor fix
How do I find a job outdoors?
Wait until about November when all the people who thought that an outdoors job would be wonderful and started it in summer have got bored of being cold, wet and tired and have quit.
It was well known that the best time to get a cycle courier job in London was November. All the summer lightweights would have packed up and the courier companies were faced with the busy run up to Christmas with a third the riders they normally had!
surely it would be logical to step sideways, rather than find something entirely different.
There are jobs that will allow you to take your expertise with you, whatever it may be.
Also, surely you got into what you do because you found it vaguely interesting at one point?
What specifically do you do, or at least what "unique" skills do you have?
As above, "outdoors" is a very broad brush, but generally you need to consider that its nice when its nice and horrid when its horrid.
Ideally you want a job where you still have to do a bit of work in the filth, so you can appreciate not having to do it when you dont, but generally you can avoid being stuck standing in a muddy pit for 10 hrs a day in the lashing rain in February, having got up at 5 and driven 3 hrs each way for the privilege. There are limits to "type 2 fun".
Going based on "IT"....
You could manage/rep/service all sorts of electronic telemetry equipment for all sorts of people.
you could rep for a provider of said telemetry equipment and be selling monitors to landfills, or water companies. Im always surprised how many massive national companies are still using paper forms and fax machines for jobs that could be done better, more frequently and more accurately by a microprocessor with a sim card in it.
Getting "IT" and shoving it outside is an industry in itself.
OR cut your hours down to 3 days a week and get some volunteer/low paid work with the National Trust, or similar. They always* need people to help out doing all sorts of interesting stuff in land management.
*: maybe not always, maybe sometimes.
You've all given me lots to think about.
So far I've applied for an apprenticeship with the national grid which wasn't really what I was looking for but sounds interesting and would get me out and about rather than office based. I'll look into telecoms work as well as I have some transferable skills there, so thanks for that suggestion.
I'm also going to see if I can find some local volunteer work, some of the woodland around here is maintained by volunteers so I hope that will help me figure out if I enjoy it and if I still want to do it when the weather's shit.
For the curious, I'm in a junior (or it was when I started) data analyst role that's been piling on pressure and responsibility over the last year. Obviously finding a new job would help with some of that but I don't enjoy it and don't feel I have or particularly want to learn the skills needed to advance in the field. I've been seriously thinking about taking a pay cut to go back to a tech support role but that's how I've got to looking for other ideas.
A bit off-beam and may not suit all e.g. those with a settled family, but join the military, regular or reserves - they’ll pay you more than you’d get on an apprenticeship/ learn a trade if you complete phase 2 training. Also, they’ll send you on Adventurous Training, AT and even train you as an instructor if you show the aptitude. With some IT knowledge, signals might be suitable as they’re always looking for folks to set up and run networks.
Probably not as outdoors as you'd expect, but the Forestry Commission or whatever they are called now have a lot of roles up on Civil Service Jobs
Rural broadband provider, it is going to be a massive growth area and not necessarily tied up by the big guys. We're just getting fibre to the property (FTTP) installed by these guys and I imagine there will be similar companies in your neck of the woods. Also kind of IT related so maybe easier to make the transition.
@Kelron - did you get anywhere with this or are you still in IT. Finding myself in the same position, sick of working at a desk and wanting something more hands on/outdoors
Could you stick with your current field with reduced hours, and do something else more intrinsically enjoyable outdoors the rest of the time, either paid (presumably lower) or voluntary?
I'm an electrical engineer. Got sick of the role I was in, even working 4 days a week, and jacked it in last year to find something completely different. I never found anything I really wanted to commit to doing full-time, since, particularly with no experience, you have to accept you're not going to get paid even half as much doing something like gardening.
I'm back working in engineering full time on a 6 month contract over the winter, but when this finishes, I'm going to work 2 days a week on something similar. I don't get paid a huge amount in the grand scheme of things, but I'll still earn more in those two days than a full week of minimum wage work. It should cover my modest outgoings (mortgage, bills, shopping), and it'll leave me a lot of time to do other stuff - some side projects that interest me and may or may not make money, could do some casual lower paid but enjoyable work for pocket money.
I,ve often thought a postie is a good job.
I’m a part-time postie on the Isle of Mull, I do 3 days/week and there’s more than enough outdoors for everyone. We currently have 2 vacancies…
Downside is you’re working for Royal Mail, you’re likely to start on minimum wage and with the strikes, Xmas backlog having to put up with late starts and 10-11 hour days in mid-winter, mostly in the dark.
Upside is it’s a great way to get to know the community - I drop-off prescriptions and papers plus it’s probably one of the most scenic routes in the UK, driving around the coast road with views across to Coll, Rum, Eigg, Skye and the outer isles on a nice day.
Another thread resurrection!
Those of you looking to get out of IT* -
what salary reduction are you prepared to take?
(I am 32 years into an outdoor career, and finally after I get a desk based manager job am I earning about what my young IT nephew earns)
what stresses are you prepared to still put up with?
(Outdoor work still has the usual issues of customers, colleagues, budgets and managers, often on top of wet, cold and skint).
Looks outside...
🌧🌧🌧 LASHING IT DOWN 🌧🌧🌧
...shuffles off to coffee machine.
🙂
Can you drive?
https://reflexion.co/blog/how-to-become-an-f1-driver/
Similar to being a courier driver, but fewer parcels and better money.
Or
And they might let you drive an ambulance.
Are you interested in beaver?
https://cairngorms.co.uk/jobvacancy/beaver-project-manager/
More here
https://cairngorms.co.uk/working-together/authority/working-with-us/jobs/
Missed that this was an old thread... Just after I'd looked at another resurrected thread and silently tutted at people posting without realising 🤦♂️
Interested to know what you ended up doing OP, hope it worked out one way or another.
Oi, @scotroutes, stop posting my future employers* jobs on here.
I have just read and approved first 3 of 9 jobs we have going - 8 are outdoors / in schools....
.
.
.
*they do not know this. The current job incumbent also needs to get on and retire as they promised they would a few years ago....
.
.
Quite a few outdoor jobs available at my current workplace, but that's because the manager makes the government look competent and can't fill the roles as quickly as they are left 😄
Don't think there are many of us that aren't looking for something else.
My firm were looking for new trainees. About 50/50 site and home. The pleasures of working throughout the country, night shifts and crawling through culverts.
Just read this thread through again and spotted my previous post about working outside on yard logistics, well, after the summer we had last year, and having walked 16 miles across two days moving cars on my own, I’d had enough and asked to change my job, and I’m now indoors all day, except for fetching cars into my workshop, and frankly I’m a lot happier now. As are my knees!
And with the weather we’ve been having lately I’m even happier not being out in incessant rain for twelve hours a day. 😎
A friend of mine made a similar move. Worked in a factory for years and it was gradually killing his soul. Got furloughed, then made redundant and got a job as a labourer for a Conservation Construction Company working on historic buildings.
He loves it, started off mixing lime mortar for the brickies and has over time learned some very niche skills. He’s now moved up the ladder and is trusted to carry out stone/brickwork and is producing work on par with lads that have been doing it for years.
He’s like a different fella to the one I knew 3 years ago!
My job is vacant as of 13:00 tomorrow, I’ll be starting a new job as a head gardener on Monday
(Still going to check scotroutes beaver job out though)
My job is vacant as of 13:00 tomorrow, I’ll be starting a new job as a head gardener on Monday
Congratulations 👍🏻👍🏻
(Still going to check scotroutes beaver job out though)
Fnnnnnnnar
And congratulations
More beaver officers:
Used to work in a office well, 50/50 office / road. Can’t say I ever used to enjoy the corporate environment, always felt like an outsider, sitting in meetings wondering if everyone else was also pretending to give a toss. So I quit.
that was six years ago, feels like a lifetime. Most of my work is outdoors, cos that’s what I choose (self employed), been outside all of January through all of this wet weather… and it’s been totally fine, really, hasn’t bothered me in the slightest, in fact I’ve had a great time. Honestly can’t understand why anyone chooses to work in an office?
I've got a few posts open for ecologists, seasonal entry level up to experienced/principal level. There might be a limited beaver component, but I can't promise the strong beaver focus of the posts shared above. Ecology tends to hover around a 50/50 outdoors/office split, varying depending on what you specialise in and what you are working on. It's a nice work area, but not the easiest to get into, with academic qualifications being expected outside apprenticeship schemes (some of those schemes are great, though).
After today's weather, I want to know how to get an indoor job!
How do I find a job outdoors?
Make sure your 4g/5g is switched on your phone allowing you to access online job searches
... I will get me coat.
paton - those all seem to be driving jobs- not sure you understand the concept of "outdoors" .