Jobs
that Pay
Does
Money Grow on Trees?
For
some tree planters, yes!
Whether you’re a bona fide tree hugger or
just out for some decent cash while enjoying the great outdoors,
you may literally find that money grows on trees. But just as
no two trees are alike, neither are the tree-planting companies
themselves. How much you make will largely depend on the company
that you work for, as well of course, on how hard you work. So
how do you increase the odds of heading back to school with a
load of green?
Tree Planting as a Summer Job
Every year, over 700 million trees are planted in Canada. The
government, as well as the pulp & paper and lumber companies,
oversee the planting but usually subcontract out to various tree
planting companies to actually plant the trees. And that’s
where students come in. These companies rely heavily on seasonal
workers throughout the summer - meaning lots of students, to actually
do the physical planting. In fact roughly 80% -90% of summer tree
planters are college or university students.
The Money Tree
Because tree-planting companies are mandated to plant a certain
number of trees, for their contracts, each tree you plant is not
only good for the environment but also good for your bank account.
The more and faster that you work, more loot you’ll lug back
when you return to school.
The job can be great pay, excellent exercise and a lot of fun
as you meet other students from across the country. But it’s
also tough and demanding work. You are often in isolated areas,
in basic accommodations, eating basic food, in the hot sun with
lots of insects sharing your summer experience with you. It can
be very exhausting both physically and mentally (will you be counting
seedlings in your sleep?). Some hate it and quickly leave, while
others thrive in this environment and do it for multiple summers.
Your financial success will depend a lot on which of these two
categories that you fall into.
How much Green?
Potential for earnings can be great for an excellent planter,
with a good company. But the range of pay can vary widely.
Planters are paid per tree, with the tree price varying according
to the difficulty of the terrain. Pay per tree ranged anywhere
from 7 cents to as high as 30 cents. So the money you make will
depend on your planting effiency, the pay rate, and how hard the
planting is. Rookie planters tend to make in the $100 - $150 /
day range, whereas experienced planters tend to make more in the
range of $200 to $300 per day.
A manageable goal for a beginning planter is $4,000 for a seven-week
season. In reality, most planters, both rookies and experienced,
can make above $7,000 between May and August with top planters
taking home up to $10,000 or more in a full summer season.
Knock on wood: Getting the Job
Tree-planting companies typically do much of their recruiting
in February and March. Penny Freno, Career Services Practice Leader
at Simon Fraser University reports that "they typically get
about half a dozen companies recruiting on campus. About half
of these are companies looking for 40 -50 planters, with the other
tending to be companies’ team leaders looking for 5 - 10
experienced planters to fill their teams." Some will only
look for experienced planters.
However, like most jobs the best one’s are often those that
you have to track down yourself. Some tree planting companies
don’t even recruit - since plenty of students track them
down themselves. Other companies fill their positions almost entirely
from referrals from present student planters (some companies even
offer their experienced planters referral fees). So the key can
be to network with those who are planting or have planted in the
recent past, and to start knocking on doors.
In addition to a physically knocking many companies are now taking
applications on-line. There’s also a good resource for tracking
down companies in Canada and the U.S.
Research: Seeing the forest for the trees
Talk to a tree planters and their experiences can range from
the time of their life to a long hot version of "Survivor",
in which you actually wished you had been voted off! Some employers
are great and others you’ll want to avoid. Check their compensation,
safety measures and general background.
Grace Marisigan, Career Advisor at Simon Fraser University also
suggests that "your best research will often come from other
students who have tree planted." They are likely to give
the most honest scoop. An experienced planter will know both the
good and the bad about the companies business. The worst companies
that have a hard time recruiting are more likely to give a positive
spin when the opposite may be true. There’s also a good site
that contains postings from planters as well as their ratings’
of various tree-planting
companies
Increasing Your Stash of Cash
There's also lots that you can do to increase the money you
end up with. Some tips to keep your pockets full:
Counting the days
The growing season is short in the northern locations, which
you often plant in. There fore you usually have 7-8 weeks to
try and make as much as you can. However some companies have
contracts into July and even August. This may mean a month or
more worth of work if you are up to it. Because you will already
have your fixed transportation and equipment costs the extra
money that you make from a 60-70 day planting season versus
a 50 days season, can be huge.
Check your terms
Some companies will make you stay until a certain time to receive
your full pay or a bonus. Be aware, as this could effect what
you end up making if you decide that a life of pool parties
and air condition theatres is preferable to life in the bush.
Some employers will even offer a partial refund of your camp
costs if you make a certain earnings' target.
Do a test run
Planting is tough work - certainly not just a walk in the woods.
People who have done it tend to say they absolutely loved it
or absolutely hated it. Before you take the time and expense
to take this type of job, try a job with similar features and
less risk; for example an outdoors job where you are somewhat
isolated, or an agricultural job with long days and lots of
physical labour. You may discover that this is not the job for
you and save yourself the expense and time of finding this out
a couple of weeks after you’ve started tree planting in
some remote place.
Look long term
Tree planting companies want you to return for many summers.
It saves them having to retrain new planters each year. It also
spreads your fixed equipment cost over more summer’s, meaning
more in actual earnings. But perhaps the biggest financial advantage
is that your highest earnings tend to come after your first
summer of planting. You are more efficient, you tend to get
the better paying contracts and if you work out well, you may
step up to a team leader position.
Find out your costs
This can have a huge impact on what you actually end up with.
Usually you will, have to pay your transportation to get to
where you will be working, as well as a camp cost (i.e. $20/day)
which covers sleeping and meals which are often hearty but a
far cry from gourmet. You’ll also have to shell out for
your equipment, which can run about $300 to $ 700 in total.
Buy used or borrow
You’ll save by buying from a tree planters who has decided
to “hang up his shovel” after a few seasons, or someone
who went fully equipped but decided to make a b-line from the
tree line, to a city job. Put up a notice on campus bulletin
boards as there are often students who would love to just get
rid of the stuff.
Stay close to where you live
Larger companies may have operations in several provinces meaning
you may be able to plant closer to home, thus cutting down on
transportation costs. Keep in mind that flights to some remote
areas may be more expensive as there may only be one airline
that actually goes there.
Share the ride
If you are planting far off, check with the company to see
if there are others in your area going as well. You may be able
to share a ride with others and cut your transportation costs
significantly.
Save your receipts
Because you are likely moving to your job and because you have
equipment and job related expenses, you will be able to claim
much of this on your income tax. This will help cut down on
the tax you’ll have to pay on that wad of cash you made
when year end rolls around.
A summer of tree planting may not be your idea of fun, nor worth
all the hard work. But if it’s what you enjoy and you’re
not averse to the conditions, it may mean pay dirt now and for
many summers to come.
|
