What made you choose Arbtech?
Coming out of university after finishing a postgraduate degree in environmental biology, I sent job application after job application to many different ecology consultancies, only for the very few of them that actually responded to tell me that I didn’t have the required experience to join, even in an entry-level role.
I then made the decision to apply for Arbtech’s internship programme, as it seemed like a really good way to get a foot in the door and start off my ecology career.
What do you love most about the company?
Having autonomy over my work and being able to choose where I do my work and what jobs I take on.
Getting to grips with all of the different survey types and methods was pretty daunting at first when starting as a newly qualified ecologist, but being able to choose if I wanted to stay in my comfort zone or branch out a little when taking on jobs is a really good way to both stay comfortable and push myself at the same time.
What do you do when you are not in Arbtech?
I love going to see live music, and I’m equally as happy at a large concert or festival as I am in a small sweaty underground box with 30 other people and a DJ booth. I’d take a warm crate of beer, a tent, my friends, and eardrum-bursting music over a holiday abroad any day.
I’m also a big skier. I’ve been skiing most of my life and went out on a season during my gap year, so I take any opportunity I can to go out and do it, whether that be on the mountain with my friends or just going up to Milton Keynes and sending it down their indoor run for two hours straight.
I also want to get back into playing the drums. When I was little and learning to play, I had an acoustic kit, which sounded great to me. Unfortunately, my neighbours and brother didn’t agree. As it was a bit too much to ask my mum to buy an electric kit for me – as they’re pretty expensive – I just stopped playing after I left school. Now I’m able to buy it for myself, I think it’s definitely something that I would be stupid to not give another go.
What is the biggest tip to achieve the most in life?
Don’t be afraid to fail; you learn far more from failure than you do from success.
What is the best social you’ve been on at Arbtech?
As I’ve just joined Arbtech, I haven’t been to many socials.
However, on the first day of the internship, we all went to Oxford for training and went bowling and for a meal afterwards. It was really fun and a great way to meet the other interns and get comfortable with the new job and responsibilities.
Where do you want to travel to next?
I’ve always wanted to visit the Galapagos Islands.
Island ecosystems are fascinating to me, as the plant and animal species are all so different to everything that we are normally used to.
Seeing giant tortoises (or what’s left of them at least) and Komodo dragons is definitely up there on my bucket list.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
I tend to not plan too far ahead and just focus on what I’m doing right now and my goals in the short term.
I believe that, as long as I’m enjoying where I am currently, everything else will just fall into place as it’s meant to.
What is a goal you have for the future, in or out of work?
In work, I would like to develop my ecology skills to be able to complete a variety of different survey types. Getting my bat licence and possibly a great crested newt licence is definitely a priority of mine too, and it would help out with my main goal.
Out of work, my only real goal is to move out and get a place of my own to live in.
Phillip joined Arbtech in October 2024.
