What made you choose Arbtech?
Arbtech offered something that no other consultancies had: an initiative to break down the wall that restricted people attempting to break into ecology. All other ‘entry-level’ ecological positions required some sort of experience in ecology, which created a vicious cycle of not having the experience they need to land the job.
At Arbtech, we are trained by our knowledgeable staff members and have unlimited professional development funds – any and all courses or qualifications that can further your career are taken care of. Not something you see every day.
What do you love most about the company?
My favourite thing about Arbtech is how much control we have over our own day-to-day in that we make our own schedules and manage our own workload. This flexibility is second to none and allows me to arrange different types of surveys on any given week.
The nature of our fast-paced work also facilitates a lot of variety. For example, I might be out on an urban site one day and at my desk working on biodiversity net gain calculations the next. Every single site is unique too, so it’s everything but monotonous.
The ability to work from home is also a huge plus.
What do you do when you are not at Arbtech?
Outside of work, I enjoy rock climbing, crocheting, going to live music gigs, finding new restaurants to eat at, hanging out with my cats, and the occasional run in one of London’s parks.
I’ve been meaning to join a salsa club but, alas, have been too shy to tackle it alone. But maybe 2023 is my year…And now that I’ve settled into Arbtech a little more, I will surely take advantage of the incredible paid time-off initiative and hopefully get to see more of Europe.
What is your biggest tip to achieve the most in life?
Just a little bit a day can make the greatest difference:
1.00365 = 1
1.01365 = 37.8
Keep trying to better yourself, even if it’s just the tiniest 0.01 every day.
As my favourite animated humanoid/horse put it: “Every day it gets a little easier… But you gotta do it every day – that’s the hard part. But it does get easier.”
Everyone moves at their own pace. Find what works best for you.
What is the best social you’ve been on at Arbtech?
I’d have to say my very first social with Arbtech, even though our Christmas party was a blast.
Although I enjoy working from home, I felt really weird during the first few months when I’d not really met any colleagues in real life.
The first social helped to put some faces (and personalities) to names, and it was a fun and memorable get-together, starting with high ropes and ending with a night out.
Where do you want to travel to next?
Anywhere and everywhere!
Europe first, probably. Then Africa. Then South/Central America.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?
By 2028, I want to:
- Get my permanent residency.
- Get better at UK ecology.
- Get my full CIEEM membership/protected species licences.
- Be able to climb a v3 route/run 15k without dying.
- Be able to complete a Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle by myself.
- Keep at least 80% of my existing houseplants alive.
- Own a cat.
What is a goal you have for the future, in or out of work?
I want to spend some time rebuilding a trusted support network around me.
Having been away from home since 2017 has resulted in some literal and metaphorical distance from my family, and a combination of COVID and Brexit has also forced a lot of my friends out of the UK.
As much as I appreciate the Arbtech family, it’s time for me to leave my comfort zone and seek out new relationships.
Michelle joined Arbtech in July 2022.
