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 bouldering, crocheting, going to live music gigs, finding new restaurants to eat at, hanging out with cats, and the occasional run in one of London’s parks.
Moving forward, I want to see more of the beautiful English countryside, coastlines and national parks!
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 have been neglecting my physical and mental health for too long now.
I would like to cut down on smoking and work on building some muscle – maybe joining a group workout class or a sports team is a good place to start for both!
Michelle joined Arbtech in July 2022.
