Looking for a career that pays you to work in the great outdoors? Civvy Street highlights the employment opportunities offered through countryside management.

It’s been said that one of the UK’s most valued resources is its natural landscape; whether it’s majestic mountains in the Scottish Highlands, the rocky coast of Cornwall, the calm beauty of the Lake District or the unique wetland environment of the Norfolk Broads, the British Isles offer a wide range of scenery to admire and explore.

However, even the seemingly most natural and untouched British landscapes show the marks of human activity. And we’re not just talking about controversial plans to construct power lines and wind farms in some of the UK’s most isolated locations. Although more of us than ever before live entirely urban lives, the countryside remains a focus of much activity, be it agricultural or recreational. And, like any other finite resource – after all, the British Isles are not getting any bigger – there is a need to manage the countryside to accommodate the demands of those who live and work there as well as millions of visitors. With the environment and global warming increasingly on people’s minds, it needs to be done in a way that maintains and conserves this valuable asset.

Countryside management is all about ensuring this happens; it’s an umbrella term for a range of career paths, and people employed in this sector include countryside managers, countryside rangers and wardens, gamekeepers, access officers, conservation officers, community workers, environmental interpreters and educators. Just to confuse matters, job titles across the sector are far from uniform; depending on organisation or employer, a ranger can refer to a basic estate worker with little experience and few qualifications or to a senior official heading a multi-million-pound project. Conservation officers, meanwhile, can also be known as sustainable development officers, project officers or biodiversity officers.

Most career opportunities in this sector are either with local authorities, government agencies such as the Forestry Commission and English Nature or charitable organisations including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and The National Trust. Anyone considering moving into countryside management should also be aware that competition for full-time vacancies can be high, meaning salaries are not always particularly competitive and many jobs are offered on a part-time or temporary basis.

COUNTRYSIDE RANGERS
Countryside rangers/wardens essentially protect, manage and enhance natural habitats. The work can include controlling pests, planting trees and managing areas of water, building particular habitats in order to encourage certain species, and patrolling sites to discourage poaching or other threats to wildlife. Most rangers/wardens are likely to work in areas open to the public (such as national parks or nature reserves) with the task of making sure that people can use, enjoy and understand the countryside without disturbing crops, domesticated livestock or existing wildlife. They often use loppers and rakes as well as heavier tools such as chainsaws and brush cutters.

Working in the countryside is certainly not about “getting away from it all”; most jobs involve you interacting with lots of people, much of the time. For example,
rangers/wardens are likely to work closely with their counterparts in other voluntary and statutory organisations, as well as farmers, landowners and local businesses that are affected by the environment.

Many specialise in particular fields, such as liaising with schools or businesses, or work in particular environments, such as waterways, woodlands or moorlands. It goes without saying that most of this work is outdoors and can be in all kinds of weather; and, while most full-time rangers/wardens will work just under 40 hours a week, this is likely to include unsociable hours during weekends, bank holidays and in the evening.

CONSERVATION OFFICERS
The work carried out by conservation officers is also about protecting and enhancing the countryside and can include both practical and research-based activities: for example, carrying out impact assessments and field surveys, developing and putting local action plans into place, promoting public rights of way and developing visitor attractions, and encouraging the support and active involvement of local communities in conservation projects.

GAMEKEEPERS
While you might think of gamekeepers as being a 19th century relic of traditional-styled country estates, the reality is that they are still very much a part of the modern countryside, working with farm managers and forestry workers to ensure the profitable development of game – such as partridges, pheasants, deer and grouse on their “beats”. The work tends to be seasonal in nature, and they are usually busiest during the annual shooting seasons. Outside of this, gamekeepers are likely to be involved with the clearing of woodland or burning of heather, and with jobs like building fences – in short, the general maintenance of estates and a habitat that supports the game.

COUNTRYSIDE MANAGERS
Countryside managers are responsible for ensuring that the requirements of rural communities and other people who use the countryside for work or leisure can be met and balanced. This is likely to include the supervision and training of both salaried staff and volunteers, the promotion of the benefits of the countryside (through organising events, displays and leaflets), managing budgets and fund-raising. Unlike many other roles in the sector, much of this work will be office-based, although researching and carrying out longer-term development can involve making frequent trips to local sites. Countryside managers are usually the first point of contact for queries from the public.

GETTING IN
For many Service leavers, the principal attraction of jobs in countryside management is the opportunity to work in the great outdoors, but many roles also utilise attributes you will have honed during your time in uniform. Teamwork skills, being able to assess a situation and get the job done, and being adaptable in the face of changing situations are all useful in this sector. For those looking to a managerial level, military-grounded leadership and motivational skills are certainly transferable.

Although the main requirement for a countryside ranger/warden is a commitment to (and enthusiasm for) the countryside, you will usually be expected to have at least six months’ practical work experience in a relevant field (perhaps with organisations such as the Woodlands Trust or The National Trust), a driving licence, and ideally some first aid experience. Academic qualifications are increasingly a requirement in this competitive job market, and there is now a preference for candidates to have at least an HND (or equivalent) or foundation degree in a relevant subject such as life sciences, countryside management, ecology or geography.

Conservation officers and countryside managers will often be expected to have a degree in a subject like earth science, ecology, botany, land/estate management or sustainable development. Some skill in administration, IT and both written and verbal communication is definitely advantageous.

Traditionally, many gamekeepers learned much of their trade from their fathers or elders, bolstered by practical experience from volunteering on keepered estates. Now, while it is still important to gain as much day-to-day experience as possible of beating, habitat management and vermin control, more gamekeepers head for college or university to acquire a range of vocational and academic qualifications such as national diplomas, N/SVQs, HNDs and degrees. Many gamekeepers now come to gamekeeping later in life, often starting on a part-time basis on smaller shoots before progressing towards full-time positions.

PAY AND PROSPECTS
Salaries do vary depending upon both employer and location. New countryside rangers/wardens will start on between £12k and £18k a year, although salaries can be as low as £9k. Starting salaries for conservation officers are likely to be around £16k, rising to more than £30k with 10-15 years’ experience. Gamekeepers will begin on roughly £10k, rising to £14k with experience; senior or head gamekeepers can earn around £16k – these salaries might be supplemented by free or low-cost accommodation (although this is increasingly rare) and the use of a vehicle, with additional allowances for the likes of protective clothing and dogs. Countryside managers can earn between £15k and £21.5k a year initially, rising with experience to between £26k and £32k.

Countryside rangers/wardens can progress into managerial roles, becoming area, chief or district rangers by taking relevant on-the-job training, organised through formal training programmes. With further study and experience they can move on to become countryside managers or conservation officers, although this is almost certainly likely to lead to less practical activities in favour of more office-based work. There might also be opportunities available to move into leisure management, horticulture or agriculture.

Gamekeepers work either for landowners or shooting syndicates that rent shooting rights from landowners. Unfortunately, openings are relatively rare; there are currently roughly 3,000 full-time gamekeepers in the UK along with a similar number of part-time keepers.

MANAGING THE COUNTRYSIDE
Working in countryside management may not be the most financially rewarding of careers – and few positions can be safely thought of as 9 to 5 jobs – but the work itself can be very rewarding, great fun and offer an excellent quality of life.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Countryside Management Association
01245 424116
www.countrysidemanagement.org.uk

Forestry Commission
0131 334 0303
www.forestry.gov.uk

National Gamekeepers’ Organisation
01388 665899
www.nationalgamekeepers.org.uk

The National Trust
0870 458 4000
www.nationaltrust.org.uk