Game keeping advise

[Zentuar]

Hi everyone I was thinking of doing a course on gamekeeping next year as I did it for work experience and really enjoyed it , I was hoping somebody could give me and inside it to the job and some advise on how to get into the gamekeeping field if possible

Thanks

[Zentuar]

Sorry didn't mean for it to post twice

[Bleeh]

To the biggest part it'll boil down to not what you know, but who you know.

Do one of the two year apprenticeship courses rather than one of the other related qualifications (BTEC National Diploma, etc) for your best chance into getting into the industry.

Edited April 13, 2013 by Bleeh

[scotslad]

I'd second wot the previous 2 have said, more about WHO u know rather than wot u know. (Does BASC or NGO have any schemes for wanabee keepers other than young shots?)

 

If u already have ur foot in the door with an estate i would try and either get some more work with them or if they know of any opportinities on other estates, if any estates rear there own birds will just be coming up to a busy time.

 

Not be much good to u the now, but i think beating is a great way to get known around different estates and get ur name out there.

 

I don't know which time of year u done ur work placement and wot u were doing, but it can be a hard job with long hours and i think Georgeh has summed it up spot on, some estates do not treat there young staff the way they should but other estates will know this and if u can stick it there u will get a bit off respect and should be ok when u move to a better job.

I see ur from york there does seem to be quite a lot off work on the moors nowadays as a grouse underkeeper, a very different job to normal gamekeeper

 

Depending wot ur other interrests are some would possibly reccommend doing keepering as a hobby for a diy type syndicate so u actually get to shoot too, and make ur money elsewhere where u could make more money and have more job security where ur job, house, dog kennels etc aren't dependent or ur last shoot day/seasons returns or the whims of a land owner.

 

Don't want to put u off but it really is a lifestyle more than a job and work can vary massiviely wot is expected at different times of year or on diifferent estates. Not the job for everyone but can be a cracking job but does take a bit off luck/ knowing the right people to land the right job's

 

Good luck with wot ever u decide

[highseas]

well I was keepering/stalking fulltime on a Scottish estate rearing nearly 80 thousands birds and putting down nearly 16 thousand and with 38,053 head of game shot in 5 seasons I feel I can give you a bit of advice

 

firstly you will get a good job with a bad boss or a good boss with a bad job and that seems to be the rule...if you get a good boss and good job the keeper wont move on!

 

think and I mean realy think about weather you want to make this your life? it will become all consumeing your boss will phone and ask you to do allsorts its not driving around on a quad killing ****.

its constant hard work and worry if it goes rong you will never get a job again. you are in charge of hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of birds.

 

but it can be awesome! when your a keeper you are held in high regard asked advice from and respected.

 

what I would say is this. go to collage on a two year course get lots and I mean lots of tickets chainsaws.atv, risk assessment, poisions, gassing, dsc 1 and 2 if possible.

 

go and help at as many shoots as possible and if the collage goes to work parties then don't spend the time chatting up the keeper work until your dizzy then work some more. learn names and shoot names. learn the names of head keepers and don't be afraid to name drop it will help no ends. I got a job via work placement you could do the same and I would say that applying for jobs in the shooting times is a wast of time unless you have a lot to offer, their is around 300 applications for the jobs in st

[hushpower]

Grouse or wild bird shoot i would aim for

[OCD]

Not wishing to be a nay sayer but I would think long and hard as to whether you want to waste time on what will probably lead to disappointment knowing that hundereds of well qualified and experienced lads are really struggling to get a job at the minute it should be ringing alarm bells to you take note from the lads who used to be keepers (there are a lot of them)and how much they want to get back into it if they cant with experience what chance do you have.

[MBW]

Not wishing to be a nay sayer but I would think long and hard as to whether you want to waste time on what will probably lead to disappointment knowing that hundereds of well qualified and experienced lads are really struggling to get a job at the minute it should be ringing alarm bells to you take note from the lads who used to be keepers (there are a lot of them)and how much they want to get back into it if they cant with experience what chance do you have.

 

+1. Mentioned it in the other post asking the same thing, get yourself a trade or something first, it's easy to do that when your young then try the keepering, then if all goes pear shaped you can fall back on something, never a day goes by I wish I had done it that way, plus a lot of keepers have other trades it makes you that bit better than the competition when it comes to jobs, mechanical experience seems to be a big hitter with a lot of lads I know ATB whatever you decide

[scotslad]

I possibly wouldn't go as far as the last 2 post's, it's not all doom and gloom, BUT go in with ur eye's opened,. It is tuff out there (but that's all over not just in keepering), but if ur lucky work hard a get a rep with the right people or just being in the right place at the right time. A lot off good keepers do also go from 1 job to the next all throu word off mouth, plus with europe and eastern europe opening up to more 'english' style driven shooting. There has never been as many keepers on the moors, think levels are above even victorian times so there is work out there, but most job's won't be advertised and it's all about hearing about them early and gettin a good recommendation of a respected keeper. Word off mouth and knowing the right folk is the key

 

I know Borders college had 100% employment rate for it's last keepering course and i know Thurso (NHC) has also had a high employment rate for years and both have a good rep with head keepers/estates.

 

If u go down the working elsewhere route and u only want to be a keeper ur 40hr week will seem like a very long week. It's swings and roundabouts, but even in the building trade things are not great and if u go a do a 'proper' uni/college cousre no guarantee off a job.

Not easy out there,

i dunno how much experience u have got mibee try and get work on a game farm for early summer and then go full time beating from grouye onwards it will give u a year seeing exactly wot it's like and get u known by a few keepers

[OCD]

Didnt mean too sound all doom and gloom but the reality is that if your asking on a forum what the job entails with the intention of doing a course then you really need to think long and hard as to whether its right for you and given the already saturated and limited job market for keepers what exactly is going to make you stand out from the crowd.

I don't say any of this lightly I am a 3rd gen keeper with 25 years full time experience and before I went single handed had 4 underkeepers I've had to read many a cv and believe me there are some cracking lads out there already waiting there chance, I'm afraid the hardest question any prospective keeper should ask is not about the whys and wherefores of the job but simply why should they employ me instead of the hundreds of others if you cant answer that then reconsider your choice.

[wannabe_keeper]

If you take the college option go to Sparsholt. Chances are that will lead to a job if you spend the 2 years working hard, learning and plenty of networking and favours.