What a tree surgeon does
A tree surgeon prunes, fells and manages trees, working at height on ropes or from a platform, and on the ground with a chainsaw, chipper and winch when a tree needs to come down section by section.
At GGM, that mix of climbing and ground work is exactly what our own arborists do every week across Glasgow and the Central Belt.
Some days it’s routine crown work on a street tree. Other days it’s felling storm damage and broken branches before a road can reopen.
The terms tree surgeon and arborist get used interchangeably in the UK, and for most day-to-day purposes that’s fine.
Arborist leans slightly more technical, while tree surgeon is the term homeowners search for.
A physically demanding trade
The job stays outdoors in all weathers, demands real physical fitness, and turns dangerous fast if done badly.
None of that lets up once the qualifications are done, either.
Every job still means climbing, cutting and working around live hazards, from your first week to your last.
To be a tree surgeon, safety is always key for a long and successful career.
The three main routes in
An apprenticeship
An apprenticeship gets you paid while you train.
It’s the route GGM uses to bring new arborists into the business every year, and the one we’d point people toward if they’re starting from scratch.
An apprentice works alongside qualified arborists from day one, picking up chainsaw qualifications and climbing certificates as the employer puts them through NPTC assessments.
This is rather than learning theory first and hands-on experience second.
An apprenticeship typically takes two to three years, and by the end an apprentice leaves with the certificate plus years of hands-on site experience behind them.
For anyone without a clear academic path already mapped out, an apprenticeship is usually the fastest, most direct way into a career in arboriculture.
A college course
Land-based colleges across the UK run Level 2 and Level 3 courses in arboriculture.
These are often listed under land management and production, combining classroom study with practical chainsaw and climbing units.
A Level 2 Diploma covers the fundamentals. Level 3 adds tree surveying, disease identification and supervisory skills.
This route suits school leavers who want structured study before stepping onto a job site.
Many colleges build in work placements with local tree surgery firms so students get chainsaw hours logged before they finish their course.
Direct entry through short courses
Career changers with a bit of savings and no time to lose sometimes skip apprenticeships and colleges altogether.
They might book a run of intensive NPTC short courses instead, covering chainsaw maintenance and cross-cutting, then felling, then aerial work.
The short-course route is the quickest paper way in, but it produces a tree surgeon with certificates and comparatively little on-site judgement.
Many employers want supervised experience logged before handing over sole charge of a job, whichever route got you the certificates.
At GGM, that’s exactly what we check before letting anyone climb unsupervised.
The qualifications and certifications that matter
NPTC and City & Guilds units cover the core skills UK tree surgery is built on.
This covers chainsaw maintenance, cross-cutting, felling small and large trees, aerial tree work, and aerial tree rigging for dismantling trees in confined spaces.
A qualified arborist typically holds several of these before working unsupervised.
Beyond the chainsaw units, first aid at work training matters too.
Climbing gear, sharp tools and falling branches leave little room for a slow response to an accident.
Local authority and property developer contracts typically require public liability insurance and a Level 2 Diploma or equivalent as standard, and GGM’s own commercial work is no exception.
Professional membership
Membership of a recognised body carries real weight too.
The Arboricultural Association, the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), and the Royal Forestry Society all offer professional recognition once you’re qualified, and employers use membership as a shorthand for trusting someone’s standards.
Tree surgeons call the whole discipline “arb”, short for arboriculture, and you’ll hear it used as both noun and verb on any job site.
How long it takes to become a tree surgeon
Both the apprenticeship and college routes typically take two to four years to reach full qualification.
An apprenticeship runs two to three years and produces someone job-ready by the end of it. College routes often take a similar length once work placements and Level 3 study are factored in.
The short-course route can technically produce a chainsaw-certified worker in a matter of weeks.
Certificates alone rarely convince an employer, since what matters more is whether someone can climb steadily, handle a saw calmly, and read a tree’s structure without hesitating.
The skills and fitness it demands
Comfortable working at height isn’t optional, and a fear of it rarely fades with practice, so it’s worth testing early, ideally before committing to a full qualification.
Beyond that, the job rewards real physical fitness.
Carrying chainsaws and rigging gear up a tree, working a chipper on the ground, and hauling brash all day adds up to a demanding working environment few desk jobs prepare you for.
Judgement matters as much as strength.
A climber has to read how a tree will move once a branch is cut, weigh up wind and the risk of damage to property below, and stay in clear contact with the ground team throughout.
None of which comes from a textbook.
Woodland and forestry experience helps, though it isn’t required. Arborists with completely unrelated backgrounds build that judgement on the job just the same.
Is it worth it?
Demand for qualified arborists has stayed consistently strong across Scotland.
This has been driven by an ageing urban tree stock, storm damage that needs clearing fast, and diseases like ash dieback forcing councils and estates to manage trees more actively than they used to.
Trained, insured tree surgeons are what local authorities, insurers and property developers actually require for that work, even without a formal licence behind it.
Progression tends to follow a clear path.
Climber, then team leader running a crew, then site supervisor, then, for those who want it, starting a contracting business of their own once the qualifications and reputation are there.
For the GGM Landscaping team, we wouldn’t choose any other career!
So for those with a genuine love of the outdoors and the patience to build the skill properly, it’s one of the most rewarding trades going.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to qualify as a tree surgeon?
Most routes take two to four years, with an apprenticeship or college course being the most common timeline. Short intensive courses can get someone chainsaw-certified faster, but building real on-site judgement takes longer regardless of the paper qualifications.
Do you need a licence to work as a tree surgeon in the UK?
No formal licence exists, but working without recognised NPTC or City & Guilds certificates for chainsaw and aerial work is both unsafe and something almost no legitimate employer or insurer will accept.
Is being a tree surgeon worth it?
It comes down to whether you enjoy working outdoors and don’t mind physical, sometimes risky work. For the right person, it offers clear progression, steady demand, and hands-on outdoor work no desk job can match.
Are tree surgeons in demand right now?
Yes, particularly in Scotland, where storm damage, tree disease management and ongoing development work keep qualified arborists busy across both domestic and commercial sites.
Start your career with GGM Landscaping
GGM Landscaping runs an annual apprenticeship scheme in partnership with Skills Development Scotland, built specifically to give young people, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, a real route into arboriculture.
Many of our apprentices arrive without a fixed plan already in place, and the scheme gives them one.
It’s a paid trade to build rather than another year of study and debt.
The trees they learn to care for will still be standing decades after their training finishes, so every apprentice we bring in is also someone learning to help protect Scotland’s biodiversity for years to come.
If you are looking for tree surgery services that has the future in mind or what to find out more about our scheme, get in touch through our contact page today.