The call of the great outdoors. - Daily Mail (London)

Byline: Linda Whitney

SWELTERING at your desk in the summer, do you envy those workingoutdoors? You are not alone. More than one in ten of us has an outdoor dreamjob, according to business psychologists OPP. But before you pack in youroffice career, first discover what it"s like to work in the open air all yearroundperhaps by volunteering. "Join a local group linked to the industry you want towork in," says Dr Gordon McGlone, chairman of Lantra, the skills council forthe horticulture, agriculture, forestry, animal care and environmentalindustries. The British Trust forConservation Volunteers, for instance, offers working holidays and weekendsessions. For more ideas, read Green Volunteers, a guide to voluntary work innature conservation ([pounds sterling]12 from www.greenvolunteers.com). Volunteer experiencewill also boost your CV. "A potential employer will look more favourably onsomeone who has learned to work in a team and is selfmotivated," says DrMcGlone. Ask local businesses what it is like to work in their sector. And ifyou do work for them, have them sign a work record with comments about how youperformed to show to future employers. If you have an outdoor hobby, you could,of course, make a career of it. But think carefullyit could end up blighting your enthusiasm. "If you love canoeing, teaching itmight seem the ideal career but after a week teaching, going canoeing at theweekend might just seem like work," warns Karen Brush of the Institute forOutdoor Learning (IOL). For the undeterred, the IOL website,www.outdoor-learning.org, has details of the types of jobs available forinstructors in a host of activities.

Its Guide To A Career In Outdoor Learning costs [pounds sterling]8.50. Working in outdooreducation centres usually means teaching young people, a role for whichqualifications are mandatory. The IOL website has details of numerousinstructor courses. Horticulture is especially popular with the green-fingered,and there are plenty of jobssome 13,000 employers are searching for suitable staff, according to Lantra. Toget in, look for a job offering day-release, or study and gain relevant workexperience. Courses include NVQs, City and Guilds, BTEC and Royal HorticulturalSociety qualifications or a foundation degree in horticulture.

Top colleges for horticulture include Writtle in Essex, Sparsholt in Hampshire,and Capel Manor in Enfield, London. Pay is often not great in the outdoorsectors, and though some ecology and conservation jobs pay over [pounds sterling]30,000, youusually need a specialist degree to reach the top. For more information aboutcareers in national parks, conservation or even forestry, Working With TheEnvironment ([pounds sterling]11.95 from www.crimsonpublishing.co.uk) is an essential read.Alternatively, go online at www.rhs.org.uk or www.lantra.co.uk

MICK ALLEN (pictured) turned his love of mountaineering into a career outdoorsa? hea?"s now a rope access technician, climbing, abseiling and dangling fromropes to inspect and refurbish structures such as bridges, refineries andtowers. He is currently working on an oil platform in the North Sea. Mick, 28,from Cumbria, who has worked at heights of up to 500ft, says: a??I love beingoutside, but the weather is critical to your safety. The wind is the biggestproblem. The most I have earned was A[pounds sterling]5,000 for two weeksa?" offshore work inthe North Sea.a?" For more information about careers in this field, go to theIndustrial Rope Access Trade Associationa?"s website, www.irata.org