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Bam Mitchell-Wilde

Graduate Consultant
What employment sector do you work in?

Private Sector

How long have you had a green job for nature?

18 Months

Salary Range

£30,001 – £40,000

Please describe the work that you do.

My work is really varied – I help to advise developers on how to get the best outcomes for biodiversity. Day to day, this involves species and habitat surveying and reporting, biodiversity net gain assessments, working with others to develop plans and strategies for nature, and inputting into landscape designs.

What do you most like about your job? Any dislikes?

My favourite part of my job is the survey work. It makes me feel connected to the work that I’m doing, and sometimes I have to pinch myself that I’m actually getting paid to be out in nature looking at wildlife. I really enjoy how varied the work is, and I learn something new every day.

The work can be stressful at times as we are often working to deadlines and striving to deliver the best quality work possible, but I find the role really rewarding, and I enjoy my work so much that it is definitely worth the odd stressful moment.

What inspired you into this career? 

I wanted to get into a career that gave me the opportunity to be outside and learning about biodiversity. It was also really important to me that my job was ethically useful. I originally didn’t expect myself to end up in consultancy, but once I saw the role description for my job, and found out more about the company, I was hooked and had to apply.

Have you faced any challenges in progressing your career so far? 

I learnt most of what I knew about ecology and conservation in the year prior to starting my career, so there was a steep learning curve to get my head around some of the work that we do. I have found that getting involved in as much training as possible and actively seeking knowledge from those around you has made a big difference in how quickly I am able to learn. Everyone is really keen to help and share what they know.

What education/training did you have?

I have an undergraduate degree in Philosophy and a Masters degree in Wildlife Biology and Conservation. My masters wasn’t a conversion course, so I did some free online training and volunteered with conservation organisations alongside a year of work before I applied.

What advice would you give to someone coming into the profession? 

It can be easy to think that you don’t have the necessary qualifications, or you’ve gone down the wrong career path and it’s too late to change. My advice would be that if you’re passionate about something, go for it. You might hit a few ‘no’s on the way, but if you keep working at it, you can make it happen

Tags: England, Private sector, Ecological consultant, Ecological surveyor, Unrelated first degree

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