Assistant Surveyor x2

Two part-time, self-employed Assistant Surveyor
Posts

Three days a week for 16 weeks from June to September 2024 at £250 per day.

Teesdale Special Flora Trust is seeking two part-time, self-employed assistant surveyors from
June to September this year to learn the important skill of surveying the presence of rare
plant species.

This is an exciting opportunity to work with a nationally-renowned botanist in Upper Teesdale
in the North Pennines National Landscape area. This is one of the UK’s five ‘botanical
hotspots’, famous for its unique collection of rare and scarce plant species – the so-called
‘Teesdale Assemblage’. The survey work is mostly based on identifying plants using vegetative
characters. This work would suit people who are developing careers as specialist freelance
botanists.

Comprehensive information on the flora of the area and its history can be found in the book
Teesdale’s Special Flora, by Dr. Margaret Bradshaw, the founder of the Trust. Further
information about the Trust can be found at www.teesdalespecialflora.uk

The Trust has been awarded a ‘Farming in Protected Landscapes’ grant to further extend its
ongoing programme of surveying, to establish a baseline record of the presence and location of
the rare species and – for the first time – to provide training and mentoring for two assistant
surveyors to learn the essential skills of doing this work, with a view to expanding the very
small pool of botanists able to do so.

The contracts will be for two self-employed assistant surveyors to work for three days a week
for 16 weeks from June to September at a day rate of £250 – making a contract value of
£12,000 per post.

The survey sites are quite remote, so applicants will need to:

• have a full driving licence and their own vehicle
• be able to cope with days in remote locations on fairly rough terrain and in all weathers
• have, or be prepared to obtain (at the Trust’s expense), an upland navigation and
  an outdoor or emergency first aid certificate.

To express an interest, please send a CV and covering letter to [email protected]

Closing date: Monday 22 April 2024