Jamie was desperate to quit the daily office grind and bagged his dream job in 2015. He spoke to Juliet Dennis.
I start the morning with…
I wake up at 6am and have a nice cup of coffee and an omelette, take my two dogs (a border collie and pug) for their morning walk and watch the weather on Good Morning Britain when I get back. After taking my four children to their school’s breakfast club for 7.30am, I’m in work for 8am.
The first thing I do when I get to work is…
I follow the park’s dog walk route. When it’s early, and very quiet, you see foxes and rabbits. You can also see grey herons and great egrets across our Brightlingsea Creek.
My daily duties involve…
Running a fun-packed itinerary of Nature Rockz activities, where I teach children about bush craft and wildlife as well as educate families on environmental issues and top tips to save the planet.
Before working for Haven…
I was once an operations manager for a 12-screen cinema, but being in an office 12 hours a day was definitely not for me. I left that job on a mission to find a role in which I could work outside. I’ve also worked as a handy man helping people with their gardens, whether it was cutting hedges or grass.
I first applied for a job at Haven…
In 2013, when a gardening job became available at The Orchards, which is just 10 minutes from my home. Unfortunately, I was turned away as the manager at the time believed I was over qualified. A year later a job came up as a cleaner for The Orchards, so I applied again. This time I went in wearing a tracksuit and kept my past jobs hidden. I was passed over to the newly appointed grounds manager who said I could start the next week. In 2015, the park ranger role became available and I was offered it by the general manager – I have been a park ranger ever since.
I became a park ranger because…
Working with children and in the great outdoors is an opportunity you can’t miss. Caring for the environment is important to me and this role allows me to educate the next generation on how to look after our planet.
The most rewarding part of my job is…
Having children return to see me year after year. I also love working alongside amazing organisations such as The Wildlife Trust, The Woodland Trust, RSPB and Haven’s national charity partner, the RNLI.
The most challenging part of my job is…
If you love your job, none of it is challenging.
The most common thing I am asked is…
What to feed hedgehogs, when is the best time to clean out a bird box, and ‘what plant is this?’
To relax I like to…
Spend the night in my hammock in the woods, next to a nice warm fire with a cuppa and a steak cooking over the flames.