I first met Gemma Grant who works for Surrey Wildlife Trust, on a guided foraging walk. It was clear from the start what a huge passion she has for her job, so I wanted to find out more about life as a forest ranger and what it takes to become one.

So tell us a bit more about a day in the life of a forest ranger, what might you do on a typical day?

I always seem to be planning tasks and trying to organise my time as there is so much to do, but it’s one of those jobs where things are constantly changing so you never know what your day is going to be like.

I could be leading a guided walk in the morning and then fixing an area of stock fencing in the afternoon. It is so varied and random that it keeps the days exciting but unfortunately things like vandalism and fly tipping occur which can take up your whole day, when you had planned to do nicer things like work on your management plans.

Gemma's office

How did you get into this career?

I was very lucky to have great parents who did their best to take us outdoors at every opportunity. This passion for the outdoors has stuck with me and therefore I grew up realising that a job outside of an office was one for me. As a student I did try a whole variety of careers and positions in offices, schools, shops, bars which were a lot of fun but I always found myself wandering what the weather was like outside.

No work experience was like my first work experience at sixth form for the Forestry Commission where I helped a ranger to manage an area of woodland in Northamptonshire. The thrill of driving off road through the forest got me hooked! I still had thoughts of being a teacher, so I took a gap year to have a think about it and found myself doing conservation in Australia. So the degree was booked and completed 10 years ago and I haven’t looked back.

Gemma foraging for sweet chestnuts

Is it challenging to work outside in weathers?

Not at all. When you’re working outside in the right clothes you hardly notice it, and there are always indoor jobs to do if the weather is awful such as servicing your tools, catching up on paperwork etc.

What are the best and worst things about the job?

Best: Making a difference and hopefully passing on the passion to others.

Worst: The competition to get a job in this field.

Would you love to work in the great outdoors? Or do you already have your dream outdoors job? Tell us about your experiences and share advice for anyone thinking of changing careers, in the comments section below.

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2. What do you think about the big forest sell off?
3. More foraging ideas for the autumn
4. Go foraging this autumn