In this episode, Tom and Jamie talk with Josie, a National Trust countryside manager in North Devon. Josie’s career has been anything but straightforward: she left school after GCSEs, trained as a mechanic and served five years in the REME before embarking on higher education. With life experience but no A‑levels, she contacted universities directly, persuaded them to give her a chance and eventually worked her way up to a PhD.

Burnt out by academia, she turned to nature and began volunteering with the National Trust, living in a tent for six months while supporting herself with part‑time work. That led to an apprenticeship as a ranger and eventually to leadership. In her current role she leads a team of nine across a 2 700‑acre estate, balancing day‑to‑day estate management with large‑scale nature recovery projects.

Countryside managers are responsible for developing and managing landscapes, ensuring public access and conservationsuccessatschool.org; they must coordinate habitat restoration, oversee staff and volunteers, manage budgets and secure fundingsuccessatschool.org.

The National Trust notes that countryside managers provide strategic direction, leading teams to deliver landscape‑scale conservation while ensuring visitors enjoy their experiencenationaltrustjobs.org.uk. Salaries range from around £22 k to £34 ksuccessatschool.org. Josie advises service‑leavers to be persistent, seek volunteering opportunities and remember there are many routes into land‑based careers.

Episode chapters & key moments:

00:00 Introduction & podcast purpose: Tom and Jamie summarise the goal of creating an “evergreen” library of land‑based career stories.

02:50 Meeting Josie: She describes her varied background—from dropping out of school and working as a vehicle mechanic to joining the REME, and later pursuing higher education.

07:00 Choosing university without A‑levels: Josie explains how she negotiated entry to university, earned a psychology degree and later completed a PhD.

11:15 Leaving academia for the outdoors: Burnt out and seeking meaning, Josie emailed the National Trust and secured a volunteer placement, living in a tent and working for free to gain experience.

14:00 Ranger apprenticeship & career progression: Josie undertook the National Trust’s three‑year ranger apprenticeship, learning practical skills such as hedge‑laying, fencing and path maintenance. She later became an area ranger, managing conservation grazing and livestock.

17:45 Countryside manager role: Josie now leads a team of nine across a 2 700‑acre estate. Countryside managers are responsible for day‑to‑day estate management and the strategic delivery of landscape‑scale conservationnationaltrustjobs.org.uk. They oversee habitat restoration, monitor woodland safety, manage access, and engage visitors, whilst also ensuring conservation gains and public benefitnationaltrustjobs.org.uk.

24:30 Nature recovery projects: Josie discusses current initiatives such as planting 100 000 trees, restoring wetlands, and creating ecological corridors. She highlights the complexity of balancing nature conservation with public access and working with multiple landowners and agencies.

31:45 Transferable skills: Josie emphasises planning, packing and risk‑assessment skills honed in the military. Leadership, confidence under pressure and outdoor resilience help her to manage a team and adapt to unexpected challenges.

35:00 Advice for aspiring countryside managers: She urges service‑leavers to “be necky”—reach out directly to local National Trust, Wildlife Trust or RSPB teams, seek volunteer placements and gain hands‑on experience. The National Trust’s entry‑level roles include apprentice ranger, assistant ranger and rangernationaltrustjobs.org.uk.

38:00 Qualifications & pay: While degrees in countryside management or environmental science are common, experience and volunteering can be equally valuable. Countryside managers earn roughly £22 k–£34 k, depending on responsibility and employer successatschool.org. Entry routes include degrees, higher apprenticeships and working up from lower‑level postssuccessatschool.org. Josie underscores that the work isn’t highly paid, but it offers deep personal fulfilment.

About our guest:

Josie served five years in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) before pursuing academic studies. She completed a psychology degree and a PhD but chose a more practical life, volunteering with the National Trust and then training as a ranger through its three‑year academy programme.

Josie now manages the 2 700‑acre Arlington Estate in North Devon. Her work spans woodland management, conservation grazing, wetland restoration and tree‑planting projects. She leads a team of nine staff and numerous volunteers, delivering nature recovery initiatives and enhancing public access to the countryside. Her passion is creating landscapes where wildlife and people thrive.

Countryside management at a glance:

1. Responsibilities: Countryside managers develop, maintain and manage areas such as parks, nature reserves, woodlands and access networkssuccessatschool.org. Tasks include conserving habitats, overseeing staff and volunteers, planning public access and managing budgets, grants and health and safetysuccessatschool.org. The National Trust emphasises landscape‑scale conservation and visitor engagementnationaltrustjobs.org.uk.
2. Entry routes: Many roles require a relevant degree or higher national diploma in land management or environmental sciencesuccessatschool.org, but employers also recruit through higher apprenticeships or progression from ranger rolesnationaltrustjobs.org.uksuccessatschool.org. Volunteer experience in conservation work is highly valuedsuccessatschool.org.
3. Salary & hours: Salaries typically range from £22 000 to £34 000successatschool.org, with 39–41‑hour weeks and occasional early starts or weekend worksuccessatschool.org.
4. Skills: Countryside managers need strong knowledge of rural and conservation issues, excellent management and communication skills, budgeting ability and confidence working with the publicsuccessatschool.org.

Resources & next steps:

1. National Trust jobs portal – Explore countryside roles and apprenticeships: nationaltrustjobs.org.uk.
2. Environmentjob.co.uk and Countryside Jobs Service – Listings for ranger and conservation postssuccessatschool.org.
3. HighGround Rural Weeks – Intensive courses that introduce service‑leavers to land‑based careers, including ranger and conservation work.
4. Volunteering organisations – Contact local National Trust, Wildlife Trust or RSPB teams to gain hands‑on experience.

Share this episode with fellow service‑leavers, reservists and nature enthusiasts, and find more resources at highground-uk.org.