S5E55 Sat in the entrance to a cave in Wales, hidden amongst temperate rainforest, Richard Crompton gives you his insight into the best way to go about getting your bat licence. Richard has been training ecologists for many years now with around 400 people coming to his courses over the years. In this episode you'll hear about the different bodies that give licences, the different levels of licences and what they allow you to do, which one you should aim for as a consultant ecologist and the sort of activities that are most useful. We also hear about Richard's journey into bat conservation and how he nearly took a job at the Bat Conservation Trust, before turning it down!Find Richard on twitter, Instagram and LinkedInRichard's Ecology on Demand websiteTraining courses from the Bat Conservation TrustThank you to Wildlife Acoustics and Wildcare for sponsoring series 5 of BatChat.Visit wildlifeacoustics.com to learn more.Quote BATCHAT at the Wildcare checkout for 10% off all bat detectors and bat boxes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~?We now have our own Merch!? Get your hands on the brand new range of BatChat clothing and tote bags at our tee mill store and tag us on social media with you wearing your purchases.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Google have announced they are discontinuing their podcast app so we recommend making the switch to an alternative podcast app such as:SpotifyPodcast AddictCastBoxPocket CastsAll apps that BatChat is available on are here.Support the showPlease leave us a review or star rating if your podcast app allows it because it helps us to reach a wider audience so that we can spread the word about how great bats are. How to write a podcast review (and why you should).Got a story to share with us? Please get in touch via comms@bats.org.ukBats are magical but misunderstood. At BCT our vision is a world rich in wildlife where bats and people thrive together. Action to protect & conserve bats is having a positive impact on bat populations in the UK. We would not be able to continue our work to protect bats & their habitats without your contribution so if you can please donate. We need your support now more than ever: www.bats.org.uk/donate Thank you!