Anybody work on a farm ?
Discussion
Always thought I'd like the idea of working on a farm. I know it would be bloody hard work but I think I should be working outdoors.
I believe that if you actually want to become a farmer you have to do 7 years at college or something. But what about working for a farmer ?
Anybody got any experience of getting a job on a farm or already own/work on one ?
I believe that if you actually want to become a farmer you have to do 7 years at college or something. But what about working for a farmer ?
Anybody got any experience of getting a job on a farm or already own/work on one ?
Bloody hard going. I am from a farming family and my experience is unless your dad is a farmer and you're going to inherit you're going to struggle to make a living from it. You can get work for a farmer but if you want to make a decent wage you need a sort after skill. General labour is done by eastern Europeans for £20 a day.
Bloody hell !! I think I earn that in my coffee break.We have farming in the family but not directly... All I've ever wanted to do... Studied agriculture at Uni (3 years plus one out working) and went for an interview with a large fresh-produce company as assistant farm manager... Ended up being offered a Commercial Role and accepting as it was £5k extra salary and as a graduate that was attractive!
8 years later, I'm still dealing with supermarkets at a senior level and regretting that decision...
You don't need a family farm to farm... You can have a damned good career in Farm management if you go the right way. It mioght never make you rich and you will work bl**dy hard at times... But, it pays fairly well, you normally get a rent-free house as part of your package and you have an absolutely amazing lifestyle if it is right for you...
If interested, look for harvest work in the summer... Great fun driving big tractors and long hours- you will either love it or hate it and then take it from there... Where are you based?
8 years later, I'm still dealing with supermarkets at a senior level and regretting that decision...
You don't need a family farm to farm... You can have a damned good career in Farm management if you go the right way. It mioght never make you rich and you will work bl**dy hard at times... But, it pays fairly well, you normally get a rent-free house as part of your package and you have an absolutely amazing lifestyle if it is right for you...
If interested, look for harvest work in the summer... Great fun driving big tractors and long hours- you will either love it or hate it and then take it from there... Where are you based?
Best way is to do it as a hobby, small holding etc - as said above if you're in management the pay is ok (considering the usual free cottage) but the hours are unsociable, especially during summer.
My friend has a farm, so I just play there at weekeneds sometimes or on holidays, all the fun of using the machinery (and doing manly things like digging big holes or knocking down trees) without any of the associated b
ks.
My friend has a farm, so I just play there at weekeneds sometimes or on holidays, all the fun of using the machinery (and doing manly things like digging big holes or knocking down trees) without any of the associated b
ks.richyb said:
General labour is done by eastern Europeans for £20 a day.
Bullst. That's £2.50 an hour on a standard day.If you want to work outdoors, livestock farming is the way forward.
Herdsmen on dairy farms are in pretty high demand, despite the industry being on its knees. There's a reason for that. Animals don't believe in weekends or bank holidays. They also don't really give a f
k that it's 10 o'clock on a saturday night and you'd much rather be down the pub than be elbow deep in cow clunge.But then again, walking through the dawn mist on a fresh summer's morning to get the cows in is pretty special.
If you want regular working hours, pigs and poultry is for you. Everything tends to work on a weekly routine, aiming for a 40-45 hour week (at least it does round these parts). If it's indoor pigs, there's not much working outdoors, but plenty of poo. Outdoor pigs are brilliant. For a month in the spring and a month in the autumn.
If you like machines, go for arable. Hardly any work in the winter, and f
k loads in the summer. No cricket or barbecues I'm afraid. Plenty of big mechanical toys though. Not much of the outdoor lifestyle though; a day in the tractor is more like a day in the office, but twice as long. On the upside, winter time is workshop time. :thumbsup:All of the above aren't all that well paid. The Agricultural Wages Order gives minimum rates: £5.81 for a trainee rising to £8.00 for a supervisory, non managerial grade. Time and a half overtime. Most people will pay more than this though. And you get a dog allowance if he's used for work.
If you want to earn more, be a farm manager. Expect to spend at least normal office hours in an office, probably with some light tractor driving duties in the evening (the 8 till 1 shift during harvest).
As far as getting your own farm goes, it is possible. My dad's done it (mortgage is less than 25% of the value of the place now). Bear in mind the average age of farmers was 58 in 2005, and has increased since then. When they retire/die, someone will have to take their place. Even so, unless you've a massive cash reserve, you'll have to buy a pig or poultry business as a going concern. Any other business would be killed by cashflow.
But yeh, all that aside, there's a reason no-one leaves. It's the best job in the world. Which is why I want a job in IT
There's three types of money in agriculture: Matri-money, Patri-money, and Parsi-money.
It's also a great lifestyle if you've got a family. He may have been doing way more hours, but I saw a lot more of my father when I was a kid than I would have if he'd been working in an office somewhere.
Hard work though, and I'm lazy which is why I didn't follow in his footsteps. There are a lot of oter farming related careers though, for example my sister went in to agronomy and now tours round a fairly large collection of farms advising on agrochemicals and irrigation systems.
Hard work though, and I'm lazy which is why I didn't follow in his footsteps. There are a lot of oter farming related careers though, for example my sister went in to agronomy and now tours round a fairly large collection of farms advising on agrochemicals and irrigation systems.
Escort2dr said:
bitwrx said:
But yeh, all that aside, there's a reason no-one leaves.
Are you sure? I was led to believe farmers were packing it in all the time (retirement/no succession/no money) and the industry was losing people on an annual basis.
bitwrx said:
richyb said:
General labour is done by eastern Europeans for £20 a day.
Bullst. That's £2.50 an hour on a standard day.tty working conditions, extortionate accommodation charges for living in rotting shipping containers, whole day's pay docked for trivial infractions, e.g. 10 minutes late. Berry Shame
A Bulgarian friend spent the summer strawberry picking in Norfolk, and was delighted to be clearing 100 pounds a week to send home.
"Bulls
t" is, unfortunately, a bit strong.karona said:
bitwrx said:
richyb said:
General labour is done by eastern Europeans for £20 a day.
Bullst. That's £2.50 an hour on a standard day.tty working conditions, extortionate accommodation charges for living in rotting shipping containers, whole day's pay docked for trivial infractions, e.g. 10 minutes late. Berry Shame
A Bulgarian friend spent the summer strawberry picking in Norfolk, and was delighted to be clearing 100 pounds a week to send home.
"Bulls
t" is, unfortunately, a bit strong.Gassing Station | Jobs & Employment Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff