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Working Abroad Job Vacancies Job Hunting Guide Voluntary Work Working Part-time and Temping Useful Job Hunting Resources Working in Somerset Wages and Employment Rights Agricultural Workers in Somerset CLCI: WAB CRCI: HA Many agricultural workers are self-employed or work for more than one farm. Farming is undergoing big changes and has suffered from problems such as foot and mouth, BSE and falling demand for milk and lamb. This means some farmers are living on smaller incomes than in the past. There may be fewer – but still some - opportunities to enter farming in the immediate future. To do well you’ll need plenty of skills. There could be better opportunities if get extra qualifications and aim for supervisor and manager jobs. To find out more look under the above CLCI/CRCI headings in your careers or Connexions library THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT AGRICULTURAL WORK IN SOMERSET Agriculture in Somerset remains important with 8000 people working on 3000 farms. It largely involves dairying, sheep or mixed farming. Farms vary by size and type depending on where they are located. Farms on Exmoor are rather different to those on the Levels. Compared to many other counties Somerset has quite a lot of people working on farms. On the other hand it has fewer large farms than the national average. Many Somerset farms employ less than five workers and are often run by the farm owners and their families. Many local farm workers have learnt their jobs by going to college and getting agricultural qualifications HOW DO I GET STARTED?   Get work experience when at school to see if it’s the career for you   Start as a trainee – or Apprentice – on a farm and go to college as part of your job   Go to college full-time to an agriculture course USEFUL QUALIFICATIONS   No particular GCSEs but being good in maths, English and science can help   NVQs and City & Guilds in Agriculture   National Certificate/Diploma in Agriculture   BTEC First Diploma in Agriculture   BTEC National Certificate/Diploma in Agriculture More about qualifications, courses and training can be found in Moving On (published by Connexions Somerset) DO YOU KNOW? Organic farming is expanding. Several Somerset farms have won awards for their organic produce WHAT IS THE PAY LIKE? Around £80 per week (maybe more) if starting as a new employed trainee or apprentice. Otherwise pay is generally in line with the minimum recommended by the Agricultural Wages Board: £180 at 18 (39 hour week); £210 at 19 and over. Farm managers in Somerset earn around £350 - £400 per week FINDING A JOB   Connexions centres   Job centres   Through applying for work apprenticeships   School and college careers notice boards   Speculative letters/visits/emails   Newspaper and industry publications adverts   Adverts displayed at premises and on industry/company websites   Job offer after work experience   Word of mouth   A Guide to Job Hunting gives tips on CVs, interviews and job letters. To view click here OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER ABOUT THIS WORK   The work changes so you need to keep up with new developments. You also need to be ready to do different jobs at different times.   Hours can be awkward and you can be outdoors in all weather   Some of the work is physical so you need to be fit and healthy   Getting training helps your career prospects   When trained you could progress to foreman/woman, farm manager, specialist and technical jobs   There are lots of farms in Somerset so it's fairly easy to change jobs   Degrees, Foundation Degrees and Higher National Diplomas can lead to professional jobs in many branches of agriculture   Many agricultural workers become self-employed and contract their skills out to farmers WHO DOES THE WORK? Jean (20) left school after GCSEs and did a BTEC First Diploma in Agriculture at college. Since college Jean has worked on a farm near Castle Cary where she drives tractors and is in charge of 75 cows. Her job includes responsibility for milking, calving and recording milk yields. Jean plans to continue her studies by doing a National Certificate in Agriculture Paul (26) grew up in West Somerset and worked on farms when still at school. After getting 5 GCSEs (at grades B and C) he went to college to do a National Diploma in Agriculture. Next Paul did a degree in farm management at university before working on a local farm to get management experience. Now he’s a farm manager in Australia! More info: A-Z of careers Careers information dates rapidly. Every effort has been made to ensure information is accurate but please check details before making firm decisions. Make text larger Make text smaller Text Only Display Privacy Policy/Terms of Use