Agricultural Contractor

Typical Salary

To

Typical Hours

44 to 46 seasonal

evenings / weekends / bank holidays on shifts

How To Become a Agricultural Contractor

You can get into this job through:

a college course
an apprenticeship
applying directly

College / University

You could take a course at agricultural college, which may be useful when you start looking for work. Courses include:

Level 2 Award in Agriculture Machine Maintenance
Level 2 Certificate in Agriculture

2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course

Apprenticeship

The following apprenticeships may be relevant to this role :

Level 2 Countryside worker
Level 2 Land based service engineer
Level 3 Land based service engineering technician

some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Routes into this Career

Routes into this Career are not listed for this job.

You could apply directly to become an agricultural contractor. Employers will usually expect you to have experience of working with farm machinery.

Other Routes

Other Routes are not listed for this job.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

ambition and a desire to succeed
the ability to work well with others
knowledge of food production methods
the ability to use your initiative
persistence and determination
sensitivity and understanding
maths knowledge
knowledge of manufacturing production and processes
to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Day To Day Tasks

You may specialise in areas like:

crop spraying and fertilising
harvesting
seed processing
seed milling and mixing
sheep shearing and dipping
animal management including hoof trimming
lambing
breeding

You could also carry out general work like:

dry stone walling
fencing
excavation
drainage work

Working Environment

You could work on a farm.

Your working environment may be physically demanding, outdoors in all weathers and you'll travel often.

Career Path & Progression

With experience, you could move into teaching, training or consultancy.

You could also work for private companies or co-operatives that offer management services to farms.

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering Opportunities are not listed for this job.

Tips & Information

Career tips

Agricultural contracting can be competitive, with lots of contractors applying for the same work. It will help you to get jobs and build your business if you have a specialism that no one else in the surrounding area offers.

Professional and industry bodies

You could join the National Association of Agricultural Contractors, which can help with industry training and professional development.

Further information

You'll find more about working and training in agriculture from Tasty Careers and the National Land Based College.

Restrictions & Requirements

You'll need to:

have a Certificate of Competence, if you carry out hazardous tasks using a chainsaw

Driving other vehicles like lorries, tractors, harvesters and fork lift trucks can also be part of your work. You can find out more about driving specialist vehicles from GOV.UK.