Farm Worker

Typical Salary

£13,000 To £25,000

Typical Hours

46 to 48 variable

evenings / weekends / bank holidays flexibly

How To Become a Farm Worker

You can get into this career through:

a college course
an apprenticeship
applying directly

College / University

You could take a course at an agricultural college to prepare for work in this industry. Courses include:

Level 1 Certificate in Practical Farm Animal Care Skills
Level 2 Extended Certificate in Agriculture
Level 3 Diploma in Agriculture

2 or fewer GCSEs at grades 3 to 1 (D to G), or equivalent, for a level 1 course

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

Apprenticeship

You can do a packhouse line leader advanced apprenticeship, if you're working on a farming food production line, for example picking and packing fruit and vegetables to order.

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 do not need any particular qualifications to apply directly to become a farm worker but it helps to have an interest in farming and working outdoors. Experience of working on a farm, for example from a weekend or holiday job, dairy work or crop picking would be useful.

Other Routes

Other Routes are not listed for this job.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

the ability to work well with others
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
physical skills like movement, coordination, dexterity and grace
excellent verbal communication skills
thinking and reasoning skills
the ability to work on your own
patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
the ability to work well with your hands
to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Day To Day Tasks

Your day-to-day duties will vary, depending on the time of year but may include:

feeding and looking after livestock
treating animals and crops to prevent disease
operating milking machinery on dairy farms
ploughing fields, sowing seeds and harvesting crops
operating and repairing farm machinery like tractors, ploughs and combine harvesters
maintaining farm buildings
trimming hedges, clearing drainage ditches and mending fences and walls

Working Environment

You could work on a farm.

Your working environment may be outdoors in all weathers, dusty and dirty.

You may need to wear protective clothing.

Career Path & Progression

With qualifications and experience, you could progress to supervisor or unit manager on a large farm. You may have to move between farms to gain experience and promotion.

You could also become an agricultural contractor, supplying services to several farms, servicing machinery or working in agricultural equipment and supplies.

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering Opportunities are not listed for this job.

Tips & Information

Career tips

It may help to have some basic skills in mechanics.

Further information

You can find out more about careers in farming and agriculture from Tasty Careers.

Restrictions & Requirements

You'll need to:

have a good level of fitness

You may need a driving licence for some jobs.