What Irish Farmers Should Expect When Travelling To Oz.
Following our blog on Job opportunities for young Irish farmers in Australia last week, we received numerous inquiries and questions, to which our blog did not provide the answers. As such, we made contact with the Australian Rural Enterprise seeking answers to your questions.
The information we gathered is especially relevant to those of you who are eager to get working Down Under for Harvest 2016.
EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
Farmers look for those who either have a farming background or have attended an agricultural college. You must have some machinery experience and know how to drive a tractor.
DATES:
Start dates:
The harvest season starts in October (some early, mid or late October) however there are some farmers who start a bit later meaning an early November date is also acceptable. Some farmers may require staff in September to help with pre-seeding duties and/or a few weeks before the season kicks off to get familiar with their property and the machinery.
Finish dates:
Most farmers like you there ‘until the work finishes’ meaning often they can only provide you an approximate end date. Some farmers who start later or have a larger cropping programme like to be finished by Christmas time, but depending on the weather as you will be aware, dates can be stretched out – or if you have a good run, the finish can be sooner. Therefore, finish dates can vary from early, mid or late December. Some may run into January and beyond if there is additional farm work to be done (you will be informed about this in advance). It is advised that you let the farmer or recruitment agency know what your commitments are at the end of the season and whether you need to finish/return home by a particular date.
OTHER DETAILS:
Hourly rates range from $22-25/hr (plus superannuation, which was explained in our previous blog on working in Oz), however some farmers are willing to pay more depending on experience.
Accommodation is usually provided and generally one to two meals per day are included. Some farmers may only include a dinner but you will know up front what the situation is.
**You will need valid work rights for Australia so make sure you have your Working Holiday Visas in place if you are international workers.**
The opportunities are certainly attractive for farmers, whether you want to go on a year long adventure of simply get over there for the harvest to make some money. Irish Farm Services will endeavour to keep you up to date with the latest in job opportunities.
Log on to our job vacancies page to keep up to date will jobs at home. Also check out recruitment agencies contacting us, looking for Irish farmers.
Share this post with anyone you think would be interested in this information for Harvest 2016. You could be living your dream by September/October!!