Job Offer

ropacer

Hey all,

First post so be nice please.

I was offered a job today and I just thought Id run it past you and see what you think.

I live on small dairy farm in my late twenty's, don't have much studies to my name, but worked in Australia for a number of years. Milked on large farms over there and would consider myself very capable around stock, machinery, and at doing general farm work. That said I am not needed at home and have no ties to it at all, not long home from Australia so just here till I get sorted.

Owner of a 200 cow spring herd came to me today and offered me a full time position, role is not a full farm manager but not far from it if that makes sense. Farm also rares all bull calves to beef and has up to 100 acres of tillage. Myself and owner would be doing most of the work with short term staff taken in for busy times.

I'll be based mainly with the cows which is what I would prefer. Hours are from half six to six, with an hour for breakfast and again for lunch. Every second weekend off so I guess a six day week. And all the legal holiday days. Bank holidays treated as a Sunday(just milking feeding and herding). Spring time I'll be asked to do some night time watching of the cows, two maybe three nights a week.

Pay is €35,000 gross which boils down to about €2250 into my hand per month. No accommodation provided.
As I said Ive been down under so wondering is this the run of the mill here or am I getting railroaded altogether?? The roll doesn't bother me, I have ran herds before and would be comfortable at it, it's the time and pay I guess are my real questions.

Got a bit long winded,
Thanks for any help!

blue5000

Its a lot of hrs a week, think it is around 57? (9.5x6) maybe try get every weekend off, let them get frs for the weekends?

whelan1

so pay is €550 per week home, if you are working 12 full days from 6.30am to 6 pm , something has to give , you cannot physically do this and work at 100% competence imo... i now have someone working a 4 day week , works 110% those 4 days before this when on fulltime he was wrecked come day 10 and things didnt run right... maybe give it a months trial and see how you go?

charityboy

not to many jobs going around at the moment so i would defo take the job nothing stopping you keeping an eye out for other jobs ,you will be gaining expierence which could lead to a farm manager post and lads will always be quicker to hire some one that is already working

Attie

Ropacer
Use this http://www.xe.com/ucc/ to convert Euro into Australian Dollars as you know about rates of pay over there divided by hours see how that works out you will be wiser with this knowledge.
I am not the one to be giving advice but a jobs a job for what it's worth.
attie

whelan1

neighbour was telling me of a lad who lost his job before xmas, he was offered a new job the other day , €550/wk home, he declined as he gets more on social welfare, with medical card etc:eek:

red menace

If it was me I would be asking if I could take half an hour for lunch and half an hour for breakfast and finish up an hour earlier if that was possible?
Maybe not with that many cows but worth an ask?

6480

wel i worked in a 180 cow herd about ten years ago with the same hours, all bull calves finished at 2 yearolds , a 60 pb angus cow suckler herd and 100 beef cattle bought in for fattening . Two other men would work part time between them in the week . i use to work ten days straight through (half day on wedesday ( but near happened to often ) and then 4 off and back on sunday evening to milk again , the 4 days off suited me as i could get a few days work done at home but when i would land back on sunday evenings to start again god only knows wat u would have to face as the owner would be under extreme pressure the days i would be away and he would leave the awarked jobs to my return like cleaning yards , stripping pits for diet feeding, checking yard scrappers etc etc , as for work i would be mainly with the dairy herd on my own and to be fair to the owner he wasn too bad to work with . the money was good but many a day it could be ten at night when i would finish . you would want to find info from preavous employees and how up to date the farm is and get ur hours set in concrete first

pakalasa

ropacer wrote: »

...Owner of a 200 cow spring herd came to me today and offered me a full time position...

Why did he come to you? Did someone recomend you?
There's nothing stopping you going back to him and getting a better deal. That is his first offer, after all. Maybe less hours. Those hours are crazy. It's one thing to do them for yourself, but in a hired position. No job in industry would offer those hours.

As Whelan1 said, a few years of that kind of work, will take it's tole on the body. You've got to think longterm term too. Make sure you get a signed contract before you start, if you do decide to take it.

C0N0R

I'm assistant managing a 400 cow farm along with the share milker in Nz, hours are normally 5:00 to 5:00/5:30 but I've seen days I've finished up at 7/8. Money is $45000 and a free house, work eleven days on three off. The rosta doesn't bother me, I don't find come me day off I'm wrecked, you get used to it. I know if I got offered that job back home i would be seriously looking at it. What i would be wondering is what's the guy like to work with, any chance of an 11 and 3 rosta, how well is the farm setup and how much input am I allowed. Is there many jobs available like this in Ireland??

For what it's also worth we employ a full time manager on my home farm 60 cows liquid milk, he is on circa 28k works 5.5 days a week starts at seven finishes 7:30 or later but he has been there 25 years and is very committed.

JohnBoy

9.5 hour days arent that bad, if you're only doing 5 or six in a row, but you're talking about 12 on, two off. that's hard going. all you'll be fit for on the two days off is sleep.

knew a guy who did similar a few years ago and it was an ongoing problem waking him in the pub, nightclubs, waiting for taxis etc.

but that said it sounds like a potentially great oppurtunity.

Are there any perks on top of that money? jeep, phone, VHI?

Any oppurtunity for share milking or some partnership, buy some cows yourself and run them in his herd as a way of getting your own herd in the future? some lads are keen on bringing on the next generation and some are just looking for slaves, they only way to know unfortunately might be to go for it.


As a farming job it doesnt sound that bad to me.

1chippy

I work at least 12hrs a day six days a week. it will take its toll for a short while but your body adjusts. the only problem now is when you do want a lye in youll be staring at the bedroom ceiling at 6 in the morn and hangovers last a bit longer, but then again i am gettin a bit older.

rancher

ropacer wrote: »

Hey all,

First post so be nice please.

I was offered a job today and I just thought Id run it past you and see what you think.

I live on small dairy farm in my late twenty's, don't have much studies to my name, but worked in Australia for a number of years. Milked on large farms over there and would consider myself very capable around stock, machinery, and at doing general farm work. That said I am not needed at home and have no ties to it at all, not long home from Australia so just here till I get sorted.

Owner of a 200 cow spring herd came to me today and offered me a full time position, role is not a full farm manager but not far from it if that makes sense. Farm also rares all bull calves to beef and has up to 100 acres of tillage. Myself and owner would be doing most of the work with short term staff taken in for busy times.

I'll be based mainly with the cows which is what I would prefer. Hours are from half six to six, with an hour for breakfast and again for lunch. Every second weekend off so I guess a six day week. And all the legal holiday days. Bank holidays treated as a Sunday(just milking feeding and herding). Spring time I'll be asked to do some night time watching of the cows, two maybe three nights a week.

Pay is €35,000 gross which boils down to about €2250 into my hand per month. No accommodation provided.
As I said Ive been down under so wondering is this the run of the mill here or am I getting railroaded altogether?? The roll doesn't bother me, I have ran herds before and would be comfortable at it, it's the time and pay I guess are my real questions.

Got a bit long winded,
Thanks for any help!

Yep..you're right, you're being railroaded, you'd end up with poor health and no life, definitely scrooge is not dead yet

keep going

a couple of questions to ask your self.first and most important what do you think this fella is like.if you think hes sound good but if you think he could be a f**ker then run.next whats the set up like.is it good or are you goin to be runing around in circles.next does it fit in with your plans and every morning would you be happy to get up and do this kind of work.then well what are your options and lastly worry about money.personaly if only the basic work was done on the sunday your on those hours wouldnt scare me

corkcomp

it doesn't sound too great but doesn't sound very bad either. It looks like he is offering hour breaks twice a day as a way to ensure you will be around for milking times. FFS, what are you doing to do for the 2 hours if your stuck in the yard? mot likely you wouldn't end up taking them.

JohnBoy

Actually that's a good point. it's grand having those breaks when you're living on the farm, but there's no house in this offer. so unless you're living right next door it's a bit useless.

What about a split shift? three or four hours off, either directly before the evening milking, or directly after the morning one.

if you were doing a bit of farming yourself it would give you a few hours every day to do your own bit, or to just go home and sleep

it would also make working 12 days in a row far more tolerable.

whelan1

so, any update?