Work

The majority of summer work on our farm is picking strawberries and raspberries by hand. The picking season starts in May and ends in October, with July being our busiest month. The fruit is picked into punnets which is then sold to the supermarkets. The picker must grade the fruit and constantly monitor the quality to make sure that the fruit in the punnets are in agreement with strict supermarket guidelines. Training will be given and there is always a supervisor present in the field who will monitor quality and deal with any problems you may have. Other tasks on the farm include husbandry and weeding. These jobs are necessary to keep the quality of fruit as high as possible.

We grow 100% of our strawberries on a table-top system. As can been seen in the pictures, this raises the plants off the ground and the fruit can be picked easily at waist height when standing up. Raspberries and blueberries are also picked at waist height, with very little bending. This is a major advantage working here compared to other fruit farms, as it can be backbreaking work picking strawberries on the ground every day!

How much do I get paid?

Almost all work will be carried out on an hourly plus bonus basis. This means that if you work hard you can earn more than the minimum wage. Work rate will be monitored during the day and if your performance is too low we will provide re-training to help you achieve this minimum level. However, if after re-training you continue to fail to reach this minimum standard of work, then we will not be able to offer you any more work. At the end of the week you will be given a wage slip that will show how long you worked, the minimum wage that you have earned and any bonus that you have made. You will also earn holiday pay entitlement which will be paid if you take days off or as a lump sum at the end of your employment if not used. It is important to understand that we need an enthusiastic and motivated group of workers who are keen to earn money so that we can get all our fruit picked for the supermarkets.

We pay the National Living Wage to everyone regardless of age (in other industries and in England the living wage only starts when you reach 25 years old)

The current National Living Wage (April 2020) is £8.72/hr

Contract of Employment

We will send you a copy of our contract of employment by e-mail before you start working here. If you would like to see a copy of our contract please contact us.

Before you arrive

If you are offered a chance to work on our farm, we will send you a Welcome Letter by e-mail. This will have information you will need before you arrive but if you have any questions then please e-mail us.

Remember to bring the following:

PASSPORT AND/OR NATIONAL IDENTITY CARD
4 PASSPORT SIZED PHOTOGRAPHS OF YOURSELF
SLEEPING BAG
CLOTHING SUITABLE FOR BOTH HOT AND COLD CONDITIONS