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Farm workers wages!

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13567…12

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    #62
    Feckthis
    Closed Accounts Posts: 504 ✭✭✭Feckthis


    whelan2 wrote: »
    think the main problem in the future is where will the workers come from?

    You will always get workers good and bad ones. Make sure ya both are on the same level as regards what you both want from the experience. Some one that only plans on staying for a while or has no interest and just looking for a few pound is probably not arsed to impress you. Where as someone that's wanting a job long term and interested in farming will look after you and his job but will EXPECT a decent wage for doing such AND to be treated right. You both will prosper from this.


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    #63
    whelan2
    Registered Users Posts: 29,216 ✭✭✭✭whelan2


    9935452 wrote: »
    There will always be young lads who love that type of work, farmers sons who like me said i might as well work for someone else and get paid for it than work at home and not get paid.
    These type of lads love that work , time flies doing it , the job varies constantly, from animals, feeding , dosing , animal care, servicing machinery , driving machinery , repairs , maintenance, building sheds, making gates, working out in the weather, meeting different people in the course of the job.
    I loved it when i was at it. The experience was good and a hell of a lot was learnt.
    very few farmers sons around here doing anything in farming at all.


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    #64
    C4d78
    Registered Users Posts: 334 ✭✭C4d78


    red_diesel wrote: »
    If this is he case, excluding lifestyle benefits and passion people have for the work, the numbers don't stack up for well qualified personnel. Someone with a degree and 15 years post grad experience can realistically expect around 55k. And that's for a 35 to 40 hour week. The older you get the more you appreciate the work life balance.

    If money was the only deciding factor everyone would become a doctor/consultant& earn 150k min/annum but not everyone has the qualifications to do so.
    And to get to the point where they earn this wage they have to put in 7-10 yrs minimum of study and training.
    So it's all relative a farm managers salary can't be simply compared to that of doctors or other qualified personnel.

    I'm sure there are many farm managers out there pulling in a salary far in excess of the 35-45k bracket depending on ability and responsibility. So in my opinion there is a decent salary to be made for the top farm managers


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    #65
    J DEERE
    Registered Users Posts: 402 ✭✭J DEERE


    frazzledhome wrote: »
    Wish you all the best in your job hunt

    And I wish you all the best trying to get good men to work for less. Pay peanuts, get monkeys


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    #66
    J DEERE
    Registered Users Posts: 402 ✭✭J DEERE


    simx wrote: »
    Yeah a lot of farmers are miserable out and out, especially some dairy men I have dealt with buying cows off private, I suppose better in their pocket than mine is they're thinking too, worked for one lad before and he used to pay me €60/day 8am-approx 6.30/7, used to help half milking in am and full milking in evening in that too, was costing me €12 in diesel to get there daily, granted got the breakfast dinner and tea there, I used to have to be up at 5 to do a few jobs before I left and doing jobs till 11/11.30 that night when you'd come home, very nice lad to work for ill say that, do regularly chat still, I didn't quit I finished off till he didn't need me anymore as he had an operation and that was the main reason for me being there in the first place but I think if he rang me to come again in the spring I'd have to be getting a significant rise, on that if there's anyone looking for a worker in the busy time in the spring I'm currently scouting about anywhere not a ridiculous distance from north Kk area thanks

    PM me I might have a few contacts


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    #67
    red_diesel
    Registered Users Posts: 140 ✭✭red_diesel


    C4d78 wrote: »
    If money was the only deciding factor everyone would become a doctor/consultant& earn 150k min/annum but not everyone has the qualifications to do so.
    And to get to the point where they earn this wage they have to put in 7-10 yrs minimum of study and training.
    So it's all relative a farm managers salary can't be simply compared to that of doctors or other qualified personnel.

    I'm sure there are many farm managers out there pulling in a salary far in excess of the 35-45k bracket depending on ability and responsibility. So in my opinion there is a decent salary to be made for the top farm managers

    Any young person that goes to the effort of getting a degree will expect a decent salary commensurate with their qualification. As I said money may not be a factor initially but when mortgages marriage kids etc come down the line it becomes much more important. I'm just wondering can the industry in Ireland cater for a large amount of ambitious agriculture graduates.


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    #68
    Farrell
    Registered Users Posts: 2,262 ✭✭✭Farrell


    red_diesel wrote: »
    Any young person that goes to the effort of getting a degree will expect a decent salary commensurate with their qualification. As I said money may not be a factor initially but when mortgages marriage kids etc come down the line it becomes much more important. I'm just wondering can the industry in Ireland cater for a large amount of ambitious agriculture graduates.
    I must say I totally agree with your point, but not just in Agriculture.
    Even back when I left College (Eng), we'd figures in our heads which we were not offered to which we thought Companies were trying to take advantage, we learned the hardway that we were mis guided.
    Allot of the problem is the Cost of living is too high, especially since we went Euro, I don't know how but we need to reduce this to provide more employment


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    #69
    Bullocks
    Registered Users Posts: 5,890 ✭✭✭Bullocks


    Farrell wrote: »
    I must say I totally agree with your point, but not just in Agriculture.
    Even back when I left College (Eng), we'd figures in our heads which we were not offered to which we thought Companies were trying to take advantage, we learned the hardway that we were mis guided.
    Allot of the problem is the Cost of living is too high, especially since we went Euro, I don't know how but we need to reduce this to provide more employment

    I don't know how either but it would be great . You pay someone 600/700 a week and think it's a fortune to have to fork out for all the good you get out of them but that someone takes home around 500 in his hand and if they have kids or mortgage they will be lucky to make it home with anything after the essentials are paid for the week .


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    #70
    frazzledhome
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,278 ✭✭✭frazzledhome


    J DEERE wrote: »
    And I wish you all the best trying to get good men to work for less. Pay peanuts, get monkeys

    50k+ peanuts FFS


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    #71
    C4d78
    Registered Users Posts: 334 ✭✭C4d78


    red_diesel wrote: »
    Any young person that goes to the effort of getting a degree will expect a decent salary commensurate with their qualification. As I said money may not be a factor initially but when mortgages marriage kids etc come down the line it becomes much more important. I'm just wondering can the industry in Ireland cater for a large amount of ambitious agriculture graduates.

    They may "expect" it but they'll learn they won't always get what they expect no matter what the industry.
    Just try asking any of the Engineers that qualified in this country in the last 7-8 yrs. Unfortunately they didn't get the salary commensurate with their qualifications in this country so with this in mind people may be glad of a 45k salary in agriculture.
    It may seem better than being forced to leave behind family & friends.


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    #72
    Milked out
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,433 ✭✭✭Milked out


    red_diesel wrote: »
    If this is he case, excluding lifestyle benefits and passion people have for the work, the numbers don't stack up for well qualified personnel. Someone with a degree and 15 years post grad experience can realistically expect around 55k. And that's for a 35 to 40 hour week. The older you get the more you appreciate the work life balance


    while this is true in a lot of cases, a lot of people I know with experience you describe put in more than the 35 to 40 hr week, have gotten calls from my accountant, business manager, and a few others at 7 in the evening and when I worked in a pharma company for a bit there was 2 hrs "professional" time unpaid before overtime would kick in. If building a career a lot of people may get that salary but many work alot more than the 40 hr week for it.


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    #73
    J DEERE
    Registered Users Posts: 402 ✭✭J DEERE


    frazzledhome wrote: »
    50k+ peanuts FFS

    50k is not peanuts but you're saying they're not worth it. Anything less than 50k gross for working 60hrs+ a week is not going to be attractive for any lad worth his salt


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    #74
    Deepsouthwest
    Registered Users Posts: 2,282 ✭✭✭Deepsouthwest


    frazzledhome wrote: »
    50k+ peanuts FFS

    Come on frazzle, where do u come up with 50k+? If he works from 6am to 630pm, 6 days a wk, 52 wks a yr, he takes home little over 30k, with no time to do a few nixers, that's his job lot to live on, I wouldn't begrudge him it.


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    #75
    Milked out
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,433 ✭✭✭Milked out


    Deepsouthwest wrote: »
    Come on frazzle, where do u come up with 50k+? If he works from 6am to 630pm, 6 days a wk, 52 wks a yr, he takes home little over 30k, with no time to do a few nixers, that's his job lot to live on, I wouldn't begrudge him it.

    The average industrial wage is 43k gross, frazz is paying above that, the 30k figure you have is net earnings


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    #76
    Deepsouthwest
    Registered Users Posts: 2,282 ✭✭✭Deepsouthwest


    Milked out wrote: »
    The average industrial wage is 43k gross, frazz is paying above that, the 30k figure you have is net earnings

    I know, "his take home is 30k" is what I said


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    #77
    Milked out
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,433 ✭✭✭Milked out


    Deepsouthwest wrote: »
    I know, "his take home is 30k" is what I said

    How many other jobs would you get more than that in?


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    #78
    frazzledhome
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,278 ✭✭✭frazzledhome


    J DEERE wrote: »
    50k is not peanuts but you're saying they're not worth it. Anything less than 50k gross for working 60hrs+ a week is not going to be attractive for any lad worth his salt

    Then why make your "pay peanuts" comment?


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    #79
    Deepsouthwest
    Registered Users Posts: 2,282 ✭✭✭Deepsouthwest


    Milked out wrote: »
    How many other jobs would you get more than that in?

    No idea. But running a house on 30k a yr is no fun. At least he won't have much time to spend it!


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    #80
    ihatewinter
    Registered Users Posts: 335 ✭✭ihatewinter


    Deepsouthwest wrote: »
    No idea. But running a house on 30k a yr is no fun. At least he won't have much time to spend it!

    Would your own gross income be above 42-43,000 per year? In agriculture, it's not a bad wage after deductions. His expenditure may not be excessive and with a partner earning another 30,000 net, that means a household income of 60,000. Not to be laughed at

    My own father earns 18,000 gross for a 39 hour per week.


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    #81
    Deepsouthwest
    Registered Users Posts: 2,282 ✭✭✭Deepsouthwest


    ihatewinter wrote: »
    Would your own gross income be above 42-43,000 per year? In agriculture, it's not a bad wage after deductions. His expenditure may not be excessive and with a partner earning another 30,000 net, that means a household income of 60,000. Not to be laughed at

    My own father earns 18,000 gross for a 39 hour per week.

    What does he do for a living?


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    #82
    ihatewinter
    Registered Users Posts: 335 ✭✭ihatewinter


    He's works as a maintenance employee for a large private house. He's there for the last 30 years, nearly institutionalised at this stage.


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    #83
    J DEERE
    Registered Users Posts: 402 ✭✭J DEERE


    frazzledhome wrote: »
    Then why make your "pay peanuts" comment?

    How many hours a week is your employee working?


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    #84
    Deepsouthwest
    Registered Users Posts: 2,282 ✭✭✭Deepsouthwest


    J DEERE wrote: »
    How many hours a week is your employee working?

    All that was in the beginning of the thread, u need to keep up!


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    #85
    Timmaay
    Registered Users Posts: 11,394 ✭✭✭✭Timmaay


    red_diesel wrote: »
    Any young person that goes to the effort of getting a degree will expect a decent salary commensurate with their qualification. As I said money may not be a factor initially but when mortgages marriage kids etc come down the line it becomes much more important. I'm just wondering can the industry in Ireland cater for a large amount of ambitious agriculture graduates.

    This doesn't hold true at all in my view, getting a degree these days is basically the new Leaving cert now. In many fields just a degree doesn't even get you much, most Arts students need further education, same with law, accountancy etc. Looking at veterinary as a close cousin to agriculture, its a very tough degree, takes serious points to get into, does that guarantee you a well paid job? Defiantly not! You do make a fair point asking can the industry in Ireland cater for the current batch of graduates, its questionable definitely, however at least there are plenty of overseas opportunities.

    Going back to the debate at hand, is 50k too much for a dairy farm manager? To be honest the dairy farm owner will rightly so pay as little as they can (they need to keep on top of all farm costs, including labour), yes of course they need someone reliable, but equally so they don't need to hire a Nasa engineer to milk cows, feed, manage stock etc. From the point of view of a prospective dairyfarm manager they should just be using the likes of a "small" Irish herd (say managing 250cows) as a stepping stone, if they take to this well and are really showing their true potential in helping drive forward the farm they are involved with, but are refused a pay increase that they think they deserve then they should be looking at changing jobs, either to a bigger farm, move abroad, or look at setting up theirown dairy business, people need to wake up to this reality.


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    #86
    Bullocks
    Registered Users Posts: 5,890 ✭✭✭Bullocks


    Are there many farm manager jobs out there ? Probably alot of farmers that wouldn't benefit from a well clued in and educated person because I dont think that many farmers would allow someone else make too many changes on their farm either .


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    #87
    Deepsouthwest
    Registered Users Posts: 2,282 ✭✭✭Deepsouthwest


    ihatewinter wrote: »
    He's works as a maintenance employee for a large private house. He's there for the last 30 years, nearly institutionalised at this stage.

    Fair play, I have a lot of respect for a man who can cover all of life's expenses on €18,000.
    I'm not interested in getting into what I'm grossing or netting, but using a similar case to myself, late 30's, 3 small kids, wife on career break, health insurance, mortgage,one parent reliant, car and jeep etc etc and trying to have some quality of life. 30k is v tight for that situation.


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    #88
    Coonagh
    Registered Users Posts: 249 ✭✭Coonagh


    IMO wage for a farm manager in an around 35-45K gross depending on conditions and experience. Quarterly performance related bonuses would also be on top of that. Serious problem coming down the road there's a complete lack of experienced herdspeople/2ic/managers in the country and those that do want to work in the industry have very strong wage expectations relative to their experience and skill level.


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    #89
    ihatewinter
    Registered Users Posts: 335 ✭✭ihatewinter


    Deepsouthwest wrote: »
    Fair play, I have a lot of respect for a man who can cover all of life's expenses on €18,000.
    I'm not interested in getting into what I'm grossing or netting, but using a similar case to myself, late 30's, 3 small kids, wife on career break, health insurance, mortgage,one parent reliant, car and jeep etc etc and trying to have some quality of life. 30k is v tight for that situation.

    House paid for. My mother is working as well. They were never big spenders anyway, we were always comfortable and they are now. Again car is small, have their holiday and weekends away. Food bill is low as he grows all his own vegetables and fruits and keeps hens and ducks. Though he did do nickers to get us through college.

    When you outline your own expenditure and situation, money doesn't stretch very far.


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    #90
    trixi2011
    Registered Users Posts: 1,535 ✭✭✭trixi2011


    Do a lot of jobs also come with accommodation ? On a managers wage get the rent paid on a house in the local town and some heifer calves and nearly 40 days paid holidays a year can't complain at all.


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    #91
    Deepsouthwest
    Registered Users Posts: 2,282 ✭✭✭Deepsouthwest


    ihatewinter wrote: »
    House paid for. My mother is working as well. They were never big spenders anyway, we were always comfortable and they are now. Again car is small, have their holiday and weekends away. Food bill is low as he grows all his own vegetables and fruits and keeps hens and ducks. Though he did do nickers to get us through college.

    When you outline your own expenditure and situation, money doesn't stretch very far.
    Have ye a farm as well?


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