Advice on job change

Hi I am looking at changing jobs i have been working for a contractor for 14 years and think its time for a change as now have a young family so contracting makes it difficult to see them at times.

Im a bit of a Jack of all trades master of none sort of person. Has anyone been in a similar situation and what do you do instead?

Any advice would be much appreciated.
 
Yes and no. I've been in farming my whole life would ideally like an arable farm job but not too many big arable farms around where I live and don't really want to move away from family.

So if I could find something I enjoy out of the industry then yes I would leave but struggling to find something I think I would enjoy. So wanted suggestions of what other people have done after farming, contracting.
 

HDAV

Member
What do you want to do something with your hand/manual? Hydraulic hose fitter? Plumber?
Something office based? Manager, trainer, H&S advisor parts counter at a local dealer/ manager?
Something else like HGV driver?

likely you might need to do some quals,go back to school, get some training in the proposed area or transferable skills depends what you have already. I was made redundant October 20 took till March 21 to find a job and not something I imagined doing at all….. enjoying it and possibly considering sticking with it
 
Dont mind doing something with my hands if it was a nice easy job. I don't mind Manual labour but not something I particularly want to be doing. Anything with sales and being on the phone is out as I'm partly deaf so phone calls would be difficult.
Have thought about hgv driving which is looking most likely atm.
 

HDAV

Member
Only trouble is to make the big money hgv driving might keep you away more than contracting unless you are lucky enough to get a regular route that put you at home every evening most I know are either on nights or nights away depends on your local opportunity some lads drive 2+ hours to the depot to pick up a waggon and are away then 4-5 nights
 

Agrijas

Member
Was in the same position as yourself and went to drive hgv after having it for a long time. It was the best thing I’ve done. I’m away Monday to Friday but am consistently taking home around £1000 a week and can honestly say I’m happier than I have been for years and I have more family time….sounds a bit strange I know but it’s every weekend off 52 weeks a year! If your other half and yourself can get around the fact your not at home 4 nights a week (which takes a while to get used to tbh) I don’t think you’ll regret it. Don’t do run of the mill driving work go on bulk haulage as your still kind of involved in the things you enjoy but it’s the better end!
 

Spud

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
YO62
Hi I am looking at changing jobs i have been working for a contractor for 14 years and think its time for a change as now have a young family so contracting makes it difficult to see them at times.

Im a bit of a Jack of all trades master of none sort of person. Has anyone been in a similar situation and what do you do instead?

Any advice would be much appreciated.
Where in the country are you based Rusty?
 
Only trouble is to make the big money hgv driving might keep you away more than contracting unless you are lucky enough to get a regular route that put you at home every evening most I know are either on nights or nights away depends on your local opportunity some lads drive 2+ hours to the depot to pick up a waggon and are away then 4-5 nights
Dont necessarily need to earn big money if I can earn similar to what I am now just with less hours would be enough. There are some jobs around here like mole Valley looking for drivers to drive blower lorries which I don't think would be too bad.
 
Dont necessarily need to earn big money if I can earn similar to what I am now just with less hours would be enough. There are some jobs around here like mole Valley looking for drivers to drive blower lorries which I don't think would be too bad.

Blower lorry job always looks a nice job to me.
No nights out and not up against driving hours limits too much as a lot of time is spent sat on farm blowing.
 

HDAV

Member
Dont necessarily need to earn big money if I can earn similar to what I am now just with less hours would be enough. There are some jobs around here like mole Valley looking for drivers to drive blower lorries which I don't think would be too bad.
That could be ideal and keeps you around the industry might be some other benefits too.

having watched Crawford farms feed mixer waggon might be another option Hasbro is who they use it’s driving your rig to Site then mixing and off to the next one regular route around local farms
 

Chae1

Member
Location
Aberdeenshire
Driving a mill/mix lorry would be awful job in my opinion. Working in loud dusty environment all day. Breathing ammonia fumes all day when propcorning barley. Humping tons of maxammon into hoppers when putting that on.

The drivers that I've met when they used to come here were great lads. But just let's say they were a special breed of people.

Remember hearing the other drivers were moaning the mill/mix drivers were on more money. They offered any of them a job on a mixer lorry and nobody would move!
 
Driving a mill/mix lorry would be awful job in my opinion. Working in loud dusty environment all day. Breathing ammonia fumes all day when propcorning barley. Humping tons of maxammon into hoppers when putting that on.

The drivers that I've met when they used to come here were great lads. But just let's say they were a special breed of people.

Remember hearing the other drivers were moaning the mill/mix drivers were on more money. They offered any of them a job on a mixer lorry and nobody would move!
Thats what I was thinking.a blower lorry can be a dusty job but probably not as bad.
 

Pennine Ploughing

Member
Mixed Farmer
Aye the bulk blower job is not that bad, mostly bins now, regular work, different farms every day, home most nights if not all nights, busy in winter when the days are short, and not the weather to do much.
Please early finishes in summer, and you can take your holidays when you want.
Driving hours usually not a problem, and WTD means every Sunday off, and Saturday every fortnight, more time to see family and plan days out without having to work at last minute.
Best bit of advice I can give, is drive directly for a feed firm, not a sub contractor, as feed firm run the lorries as an evil necessity to shift their products, and in general its easier on your work life balance.
Where as a haulage contractor runs the lorries to make money and will be pushed on harder, running out your hours
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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