Apprentice late again

He’s been staying in the caravan and hasn’t been late once. There was one morning I had to wake him up but I make a point of doing this before he was late. He was just in a seriously deep sleep. Took for me to open the bedroom door and shout in to him before he woke up so that’s just one of those things.
His work has improved a lot and he’s really coming along well.

I’ve got some hoodies made with the farm name on and he will be getting his on Monday. I’m hoping this will show him we are serious about keeping him and make him feel part of the team.

Spoke to his mother and she said she’s seen a huge difference in him when he’s at home on weekend. Small things like tidying up after himself etc.

He’s got his telehandler test on Tuesday and then his tractor test end of the month both of which he is obviously excited for.

He’s well on track to get a 50p per hour pay rise this month and to have both the written notices about time keeping withdrawn.

All in January had been excellent for him so far and he’s matured a huge amount.
Throw someone the ball and they will run with it
 

Jackdan

Member
Location
Cork, Ireland
Then you have the other side of the coin, being an apprentice working with a rubbish of a farmer. Years ago I had the pleasure of that. I'd be up first and have the cows in and 20 milked by the time the farmer would surface and still get dogs abuse. He told me not to open the next paddock when bringing in the cows as he'd do it, one morning he slept out and guess who got blamed for the cows going back into a grazed paddock.

When he was giving instructions about the day's work he'd look at the ground while talking to me. One morning he was milking early because he was recording but never told me, I was having breakfast as he went out the door so I finished before going out. A heifer was stuck in a cubicle and as I was putting on the milking apron in the dairy I could see the hoor charging out of the pit towards me, he put me flying out the door of the dairy onto the road outside and I was called every name under the sun while going to the cubicle shed. I reported him to the FAB and they sent out one of their members to have a chat with him, it sweetened him up for a fortnight until he slipped back to his old ways.
 
Last edited:
Location
West Wales
How’s he doing now @Headless chicken

Sorry I haven’t replied to this for a day or two for a good reason. I simply don’t know what to put other than OK. We have 27 pages here and he is still OK. And I think he’s happy enough with that. There are things he’s choosing to ignore my telling him on to the extent that I have given up with. Some days he pulls an incredible day out of the bag and is a joy to employ. He will be staying here to finish out his year but I’m doubtful that it will continue after that. I will be pushing him to go and work away probably NZ or go and work for someone who is far less pleasent that me when it comes to rubbish reasons why he isn’t here or hasn’t done what was asked.
 
Location
West Wales
Just thought I’d update this thread as I’m tied up waiting around in the hospital with the wife.

I called him a c**t and the penny started to drop......

He’s been bumbling along doing sort of ok for a while. His moped has been in the garage for about a month perhaps more ( intermittent electrical fault) so I have been picking him up every morning and taking him home then his parents in the afternoon.
Most days he’s ok odd day I’m waiting for 10 mins which I’m not too happy about but ok let it slide.

Tuesday I turn up ring him no answer wait 2 mins ring again and again and again. Nothing seriously pee'd off. I get a message half hour later sorry I will be down now. Obviously by this point I’m long gone. He knows he fuced up promises it won’t happen again...... I say nothing and leave it at lesson learnt. The very next day he does the same thing to me!! I get a text an hour later to say he’s very sorry but he’s been up Ill all night. I speak with his mother who agrees it rubbish who also had a message of the neighbour who his alarm had woken up because it didn’t wake him up. Conclusion his mother comes to is it’s half term and his mates are all wasters and so he’s been up all night playing on his phone or with himself.

I arranged a meeting with him and his step father. I suspect he thought I would’ve been my usual calm self. I lost it massively with him.

Long story short he’s with me .... just. Dangling by a very thin thread. I’ve dropped his hours unless he finds his own way in I.E walk and told him he’s going no where near the new tractor or machinery until he starts showing some respect. Next time he’s late he’s gone.

Have I been too lenient absolutely but this time something was different. I saw something in his eyes sink.
 

linga

Member
Location
Ceredigion
Just thought I’d update this thread as I’m tied up waiting around in the hospital with the wife.

I called him a c**t and the penny started to drop......

He’s been bumbling along doing sort of ok for a while. His moped has been in the garage for about a month perhaps more ( intermittent electrical fault) so I have been picking him up every morning and taking him home then his parents in the afternoon.
Most days he’s ok odd day I’m waiting for 10 mins which I’m not too happy about but ok let it slide.

Tuesday I turn up ring him no answer wait 2 mins ring again and again and again. Nothing seriously pee'd off. I get a message half hour later sorry I will be down now. Obviously by this point I’m long gone. He knows he fuced up promises it won’t happen again...... I say nothing and leave it at lesson learnt. The very next day he does the same thing to me!! I get a text an hour later to say he’s very sorry but he’s been up Ill all night. I speak with his mother who agrees it rubbish who also had a message of the neighbour who his alarm had woken up because it didn’t wake him up. Conclusion his mother comes to is it’s half term and his mates are all wasters and so he’s been up all night playing on his phone or with himself.

I arranged a meeting with him and his step father. I suspect he thought I would’ve been my usual calm self. I lost it massively with him.

Long story short he’s with me .... just. Dangling by a very thin thread. I’ve dropped his hours unless he finds his own way in I.E walk and told him he’s going no where near the new tractor or machinery until he starts showing some respect. Next time he’s late he’s gone.

Have I been too lenient absolutely but this time something was different. I saw something in his eyes sink.
And to really pee @Headless chicken off he had to put up with me both mornings. Mind you I wasn’t best pleased with the apprentice as I was enjoying my beauty sleep and that’s much needed(so I am told !)
 

pappuller

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
M6 Hard shoulder
And to really pee @Headless chicken off he had to put up with me both mornings. Mind you I wasn’t best pleased with the apprentice as I was enjoying my beauty sleep and that’s much needed(so I am told !)
Think @Beef farmer had some response from a Croation guy looking for work, maybe pm him.I think he would have been long gone from here, but you appear to have an awful lot of patience.
 

Davy

Member
Location
North NI
This fella has had too many chances. You've gone far beyond what most employers would. After this length of time he isn't going to get any better. Theres enough going on, on farms to be a life coach. We took on an apprentice at a similar time to yourself and he's not here anymore. When he put his mind to it he was alright but most days he coasted along and didn't think or care about what he was doing. Got to be we were double checking what he was doing and it caused a bit of unnecessary stress on the rest working here as he had to be spoon fed a lot. Offered the job to another young lad who is actually keen and takes pride in all he does and it makes life much more enjoyable.
 
Location
West Wales
Think @Beef farmer had some response from a Croation guy looking for work, maybe pm him.I think he would have been long gone from here, but you appear to have an awful lot of patience.

This fella has had too many chances. You've gone far beyond what most employers would. After this length of time he isn't going to get any better. Theres enough going on, on farms to be a life coach. We took on an apprentice at a similar time to yourself and he's not here anymore. When he put his mind to it he was alright but most days he coasted along and didn't think or care about what he was doing. Got to be we were double checking what he was doing and it caused a bit of unnecessary stress on the rest working here as he had to be spoon fed a lot. Offered the job to another young lad who is actually keen and takes pride in all he does and it makes life much more enjoyable.

We have a few valid reasons for keeping him if only for the next 2 weeks or so. His days are numbered. Agree we’ve got a lot of patience mainly because when he is here he is capable
 
Location
Suffolk
My turn.
I was in need of a labourer for a job that I had won c1987. Prestigeous project brick & flint and a year or more work. I was recommended this lad, son of a local feed merchant. Aged 20 plus, (it's a while ago is 1987!) The first two months were fine, he was at the pick-up point on time. Next month was spent going to where he lived which was another twenty minutes in traffic. The next week was spent waking him up. The next week I found another labourer who spent the next two years with me.
I was in a dilemma to start with but as this thread has been running for quite a while I'd simply say to you in all honesty it's just not going to get better is it? So make that hard decision & find a replacement.

You'll not feel guilty for more than a couple of days & the lad will just have to grow up big-time.
SS
 
He is beyond help, and he sounds like the sort of person who needs to be dismissed and following that struggle to get another job in order to bang the message home. Some people only learn the hard way, and unfortunately, in my opinion that needs to happen to him. If he can't be diciplined enough, then a job on a farm isn't for him.
 

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

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