Farm staff rates

[Pitman]

Hi all looking to recruit someone to come tractor driving during harvest for maize, talking to lads there seems to be a vast difference between what people are paying for a basic forwards and backwards tractor man. Ag wages.gov reckons grade 2 £7hr and £10 overtime seems reasonable to me but some folks are paying £10/r for a 16/17 year old! Is it me or has the world gone mad?

 

[lloyd]

No the worlds not gone mad its 2019

 

[Smith31]

£10 an hour minimum, you have to remember that who ever is responsible enough and capable of driving a tractor, will most likely be capable of driving a lorry and they can easily walk into a lorry driving job at £10 an hour, without getting dirty.

 

[Pitman]

That's true and I'd accept it at over 21, but for kids leaving school demanding it that's scary stuff right there.

 

[Spud]

£10 an hour minimum, you have to remember that who ever is capable of driving a tractor, will most likely be capable of driving a lorry and they can easily walk into a lorry driving job at £10 an hour, without getting dirty.

What a generalisation. A 17yo lad leading maize isn't old enough to drive a truck. Truck driving isn't all clean easy work. Whats so complicated or dirty about leading maize? Pay to the mans capability or needs - if both parties are happy the figure is largely irrelevent.

 

[HarryB97]

Self employed just tractor driving they could easily get 11-13.50 per hour. Most young people round here are on flat rates of 8.50 - 9 or 9 - 9.50 overtime and 7.50 - 8 normal hours. Worth paying a bit extra for someone with some common sence and care than a careless idiot whos cheap

 

[Smith31]

What a generalisation. A 17yo lad leading maize isn't old enough to drive a truck. Truck driving isn't all clean easy work. Whats so complicated or dirty about leading maize? Pay to the mans capability or needs - if both parties are happy the figure is largely irrelevent.

Point taken, but I would much rather pay £10 an hour to someone older and more responsible who would be in charge of over £50,000 worth of kit, knowing full well he/she has experience and responsibilities and will turn up for work each morning.

Rather than paying a 17 year old £7 an hour, who will most likely have little experience and will probably do more damage to my kit, then the £3 an hour that I save in wages.

Anyone half decent can easily command £10 an hour in all driving jobs.

 

[aylshamslurry]

£12 hour flat rate on the books

 

[JCMaloney]

Pay a rate that means they look after a very pricey bit of kit.
Explain what you expect and the reason they are earning more.

Pay peanuts, get monkeys.

 

[nick...]

Farmers allways expect to pay peanuts.i can earn £15 hour helping my builder mate pushing barrows if needed.tractor drivers should be on at least £15 hour if self employed or £12 ish if on the books.most newish tractors are £100 plus these days.would you work for the silly rates posted above.ill fetch my tin hat now
Nick...

 

[Bald Rick]

TBF a lot of young lads just like driving tractors so to an extent pay is secondary

At least that’s what I tell my lads

 

[puntabrava]

TBF a lot of young lads just like driving tractors so to an extent pay is secondary

At least that’s what I tell my lads

Can you send some of these my way, in Wiltshire £10hr gets you an 18 year old that will cost you £500 week in repairs and sometimes a £1000.
£14 to £16 hr including accommodation is about where it’s at for summer staff.

 

[Bald Rick]

Can you send some of these my way, in Wiltshire £10hr gets you an 18 year old that will cost you £500 week in repairs and sometimes a £1000.
£14 to £16 hr including accommodation is about where it’s at for summer staff.

We offer £1000 bonus at the end of the silage season if they don’t break anything deliberately with any breakages caused by neglect taken off that pro rata
Pay anything between £6-10/hr depending on age and experience

 

[puntabrava]

We offer £1000 bonus at the end of the silage season if they don’t break anything deliberately with any breakages caused by neglect taken off that pro rata
Pay anything between £6-10/hr depending on age and experience

That is probably a good system, after 20 odd years I had enough and told them last year that you pay for stupidity, one instance was two Baler’s met on a narrow ish road both mounted banks and both were damaged on panels in the same place, the sad thing is they were both mine, you couldn’t make it up.

 

[grainboy]

That's true and I'd accept it at over 21, but for kids leaving school demanding it that's scary stuff right there.

The scary bit is school leavers responsible for carting Maize etc with probably a 16 ton trailer behind a bloody great Fendt or similar.

 

[Ali_Maxxum]

I'm sure boys round here are £7-10/hr from 16-26yr old.

I've chirped about this before on similar threads, I know plenty of sub 25yr olds that run rings around and are a damn sight better than a lot of older and ''more experienced'' operators.

 

[Spud]

Paying more doesn't guarantee a good operator. Sensible negotiation after a trial period usually sets a fair price for both. You southern folk have a higher cost of living so wages are higher down there generally too.

 

[kiwi pom]

Pay however much it takes to fill the role. If you can get someone for minimum wage, or below if they're self employed, do it.
Do 16 or 17 year olds add anything to insurance premiums?

 

[Norfolk Olly]

The scary bit is school leavers responsible for carting Maize etc with probably a 16 ton trailer behind a bloody great Fendt or similar.

In this area the majority of people on carting duties are fresh out of college, 16 ton trailer with a 50k hire tractor and the obligatory twin beacons that never get switched off. I think one main reason for this is that most more experienced operators don’t want 100 hrs a week for £9 an hour and if they do they’re probably on the chopper or clamp

 

[Agriimark]

Got offered a job last year just as a "trailer monkey" for an AD plant. That was flat rate £8 and hour regardless of age, experience or what tickets held. Hence why i stayed where i am, a lot more money. Do the spraying, hedge cutting, cultivations and relief trailer work and after 40 hours get paid £5 a hour more. The ad plant have new staff most weeks and just as much new kit as they can only get "kids" to work there. Personally would only have people over 21 and have atleast 2/3 years tractor driving experience, more so road and trailer work if thats the job as driving a 135 pushing slurry out of sheds on grandads dairy farm is not experience in my eyes.