Good experience or just cheap labour?

Tom147

Member
Location
North Suffolk
So about 6 months ago I decided to ask a local sheep farm about my DofE volunteering. thankfully they said yes and I spent my entire Easter holiday doing 12-13 hour days work, this was fair enough as I was gaining experience, meeting new people and earning a fantastic reputation and at that point money wasn't really concerning me as everyone else was doing it out of free will. However after I finished my volunteering I was offered the opportunity to come back to help out at shearing. Again I was really happy they invited me back especially with the notion I may be payed.

However, I started this weekend, doing the usual 12 hours. It is at this point I would like to mention the work I was doing was exactly the same as everyone else apart from the shearers (herding sheep, getting the into groups and separating the lambs, sending them up the race, Rolling and baging wool and stacking it in the shed).I noticed that I was the only person who hadn't been payed, wasn't offered drinks and apart from one other person didn't have breaks.

Now I'm not going to say that my employer is in the wrong, but surely I should to some extent be payed? I'm not being greedy but most of my friends are earning more a week for a two hour paper round on a Friday whilst I do their hours for a month in under a day. So back to the question at hand, is it worth sticking at it for the experience or am I just being used as cheap labour?
 

GTB

Never Forgotten
Honorary Member
So about 6 months ago I decided to ask a local sheep farm about my DofE volunteering. thankfully they said yes and I spent my entire Easter holiday doing 12-13 hour days work, this was fair enough as I was gaining experience, meeting new people and earning a fantastic reputation and at that point money wasn't really concerning me as everyone else was doing it out of free will. However after I finished my volunteering I was offered the opportunity to come back to help out at shearing. Again I was really happy they invited me back especially with the notion I may be payed.

However, I started this weekend, doing the usual 12 hours. It is at this point I would like to mention the work I was doing was exactly the same as everyone else apart from the shearers (herding sheep, getting the into groups and separating the lambs, sending them up the race, Rolling and baging wool and stacking it in the shed).I noticed that I was the only person who hadn't been payed, wasn't offered drinks and apart from one other person didn't have breaks.

Now I'm not going to say that my employer is in the wrong, but surely I should to some extent be payed? I'm not being greedy but most of my friends are earning more a week for a two hour paper round on a Friday whilst I do their hours for a month in under a day. So back to the question at hand, is it worth sticking at it for the experience or am I just being used as cheap labour?
You're being used. Move on.
 

Tom147

Member
Location
North Suffolk
What would be another good season to try, lambing's passed and most people near me are on their second week of shearing now. anything worth trying coming up soon to do with cattle?
 

yellowbelly

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
N.Lincs
So about 6 months ago I decided to ask a local sheep farm about my DofE volunteering. thankfully they said yes and I spent my entire Easter holiday doing 12-13 hour days work, this was fair enough as I was gaining experience, meeting new people and earning a fantastic reputation and at that point money wasn't really concerning me as everyone else was doing it out of free will. However after I finished my volunteering I was offered the opportunity to come back to help out at shearing. Again I was really happy they invited me back especially with the notion I may be payed.

However, I started this weekend, doing the usual 12 hours. It is at this point I would like to mention the work I was doing was exactly the same as everyone else apart from the shearers (herding sheep, getting the into groups and separating the lambs, sending them up the race, Rolling and baging wool and stacking it in the shed).I noticed that I was the only person who hadn't been payed, wasn't offered drinks and apart from one other person didn't have breaks.

Now I'm not going to say that my employer is in the wrong, but surely I should to some extent be payed? I'm not being greedy but most of my friends are earning more a week for a two hour paper round on a Friday whilst I do their hours for a month in under a day. So back to the question at hand, is it worth sticking at it for the experience or am I just being used as cheap labour?
Sorry to hear you've been treated like that - hope you don't get disheartened, not all farmers are like that. Good luck in finding something else.
 

milkloss

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
East Sussex
You should have been given some wages and at least treated like one of the crew. Exactly what sort of wages I will leave to others to decide but you sound like you've done your fair share of graft.

There are difficulties employing someone as young as you, no offence or doubt on your sensibilities, but there are health and safety issues and supervision etc etc.
 
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Tom147

Member
Location
North Suffolk
You should have been given some wages and at least treated like one of the crew. Exactly what sort of wages I will leave to others to decide but you sound like out every done your fair share of graft.

There are difficulties employing someone as young as you, no offence or doubt on your sensibilities, but there are health and safety issues and supervision etc etc.

Yeah, They were saying about the way they could pay me about a month ago without getting called up on the hours I worked, also a lot of what I did couldn't be written down on my DofE report.
 

kiwi pom

Member
Location
canterbury NZ
I suppose they're not officially supposed to pay you but there's plenty of ways around it.
To be working along with the rest of the team but not being included is totally wrong though, I'd look for somewhere else, you seem to have the right attitude.

I did work experience at 14 on a local dairy farm, I got paid as I worked there at weekends anyway but the thing I remember most was the fact that I did the same hours and jobs as everyone else and was treated just like one of the team (including the bollockings :facepalm:) It was great, felt like I wasn't a kid anymore.
Good luck(y)
 

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