Is this a fair deal? Opinions please

[F1 657283]

I’m a farm worker working for a tenant farmer. I’ve worked for the farm for 2 and a half years now and I’m on xx a year salary. I pay £xxx a month rent for a large farm house on one of the rented farms. I’m due a review.

 

[F1 657283]

Forgot to mention , there is only me and an apprentice on the farm besides the Shepard so works separately and my employer who’s some times works on the farm. Thanks

 

[Robt]

Did your current employer pay for your training? If not the. I’d say you are on a low wage.

 

[F1 657283]

Did your current employer pay for your training? If not the. I’d say you are on a low wage.

They pay for courses,I have a foundation degree in Agriculture 2:1.

 

[cquick]

I would want min 25k and a free house, or about 30k minus rent for that kind of responsibility and hours.
For perspective, a vehicle operator in construction would be receiving 50k. Admittedly the work is far more dull but the skills are the same.

 

[neilo]

Did your current employer pay for your training? If not the. I’d say you are on a low wage.

That depends on the hours worked, and whether the £20k is after the house ‘rent’ is taken off. A shepherd, an apprentice, and a ‘farm worker’ on 500ac would suggest that none are working particularly long hours, but a job to say without more details.

 

[Robt]

As a reference, back in 1999-2003 I was assistant farm manager with a house ( £200 per month rent ) I did all spraying and every other weekend looking after cattle. I was in £17,500 which I consisted poor but it was part of sentry and the career progression internally was very good. I was also due to take over from the retiring farm manager in 2004.

 

[kiwi pom]

How many hours a week do you work, do you get all your holidays?
Are you happy there and could you do better elsewhere?

It's probably fair enough if you're happy and not doing 100 hour weeks, 500 a month is cheap rent I'd have thought depending on what sort of state it's in.
Don't forget to ask for more money at the review, you've been there 2 years so that counts for something.

Beware the posters that say you should be on 50k a year, especially if they're not farm workers themselves.

 

[F1 657283]

How many hours a week do you work, do you get all your holidays?
Are you happy there and could you do better elsewhere?

It's probably fair enough if you're happy and not doing 100 hour weeks, 500 a month is cheap rent I'd have thought depending on what sort of state it's in.
Don't forget to ask for more money at the review, you've been there 2 years so that counts for something.

Beware the posters that say you should be on 50k a year, especially if they're not farm workers themselves.

I do get all my holidays , hours can be large but depends on time of year but it’s up to me to account for them and if I feel I’m doing over the hours then I raise this with my boss and I can get time back. My GF also pays half the rent so effectively I’m only paying 250. All in all I do feel happy and not really hard done by. Just wondered where I stand. Thanks

 

[Still Farming]

Similarities to the other thread going, anything to gain in those discussions?

Employment Law/Tied Cottage help!

Hi guys, Farmer's wife here... My OH is a farm worker employed by a farm, and he's salaried. (£24k). His contract is for 39 hours a week, 28 days holiday. He's been working here since 2013 (just before the law changed in October of that year). He has a Shorthold Tenancy Agreement (not an...

thefarmingforum.co.uk

 

[betweenthelines]

Wage review or Performance review?

Have you a proper tenancy on the house, as in, you would still be allowed to rent it if you changed jobs? If you employer says that if you left, he would need the house for another worker, it's a tied (as in tied to the job) house and should be rent free as you are living there for his benefit, not yours. Not having to run a car probably saves you £200/month-£250/month before tax, so your salary is about £23k. If you average 45 hrs/week, your hourly rate is about £10/hr, are you happy with that?

If it's a performance review, he should be telling you what you do well, what you do less than well and detailing (in writing) what he wants from you in future. When I've carried Performance reviews, I like to think that the employee will ask about training and also about the opportunity for promotion (presume you don't want to be feeding the pigs in 10 years time?) Performance review really needs to be a two way conversation.


PS. Don't call yourself a "farm worker" - you are a skilled man

 

[kiwi pom]

I do get all my holidays , hours can be large but depends on time of year but it’s up to me to account for them and if I feel I’m doing over the hours then I raise this with my boss and I can get time back. My GF also pays half the rent so effectively I’m only paying 250. All in all I do feel happy and not really hard done by. Just wondered where I stand. Thanks

It's really up to you, you may be able to get a pay increase, it might not be much though. Are you hourly or salary? Hourly would be better in my opinion.
Much depends on whether you plan to stay there or use it as a stepping stone.
The grass is not always greener.

 

[kiwi pom]

I would want min 25k and a free house, or about 30k minus rent for that kind of responsibility and hours.
For perspective, a vehicle operator in construction would be receiving 50k. Admittedly the work is far more dull but the skills are the same.

50k a year, employed long term, driving diggers? I'll take your word for it but my guess is there's a big hook somewhere.

 

[Downtrodden Dad]

I know plenty on here will say you should be on more money but if you're happy, and the hours don't sound to bad to me, then why spoil it by asking for too much, an increase each year is fine but if you're not happy move on,
more money wont change that.

.

 

[F1 657283]

I do get all my holidays , hours can be large but depends on time of year but it’s up to me to account for them and if I feel I’m doing over the hours then I raise this with my boss and I can get time back. My GF also pays half the rent so effectively I’m only paying 250. All in all I do feel happy and not really hard done by. Just wondered where I stand. Thanks

Wage review or Performance review?

Have you a proper tenancy on the house, as in, you would still be allowed to rent it if you changed jobs? If you employer says that if you left, he would need the house for another worker, it's a tied (as in tied to the job) house and should be rent free as you are living there for his benefit, not yours. Not having to run a car probably saves you £200/month-£250/month before tax, so your salary is about £23k. If you average 45 hrs/week, your hourly rate is about £10/hr, are you happy with that?

If it's a performance review, he should be telling you what you do well, what you do less than well and detailing (in writing) what he wants from you in future. When I've carried Performance reviews, I like to think that the employee will ask about training and also about the opportunity for promotion (presume you don't want to be feeding the pigs in 10 years time?) Performance review really needs to be a two way conversation.


PS. Don't call yourself a "farm worker" - you are a skilled man

If I left the job I’d have to leave the house. It’s a pay and performance review, yes deffently want to climb the ladder and I think this can be done. That’s an interesting comment you made about farm worker I deffently agree with that. When your making technical decisions about medicating animals. seed rates , spray applications and many more decisions what ever it be you are much more than that who ever it is. Thanks for the feed back

 

[Cowabunga]

If the farm vehicle is tidy and you don't pay for private mileage, it seems fine. £500 a month is a lot when you are on £20k a year though, for the rent and you shouldn't really count that your partner pays half as that is just your good luck. Unless it is a very nice house of course.

 

[lloyd]

If I left the job I’d have to leave the house. It’s a pay and performance review, yes deffently want to climb the ladder and I think this can be done. That’s an interesting comment you made about farm worker I deffently agree with that. When your making technical decisions about medicating animals. seed rates , spray applications and many more decisions what ever it be you are much more than that who ever it is. Thanks for the feed back

If you ask for too much you wont be able to progress from Harry6930 to Harry R155.

 

[Cowabunga]

If I left the job I’d have to leave the house. It’s a pay and performance review, yes deffently want to climb the ladder and I think this can be done. That’s an interesting comment you made about farm worker I deffently agree with that. When your making technical decisions about medicating animals. seed rates , spray applications and many more decisions what ever it be you are much more than that who ever it is. Thanks for the feed back

Remember that the owner himself, if he did all the work himself, would only be paid what the market yielded and for all his skills in medicating and applications, that would not guarantee a living income.
The question is whether the farm is profitable and can stand more wages going out. It should not concern a worker but in reality that is what your employment boils down to. If you actively manage the farm, as opposed to physically running the enterprises, you would be doing the books and/or would know how profitable, or not, the farm was and whether an increase in wage for yourself was actually affordable. It shouldn't matter, but on small and micro businesses it certainly does. In large businesses it actually decides how many to employ/make-redundant rather than the wage level, depending on the industry.

 

[livestock 1]

Remember that the owner himself, if he did all the work himself, would only be paid what the market yielded and for all his skills in medicating and applications, that would not guarantee a living income.
The question is whether the farm is profitable and can stand more wages going out. It should not concern a worker but in reality that is what your employment boils down to. If you actively manage the farm, as opposed to physically running the enterprises, you would be doing the books and/or would know how profitable, or not, the farm was and whether an increase in wage for yourself was actually affordable. It shouldn't matter, but on small and micro businesses it certainly does. In large businesses it actually decides how many to employ/make-redundant rather than the wage level, depending on the industry.

This is very true. Often in such cases a good employee is asked ideas what he he/she can bring to the business to help both parties. Helping each other.

 

[ARW]

I think you should ask for a raise if you’re performance shows it.
I’ve seen many men with a poor mentality to the boss and wages, thinking they deserve more and the grass is always greener, in reality they have a good deal and if they want more why not try to earn the business more, make yourself so valuable you have to be paid well to be kept. Nobody gets a raise if they don’t earn it through the business