Shepherds' Wages

[Gulli]

North East Northumberland between Alnwick and Berwick.

Mum grew up in Wooler. Not a bad bit of the country by all accounts

 

[M-J-G]

You'll get 8+ quid an hour in Tesco, a manager gets £12 ish.

Last shepherd I talked to about it, worked out about £24000 when you took in the value of the house and costs.

That's a terrible wage, considering that the house and perks are tax free.

 

[unlacedgecko]

You'll get 8+ quid an hour in Tesco, a manager gets £12 ish.

That's a terrible wage, considering that the house and perks are tax free.

I've an HGV class 1. Limited company agency driving in Bristol is generally £11.50 - £18 per hour.

However, I despise driving a truck. And the graduate scheme managers at most of these big companies are utter f**king morons, which doesn't help.

 

[GTB]

I've an HGV class 1. Limited company agency driving in Bristol is generally £11.50 - £18 per hour.

However, I despise driving a truck. And the graduate scheme managers at most of these big companies are utter fudgeing morons, which doesn't help.

I would stick to what you're doing and do two or three days a week driving to prop up your income. Best of both worlds.

 

[M-J-G]

I've an HGV class 1. Limited company agency driving in Bristol is generally £11.50 - £18 per hour.

However, I despise driving a truck. And the graduate scheme managers at most of these big companies are utter fudgeing morons, which doesn't help.

I wouldn't suggest doing a job that you don't like, but wages have to be based on the alternatives.

Unfortunately it's difficult to make good money in an industry where people "do it cos they love it" too many are prepared to do it for poor wages.

 

[Downton_shep]

Paid holiday is another plus for being a employed shepherd especially when you have a family.

 

[multi power]

That little? The milkers on Kemble Dairy get £30k and accommodation for milking 8hrs a day.

Where is that? Cos it sounds like I'm working for too little

 

[multi power]

I don't know really, I've never been an employed shepherd. I am surprised it is so much. Vets around here would get a 30 k package with the house, phone and car making up a significant portion of the package (which are of dubious value!)

How many hours would they have to work for that? Also how much of that would be unsociable hours?

 

[MRT]

How many hours would they have to work for that? Also how much of that would be unsociable hours?

Rolling average of 70 hours duty a week including the on call with 45 of those hours scheduled daytime work and the rest after hours on call in rural mixed practice

 

[unlacedgecko]

Where is that? Cos it sounds like I'm working for too little

Near Cirencester. That was the wage in 2012 when I had a tour from the farm manager. Mostly foreign staff who have experience of working in the mega dairies of the Middle East.

900 cows kept inside on a year round calving pattern. They were bought by the Bathurst Estate in 2014.

 

[unlacedgecko]

Rolling average of 70 hours duty a week including the on call with 45 of those hours scheduled daytime work and the rest after hours on call in rural mixed practice

Bloody hell thats horrific.

 

[CharcoalWally]

I wouldn't suggest doing a job that you don't like, but wages have to be based on the alternatives.

Unfortunately it's difficult to make good money in an industry where people "do it cos they love it" too many are prepared to do it for poor wages.

But as long as we remain subsidised
this will continue. After all , this is the Big Plan.

 

[multi power]

Rolling average of 70 hours duty a week including the on call with 45 of those hours scheduled daytime work and the rest after hours on call in rural mixed practice

All the for 30 k a year and 6? Years of hard studying and a fair bit of debt / student loan. No wonder good farm vets are so hard to find. I think I will just stick to tit pulling

 

[multi power]

Near Cirencester. That was the wage in 2012 when I had a tour from the farm manager. Mostly foreign staff who have experience of working in the mega dairies of the Middle East.

900 cows kept inside on a year round calving pattern. They were bought by the Bathurst Estate in 2014.

Assuming they are doing 280 days a year that's over £13 per hour so they were on a very good deal

 

[Poorbuthappy]

All the for 30 k a year and 6? Years of hard studying and a fair bit of debt / student loan. No wonder good farm vets are so hard to find. I think I will just stick to tit pulling

Going OT now but my daughter wants to be large animal vet. Mrs PBH tried to put her off cos the uni cost is so high and earning potential so poor in the main. She'll probably have debts of 60k + and the wages wont even cover the interest on the govt loan scheme. But she's not bothered about the money so we can but encourage and support her as far as we are able. (Which won't be very far in monetary terms!)

 

[gatepost]

Of course always feel that the rest of the world on mega wages, but in reality most just scraping through, the wife works in a local garden centre (owned by Tesco) about 5p above min wage no overtime rate, weekends bank holidays all the same, all new staff on zero hrs contracts, that seems to be how half the workforce lives so that all the public sector workers can go somewhere at the weekends etc to be entertained and served.

 

[RedMerle]

Following this thread with interest. 30k and a house. I'd save a fortune on my citvil service pension and come out richer

 

[JD-Kid]

big thing is there is not eneff fat in the system unless outside money coming in to play farmers for the lord of the manor to sit on the hill with the times and a G&T
the old moneys almost all gone houses falling down around there ears
the only reson for a shepard is manger of the stock side in a big set up or part of a team but there would be few places needing full time shepards as part of a team for stock

people kick around numbers needed and seems to be 1500 why i have no idea but i would say full time would be closer to 3-4000 with a temp for 6 weeks over lambing and use of contractors

years ago area i worked in used to have a lot of single shepards now 2/3's of them would be gone with higher use of contractors or temp worker just for 2-3 days

 

[Six Dogs]

I had been a shepherd,stock manager for the greater part of my working life
We have been on our own for 11 years,out of touch with current wages,but the one thing I will say is there are now very few good shepherding jobs left!
Yes the ones that have a crap set up and a couple thousand ewes,or where they don't pay etc,they keep coming up but down South there are rarely any good ones.
Maybe different up North,Scotland where there are more stock but I explored that route once and found wages to be considerably less

 

[cheviot53]

In the early 90's I moved to a new job on the 5 neighbouring farms their were 5 shepherds and 3 workers , when I left in 2005 no workers of any kind . £30,000 plus house free and council tax paid , free fuel for heating , vehicle , bonuses , dog allowance for total management