Thinking of a career change but not sure what you want to do? If you’re wanting to explore new locations and have a unique working experience, then farm work might be the choice for you.

Farm work is a broad category that encompasses horticulture, livestock, fruit picking and much more. This industry is chock-full of opportunities to expand your horizons and deepen your agricultural knowledge.

With opportunities available in beautiful locations year-round, farm work is excellent for those seeking an escape from the hustle and bustle of city life. In this blog, we explore what you can do to walk the pathway into farm work.

What’s Required?

While there are no strict qualifications to get into farm work, there are some things you should have before applying to work in this essential industry.

As with any other job, you should have the right to work in Australia. Whether you’re an Australian citizen or have a working visa, being able to work in Australia is crucial for breaking into the farm work landscape.

On top of being eligible to work in Australia, you should ensure you’re in good physical shape. Be it harvesting fruit or managing livestock, farm work can take a physical toll on your body. The days can be long and often repetitive in terms of movement, so you need to be able to endure the physical consequences of farm work.

Having a can-do attitude is just as important as physical capabilities. When farm work gets busy and overwhelming, being able to take each day in your stride can make you an appealing candidate to farmers looking for staff.

Experience in the agriculture sector, or an adjacent industry, is desired but not required. If you have experience, then your chances of securing farm work increases.

Look for Opportunities

Now that you understand what’s required, the next step is working out where to find these jobs. There are many avenues you can take to apply for farm work in Australia.

Each state and territory have its own government-supported farm work programs to help prospective farmers get their foot in the door. For instance, if you want to find farm work Victoria-wide, then you can check out the Agriculture Victoria website.

In a similar vein, the Australian Government’s Harvest Trail is a great resource if you want to investigate interstate fruit-picking and harvesting opportunities.

Most job listings will specify the farm work’s location and the salary, but when in doubt you can contact the person or business who posted the job ad – it will show initiative and reiterate your interest in the position.

You can also investigate farm work social media accounts, like Fruit Picking Jobs on Facebook. These social media accounts will post relevant job ads on a regular basis with pay, the job description and location.

 It’s Always Harvest Time!

So, when’s the best time to look for farm work? There are always job ads out in the wild year-round, meaning that no matter what season you’re investigating farm work, you will find a job to suit what you want to do and where you want to do it.

But if you’re already set on working in the lush orchards of the Goulburn Valley, then contact us today. We will help you find a farm work job that’s right for you!