Menu

Know How / Careers and personal development

From getting your first job in agriculture to maintaining your work skills and developing your career, we provide advice and insights. Find out what courses, qualifications and experience can help you get your foot on the ladder and how to make your CV attractive to future employers.

Hear from others working in agriculture to discover the range of different careers and find the one that’s right for you.

Key areas of focus:

  • Guidance on qualifications and careers in agriculture
  • Applying for jobs
  • CV writing and interview tips
  • Job profiles
  • Skills development

Find your perfect career in agriculture on the Farmers Weekly jobs website.

Must reads

Case studies

See all

YOUNG FARMERS

How new entrants set up an organic duck egg business

Ditching the city life for the Welsh countryside in 2015, Josh and Abi Heyneke moved to the 4ha Parc Carreg Farm, Carmarthenshire, with the goal of becoming full-time farmers.  But…

CAREERS AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Becoming a trainer provides extra income stream for farmers

The squeeze on farm profits has driven the search for alternative incomes. Farmers becoming training instructors is one option that can help provide extra income. A dire safety record for…

CAREERS AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

How a council tenancy got a new entrant onto farming ladder

Greenfields Farm may only be 12ha but it has given Aled Harper a foothold in farming and a hunger to grow his business. In the three years since he was…

LAYERS

7 tips for new entrants from a first-time poultry tenant

At 18, Tim Clarke set a target to one day farm in his own right – an ambitious goal for someone with no background in farming and no assets to…

DAIRY

How share-milking can provide a route into dairy farming

Gregor and Lynne Ramsay credit share-milking with allowing them to get a foot firmly in the dairying door. Born and raised in the small rural village of Biggar, Lanarkshire, Mr…

DAIRY

How a young dairy farmer began contract farming

Dairy farmer Jimmy Pritt believes contract farming is a good option to consider for those looking to manage a dairy business or expand an existing one. He says not only…

Practical advice

See all

SHEEP

10 top tips for aspiring sheep farmers

Investing £16,000 in ewes and the basics to farm sheep gave 2021 Farmers Weekly Sheep Farmer of the Year Tim White a route into farming when he was made redundant…

STAFF MANAGEMENT

How farmers can bust 4 common myths about working in ag

The post-Brexit era and the impact of Covid-19 have had many people across the country questioning careers and work-life balance. Some have chosen to continue to work from home, turning…

DAIRY

Getting into dairy farming: Options for new entrants

Buying land for £13,000/acre (£32,000/ha) or renting at more than £250/acre (£6,100/ha) in dairying areas is extremely challenging for a young business without much equity.  However, if you are young,…

POULTRY

What Lion Training Passport scheme means for poultry staff

Until recently, it has been possible for farms to diversify into free-range egg production as long as the required land area was available. This opportunity has seen a rapid growth…

CAREERS AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

5 tips for new entrants from award-winning mixed farmer

Starting a new farming business can be a huge challenge, with many people finding it a struggle to step into the agricultural world. But with careful planning, budgeting and a…

CAREERS AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Advice to help progress your farming career

Whether you have been brought up within farming or are new to the industry altogether, it is worth taking time to carefully plan the next step of your agricultural career.…

Job profiles

See all

JOB PROFILES

Job profile: What’s it like to be a rural planning consultant?

More and more farmers and landowners need to deal with the planning system – whether it’s to expand their agricultural operations or diversify to generate new income streams. Often they…

JOB PROFILES

Job profile: What’s it like to be a food scientist?

The journey of food from farm to fork can be a complex one – even seemingly simple products need to be processed and packaged before they can appear on a…

JOB PROFILES

Farming careers: Working as a pig stockperson

In the first of a new series focusing on key roles and career progression in farming, we look at working in the pig sector. Find out what you need to…

JOB PROFILES

Job profile: Ag college livestock unit manager

If you want proof that you don’t have to be from a farming background to have a successful career in the industry, then look no further than the livestock unit…

JOB PROFILES

Job profile: What's it like to be a farm administrator?

If you’re analytical, organised and have a head for numbers then the role of farm administrator or farm secretary is one to consider. It is a varied position that involves…

JOB PROFILES

Job profile: Working for a poultry breeding company

Agriculture is a global industry, where feeding the world is the key aim of those working in the sector. If you would like to feel part of that global picture,…

Who to work for?

When looking for your next job, you need to make sure you and the company you are applying to are the perfect match for each other.

With this in mind, it’s always a good idea to read the company profile and see if it ticks the boxes on your career ‘wish list’.

Insights

See all

JOB PROFILES

Farming careers: Tractor driver to assistant farm manager

Simon Little, 35, is the assistant farm manager of the arable enterprise on a 3,000-acre mixed estate in East Sussex. From a non-farming background, Simon took a summer job carting…

CAREERS AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Two Nuffield scholars on how the scheme changed their lives

A Nuffield farming scholarship is a unique opportunity to leave your comfort zone and help support UK agriculture with innovative ideas and research, while creating an invaluable network of global…

JOB PROFILES

Farming careers: Working as a dairy herdsperson

Hannah Edwards, 32, works on 40ha Hill Farm, on the Shropshire-Powys border, which is home to the Crew Hill pedigree Holstein herd. The herd includes 180 milking cows and 170…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

How leadership training can help secure the future of farming

Some of the biggest organisations in farming have come together to raise awareness of leadership training across the industry. Now in its second year, the #AgriLeadershipWeek social media campaign will…

JOB PROFILES

Farming careers: Working as a pig stockperson

In the first of a new series focusing on key roles and career progression in farming, we look at working in the pig sector. Find out what you need to…

PIGS

Video: Plumpton College pig unit blends business and learning

Pig production has always been a key component of both the farming and the curriculum at Plumpton College in East Sussex. “It is a great enterprise for teaching due to…

Job listings

See more
See more on Farmers Weekly Jobs