Agriculture

You can get into this job through:

• a college course
• an apprenticeship
• applying directly

College

You could take a course at agricultural college which may be useful when you start looking for work.

Courses include:

• Level 2 or 3 Award in Land Based Technology
• Level 2 or 3 Certificate in Agriculture
• T Level in Agriculture, Land Management and Production

Entry requirements

You may need:

• 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course
• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T level

For more information

• equivalent entry requirements
• funding advice
• guide to T Levels
• search for agricultural colleges
• search for courses

Apprenticeship

The following apprenticeships may be relevant to this role:

• countryside worker intermediate apprenticeship
• land based service engineer intermediate apprenticeship
• land based service engineering technician advanced apprenticeship

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
• 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

For more information

• equivalent entry requirements
• guide to apprenticeships

Direct application

You could apply directly to become an agricultural contractor. Employers will usually expect you to have experience of working with farm machinery.

Requirements and restrictions

You'll need to:

• Driving vehicles like lorries, tractors, harvesters and fork lift trucks can also be part of your work. You can find out more about driving specialist vehicles from GOV.UK.
• have a Certificate of Competence, if you carry out hazardous tasks using a chainsaw

More information

Career tips

Agricultural contracting can be competitive, with lots of contractors applying for the same work. It will help you to get jobs and build your business if you have a specialism that no one else in the surrounding area offers.

Professional and industry bodies

You could join the National Association of Agricultural Contractors. They can help with industry training and professional development.

Further information

You'll find more about working and training in agriculture from Tasty Careers and The Institute of Agriculture and Horticulture.

View all vacancies in this region

With experience, you could move into teaching, training or consultancy.

You could also work for private companies or co-operatives that offer management services to farms.

Professional and industry bodies You could join the National Association of Agricultural Contractors, which can help with industry training and professional development.

You'll find more about working and training in agriculture from Tasty Careers and the National Land Based College.