relationships education & training housing & shelter health & emotions money jobs get active rights help

Working Abroad Job Vacancies Job Hunting Guide Voluntary Work Working Part-time and Temping Useful Job Hunting Resources Working in Somerset Wages and Employment Rights Agricultural Service Engineers CLCI: RAD CRCI: GB Farmers need all sorts of machinery and equipment to do their job. This includes tractors, combine harvesters, motor mowers, forestry equipment, hedge-cutters and milking units. Agricultural service engineers repair this equipment when it goes wrong. This involves identifying the problem and sorting out what needs to be done. Engineers also service equipment on a regular basis to make sure it continues to work. Repair and servicing often takes place on farms and other outdoor locations. You could be working for a repair business, equipment manufacturer or dealer. There are some similarities between this work and other jobs such as plant hire mechanic. To find out more look under the above CLCI/CRCI headings in your careers or Connexions library. THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT AGRICULTURAL SERVICE ENGINEERING IN SOMERSET Somerset has a mixture of small and large agricultural service engineering businesses. Some are one or two person businesses; others have up to three or four branches in different places. Bigger businesses can employ up to a dozen people at each branch. Most businesses are based in rural areas or on the outskirts of towns. It’s a competitive industry with businesses seeking custom all over the place. This means your work may take you over a wide area. Promotion prospects depend on where you are working. In larger businesses you could become a technician, foreman or branch manager. There are also opportunities to become self-employed once you have gained experience. Job prospects in Somerset are reasonable because there is a shortage of good applicants with the right skills. On the other hand, the industry is not expected to grow in the future. HOW DO I GET STARTED?   Get work experience when at school to see if it’s the career for you   Start as a trainee – or apprentice – with a firm of agricultural service engineers. This may involve doing company courses or going to college as part of your job   Go to college or sixth form for extra qualifications before starting work as a trainee or apprentice USEFUL QUALIFICATIONS   GCSEs in maths, science and English useful for apprenticeships and traineeships   Around 4or 5 GCSE passes at grade C (or better) - including maths, English and science – may help for some service engineer jobs   NVQs in agricultural engineering done as part of an apprenticeship   Certificates awarded by equipment manufacturers (eg John Deere)   A levels, BTEC Nationals and other college/sixth form qualifications needed to do agricultural engineering at university More about qualifications, courses and training can be found in Moving On (published by Connexions Somerset) DO YOU KNOW? It’s possible to aim higher by doing a degree in agricultural engineering at somewhere like Harper Adams University College in Shropshire. WHAT IS THE PAY LIKE? Around £80 per week (maybe more) if starting as a new employed trainee or apprentice. Most qualified agricultural service engineers in Somerset earn around £18-22,000. This figure varies between employers and can depend on overtime. FINDING A JOB   Connexions centres   Job centres   Through applying for work apprenticeships   School and college careers notice boards   Speculative letters/visits/emails   Newspaper and industry publications adverts   Adverts displayed at premises and on industry/company websites   Job offer after work experience   Word of mouth   A Guide to Job Hunting gives tips on CVs, interviews and job letters. To view click here OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER ABOUT THIS WORK   You need to like machinery and know how it works   It’s important to have practical skills, be able to tackle problems and solve things. You may need to do paperwork as well   You need to have patience, customer service skills and see things through to a conclusion   The work can involve oiling parts, calibrating instruments and replacing parts   Working on new equipment often needs a knowledge of electronics, control systems and IT   You might be working in your company’s workshop or out-and-about on farms and elsewhere. A driving licence is normally essential   You may sometimes have to repair things quickly as part of an emergency   Depending on the job you may work regular daytime hours or do shifts and weekend work WHO DOES THE WORK? Jenni (19) comes from the Cheddar area and has just completed an apprenticeship with a major agricultural engineer. Her training involved spending time away at college. Now she is qualified Jenni will continue to attend courses run by equipment manufacturers. Miles (26), lives near Crewkerne and comes from a farming background. He learnt about agricultural service engineering by working for a small business. Three years ago he invested in a mobile service unit and became self-employed. He now services equipment on farms in Somerset, Dorset and Devon. More info: A-Z of careers Careers information dates rapidly. Every effort has been made to ensure information is accurate but please check details before making firm decisions. Make text larger Make text smaller Text Only Display Privacy Policy/Terms of Use