Farm Caretaker's position ... What's it worth ?

ohpedro · Newbie

Farm Caretaker's position ... What's it worth ?

grahamg · Senior Member

This should bring a lot of comments.

tezza · Senior Member

We have received $400 a week in the past simply for living in their home and caretaking 7 days a week. We only hd to check water, maintain garden and milk goats. We thought it was a bit much and would probably have been happy with $200/week but the other was offered so..... All our food was supplied and we were filled with fuel when we left. This was only for 3 weeks though not an ongoing thing. I think if your happy with whats offered then ok if your not then renegoitiate or move on. Is it isolated property or close to populated area, are you ready to stop there for a while, is there plenty to do/see in the area, what is there that needs caretaking are all questions that would effect the answer.

brickies · Guru

I would put it this way how much would you be prepared to pay someone to do the same thing

Oxley · Veteran Member

Also be careful when using an ABN, long story short, you can be held liable for any damage and aren't covered by their work cover (If they have any), getting liability insurance can be expensive in the first 12 months (as I was a mechanic sole trader I found I had to change policies etc to cover farm work, oh fun), I would talk to a insurance broker first, and then there's the 80/20 rule....

But most places I've been want to only pay $200 a week and provide less than what you have listed, but as I have been burnt I now insist on a formal written agreement as I have had many that want 12 hour days 7 days a week working for some grumpy slave driver.... yes I have been burnt, and if they want me to use my ABN then it's an hourly rate at around about the highest grade in the award.

Bruce and Bev · Guru

I think tezza and Oxley are on the spot.

It depends on where it is. If its really isolated, then more $, same with the size of the yard and make the assumption they will not clean up anything after them each weekend.

If they want you to have your own ABN, they would make me nervous with regards to public liability insurance, personal accident insurance and so on. If you damage their property or injure yourself, you will have problems and this insurance is complicated to make sure you are properly covered. If this is a short term thing of only a month or so I wouldn't bother.

I agree with Oxley about top hourly rates. Remember they are not paying any insurances for you, no sick or holiday pay - this all needs to be factored in.

If they weren't asking you to have an ABN - then maybe $200-$400 a week, so long as all the other bits are in fact supplied. I would want the fuel and wages paid every week - not one bulk payment when you finish - after all, they are going to be there every weekend. If youre going to be ripped off, then the worst is one week with no money from them

banjo · Senior Member

We do some rural caretaker sitting jobs, but have never been paid, as to me it is give and take, we look after their property with no strings attached no regular hours to work or expected unpaid labour.
In return we get somewhere to park up,usually over the dreaded school holidays, free electricity and water, toilet and sometimes a laundry.

I, being an ex tradie willingly repair whatever breaks or fails if possible, feed the animal(s) if any, ride on mow (no push mowing due to a back injury) we keep the place tidy and look lived in, so give the owners security and peace of mind while away.
We always stay in our own rig never the home.

Most of our clients have become good friends now with several return visits, and some we can pull up announced anytime for a day or a month.

We have had offers of paying jobs but find they usually want to own you ! one lady actually said we could have a day off if really needed, but must be by agreement with her and her husband ! we gave that one a miss !

Just my take on it.

the rocket · Guru

As we are looking to do this also, I am looking forward to all the replies. cheers. rocket.

Dunmowin · Guru

We have done a lot of house and farm sits, requiring sometimes only to feed a pet, sometimes to feed farm animals. We have never asked to be paid for these jobs, but recompense comes in many different way.

One "job" was 2 hours work each per day at accommodation cottages, in return for site, power and water, including a kitchen and bathroom. I fed house/farm animals with children of guests, while John chopped kindling for fires, lay fires and mowed around cottages. All very easy work. They invited us into their home regularly for meals, we had eggs and vegetable and fruit from the garden, and on our departure, presented us with $850 in cash and fuel vouchers.

We have worked three farms where we have had to check water and fences - easy tasks - and were given a freezer full of meat in return as well as eggs etc. The current farm is also a farm stay, so there are children to watch out for, and boarding kennels. If we are required to check animals in/out of kennels, we are given extra cash.

We don't ask for payment, but often are given something in return for our work. WE save a lot of money while sitting in one area - our fuel is down, our shopping is down, even toilet chemicals and gas are reduced. All considerations when deciding whether or not you want - or need - to be paid. While we are sitting in one area, it gives us ample opportunity to explore without the van in tow - on Monday we went up to Mt Buffalo in the snow!

ohpedro · Newbie

Hi all. first up, thanks to all those who replied and commented and/or described their experience in that type of situation.

The position I wrote about is actually MUCH more than the fairly basic caretaking position I described, but I really just wanted to know what that "bare-bones" mowing, cleaning & caretaking component was worth to say, a caravan couple who would otherwise have to pay a weekly site fee in a nearby caravan park .. which I suppose is unlikely to be less than probably about $300 p/w.

The reason that it is much more than a fairly basic caretaking position is that the property is 50 acres of Hawkesbury River frontage, an old long term neglected turf farm where an old widow lived out her final years and never lifted a finger other than to have tradesmen fix up the actual residence when needed. All the fencing has to be pulled out, rolled up and dealt with. There is about 35 acres of dense Fireweed (Senecio madagascariensis), which some of you may know about, and it cannot be sprayed due to the property's proposed Organic Status intentions, so the Fireweed has to be manually pulled, plant-by-back aching-plant. Fireweed is Australias second most invasive declared weed !

There is also some 40 odd years of dense Lantana growth, some of the Lantana bushes being the size of a caravan! Lantana is planet Earth's FIRST most invasive declared weed ! And it too will need to be dug/pulled out manually. And there is literally tens of tons of HUUUGE fallen timber which will need to be cut and split into firewood size, and stacked.

There is 120 free range Laying Hens supplying Certified Free-Range eggs to Sydney's Most Awarded catering company. Within NSW Food Authority guidelines, these eggs have to be Candled (google egg candling!), graded and individually stamped prior to packing & dispatching. The bird's Hen-house is a mobile unit (google Chicken Caravan 130), which has to be hosed out and re-located every day, Sat & Sun included, so no days away from the farm.

There is also a constant thru-put flock of Heritage Breed Free Range PREMIUM meat chickens which arrive at one day old and require hand raising up until 12 weeks, at which point they are sent to slaughter, then they go to the best, most exclusive restaurants in Australia, because they are the only buyers who can afford them. (keep in mind that the hot chook you get at the supermarket got hatched then lived in a box and got fed god-knows-what for six weeks before you ate it).

The property owners will require daily reporting, via evening email with digital photographic evidence, of the daily tasks performed and/or targets met, including times taken, to substantiate up to approx 40 hours per week of effort.

So what's it worth now ? .... per person-per hour, or per person-per week, over and above the specifications of my original post ?

Thanks

Pete

-- Edited by ohpedro on Friday 4th of September 2015 07:42:47 AM

TheHeaths · Veteran Member

Based on the new information, personally I wouldn't bother applying.

A daily video diary to substantiate the work done! Forgetting for a moment the manual labour side of the business, clearing the lot etc., the fact that the poultry side of the business is such high end I would suspect that this role would be hell.

Were I interested in this sort of role, I would be expecting in the order of $40 - $50 per hour, after site provision including power, water, and access to toilet and laundry amenity. I would also expect full reimbursement of motor vehicle expense, not a provision of a set quantity of fuel.

Why so high you ask.

I see no up side and only down side if things turn pear shape with the poultry side of the work. I see an employer who is going to be difficult to deal with on the basis that they are asking for daily photo evidence of work done to substantiate your achievements. I see a role where quite honestly, if they are looking at paying for 40 hours work per week, much of the clearing work will not be getting done, as the work involved with the birds is highly time consuming. I would also see that 8 hours a day will struggle to cover it, so the 40 hours will either be worked in 3 or 4 days, or you will be doing a lot of overtime.

Personally, unless you have a solid background in the poultry side of the business, I would give this a wide berth, as I see a lot of work. At the right price it could be fine for someone looking to get some money behind them, but for an older, semi retired or travelling person it sound too much like corporate hell!

Delta18 · Guru

Doesn't sound like a "job" for retirees to me.