With 20 offices nationwide Farm Relief Services are strong employers. Spring and summer are the busiest times of the year for FRS. Recent surveys carried out show that there is a requirement for approximately 200 workers for seasonal roles. Relief workers are needed for milking, general farm work and calf rearing positions that generally last three to four months.
Being an FRS operator is a flexible role which suits people in many areas such as young people looking for experience, those with spare capacity outside of their own farm work and even women who can work while their children are at school.
TJ Heffernan started working with FRS in Cahir fifteen years ago and has never looked back. TJ himself had farming experience with a background in farming having farmed all his life. Whilst working with FRS TJ became an operator going out and working on farms on a daily basis.
“I had been farming all of my life myself, but basically what I came in doing first was milking and I didn’t need any training on the milking because I was always milking myself”.
Although TJ did not need training with the milking, FRS provides training to all new operators starting within the business. Over the years with FRS TJ started Freeze branding and was trained how to properly do it by the FRS trainers before going out on the farm. Although he would put his hand to anything on the farm, these days TJ mainly specialises in Freeze branding and Plastic collection.
“After a few years I went into Freeze branding, that’s what I am at mostly for the past 12 years and FRS provided all the training for that which was great. I also do the plastic collection too which keeps me going”.
FRS are always there to help their customers out, when the farmers ring they know exactly what they need and want and so send the operators out that will suit their exact needs. TJ said at times you could spend up to five hours a day on a farm all depending on the work load.
“You could spend up to four or five hours at any given time on the farm, it all depends on how many animals are in the place but generally it takes about three hours”.
FRS are continuously looking for people to come along and join the team. There is a need for workers all the time as they are in high demand by the farmers particularly during this busy season. TJ thinks that working with FRS is great and the fact that they provide training is even better.
“Working as an operator with FRS is great and more people should be looking into getting work with them, they provide the training too which is excellent. I think lads coming out of college should definitely be looking into it even on a part time basis”.
If you are interested in becoming a FRS operator head to our website and fill out the online application form www.farmrelief.ie/careers
