Paid Farming Jobs / Farming Placements in New Zealand

Apply today for your dream farming job or work placement in New Zealand.  If you find you are not eligible for the New Zealand Dairy farming programme, we also have two related programmes – Australia Paid Horticulture Jobs Progamme and the Equine Internships Progamme. Also check out the information on the site for:

• Typical Day on a New Zealand Dairy Farm
• New Zealand Dairy Farming Seasons – What’s Happening, When
• Dairy Farming Programme – Frequently Asked Questions

New Zealand Paid Farming Programme – Work Placement or Internship

• Paid a wage with guaranteed minimum while working, plus overtime wage
• Accommodation & lodging included while working (on most farms, a few exceptions)
• Travel allowance paid to get to your employer (in New Zealand)
• Take time off between jobs to see and experience New Zealand
• Everything organised for you
• Advice from UK based New Zealander’s (Kiwi’s)
• One employer for whole time if you prefer
• Come with a group of friends or on your own

Intern Options is bringing you an exciting opportunity in New Zealand’s largest and most successful sector – the Dairy sector. This opportunity is perfect for agriculture students or graduates wanting to gain paid experience for their studies and future career, working holiday makers who want to earn some money and see New Zealand, experienced farm workers wanting to gain experience or move into management positions.

If you would like to talk through your options in New Zealand give us a call on 0207 353 7699 or fill in our Enquiry Form – alternatively if you are in London or passing though make an appointment to drop by our London office for a chat.

Where will I be placed – Up to you…

It is your option if you would like to be placed onto a farm for the entire placement or onto several farms during your time in New Zealand. If there are learning outcomes that you need to achieve as part of your university or college studies, these can be satisfied easily. Ask your university or college lecturer or placement advisor about our service as we have designed packages specifically for certain institutes.

Paid Work – A Chance to Save Some Money

Wages are set according to your position and experience for each job. Wages paid range from approximately £250 to £300 per week (including holiday pay).

Remember many farmers provide free food, accommodation and a travel allowance for travel to jobs on top of your wage, but there is no general rule on this as so many farms differ is size spread out over the whole of New Zealand.

Fact is, you will have very little overheads and your wage is all spending money, after you have taken off tax of course.

What’s Included in the Programme – We Help you Every Step of the Way

Before you leave the UK we will open a bank account, help you through visa or work permit processing, help you look at flights and insurance and anything else you want to know from our New Zealand staff members based in London.

When you arrive in New Zealand we will have booked you into accommodation in Auckland for your first night in NZ. Accommodation will again be booked for you in Matamata for some time to relax and begin induction (around two days) before you start on your first farm placement. The accommodation is usually either in a bed and breakfast or hostel and the cost of this is yours – but don’t worry accommodation is cheap in New Zealand and when we make the booking for you, we will advise you of the cost.

You will be set with everything you need to start your job during induction – a New Zealand tax number, ensure you have appropriate clothing and are aware of NZ health and safety practices. From there the work begins with your first farm placement.

You will be placed onto a dairy farm anywhere in the North or South Island of New Zealand, herd sizes range anywhere from 100 up to 4,000 and higher. The choice is yours if you would like to have a long term placement with one farm or see some more of this beautiful country with shorter farm placements all around New Zealand.

How About Some Time Out – See New Zealand

It is encouraged to take time out between jobs to travel the country and experience “kiwi life” and all it has to offer. While you will most likely be placed onto a farm in a beautiful part of New Zealand, there are some must see stops on the way that need to be seen to be believed.

Positions Available – Let us know what you want to do

Milking, Milk plant preparation and cleaning, Cow management and health control, Calving and calf rearing, Tractor work, like mowing and feeding-out, Grass management, Feed budgeting, Irrigation management (Canterbury), and on the smaller family-size units, a chance to do sole-charge management while the farmer is on holiday during the summer months, often for 2 to 4 weeks periods.

What Experience do you Need?

Usually a minimum of two years farm experience but if you are currently studying a degree in this area or have grown up on a farm then this will be fine.

The more experience you have the better the job we can get you. If you would like to talk through your eligibility then give us a call to have a chat on 0207 353 7699 or send us an email.

When can I Start?

You can start any time of the year but the best time to start is in July-August to catch the busy calving period. This job is usually one of the longest our staff will get. We think there is an advantage in starting with a calving job, assisting a farmer over the calving period which would normally last about six to ten weeks. For overseas staff this settles them into New Zealand way of farming and they soon move on to jobs where they take on more responsibility and working their way to more management positions.

If you are interested in applying later in the year then we will certainly be interested in speaking to you and could offer you a position.

Fee – How Much does the Programme Cost?

The fee for this programme for any length of time is £750. This is made up of a deposit of £300 and a final payment of £450 before you depart for New Zealand. This price does not include Flights, Insurance or visa. We do an all inclusive package for some universities so we can put you onto the cheapest providers for these or organise this for you.

So Where to From Here?

If you are a student wanting to undertake a agricultural work placement or internship as part of your degree, check with your placement tutor or lecturer as we have put together very good packages for some universities/ colleges. If your institute does not have a package arranged with Intern Options, ask them to call Jon on 0207 353 7699 to set one up.

So if you or a group of your friends would are looking at what to do to kick start your farming career – what better place to do this than in the country that is one big farm! Give us a call today to talk through what you are looking at doing and we can make some suggestions, so what are you waiting for – fill in the enquiry form or give us a call for more information and you will be one step closer to seeing a country that everyone in Europe wants to visit.