Farm Field Worker

The work is done in a team of six with a chargehand. In August and September the task is picking and grading pears and plums into crates, in November and December it is the olive harvest with shakers and nets, and between the two campaigns you clear irrigation lines, replace drippers and prune the young trees. You keep your own crate count, stack pallets at the headland and load the trailer, so the fruit does not stand in the sun. The day runs 07:00 to 16:00 with a lunch break, and starts an hour earlier in the hottest weeks. Sunday is the rest day.

No formal schooling required, the work is taught on the plot

Physically fit for a full day of bending, lifting and standing

Able to lift a full crate of about 18 kg to shoulder height

Careful hands, since bruised fruit is downgraded at the packhouse

Available to work outdoors in heat and in rain

Basic Portuguese or English for the daily instructions

Reliable attendance through the season, which runs to December

Net salary from 819 up to 900 EUR per month

Seasonal contract from August to December, with preference for a return next season

Meal allowance of 5,25 EUR for each day worked, as set by the sector agreement

Holiday and Christmas subsidies paid in proportion to the season worked

Room in the estate accommodation at 60 EUR a month, water and power included

Transport from the accommodation to the plots every morning

Hat, gloves, boots and rain gear supplied

Workers who come back for a second season are trained to lead a team or to drive the tractor and the sprayer, posts that carry the sector allowance and a longer contract covering the winter.

Open orchard and olive grove work in Alentejo summer heat, with shaded rest points, drinking water at the headland and a fixed break in the hottest hours. Hat, gloves and boots are supplied by the employer.