Farm Worker (Field Hand)

You start early, usually around 6am to beat the midday heat, and work the fields by hand. The job is tomatoes, broccoli, fennel and table grapes depending on the month, so the tasks shift as crops come and go. You will hoe rows, thin plants, lay and check drip irrigation lines, pick produce into crates and load them onto trailers. Some days you ride the harvester platform and sort fruit as it comes up the belt. Crates get heavy and the rows are long, so this is steady physical work on your feet for most of the shift. A foreman walks you through each task on day one and checks the work as you go.

Able to do physical outdoor work in heat for a full shift

Basic English to follow instructions on site

Willing to bend, lift crates up to 20 kg and stand for long periods

Reliable and on time every morning

Can work as part of a picking crew

No prior experience needed, training is given

Shared accommodation arranged near the farm

Daily transport from the housing to the fields

Work gloves and sun protection provided

Help with paperwork and registration on arrival

Paid overtime during peak harvest weeks

After a full season the employer keeps on the steadiest workers and trains them as crew leaders or irrigation hands. A crew leader sets the daily pace, checks crate counts and reports to the foreman. Pay rises from 1380 net per month toward 1600 net as you take on more responsibility.

The farm sits on open flat land outside Foggia, with long rows of crops and packing sheds at the edge of the fields. Summers are hot and dry, so shifts start at dawn and there is a break in the hottest hours. Water, shade and toilets are kept on site.