Agricultural Harvest Worker

You spend the day in the fields and orchards picking cherries, apricots, melons, tomatoes and table grapes, depending on the season. Most of the work is by hand, filling crates and loading them onto trailers, with some sorting and trimming at the packing tables. You climb short ladders for the orchard fruit and bend low for the ground crops, so the body moves a lot through the day. Shifts usually run from around 6am to early afternoon to dodge the worst of the heat, six days a week during peak season. You work in small teams led by a field supervisor who sets the row and the pace. A few workers also drive small tractors and trailers once they know the site.

Able to work outdoors in heat and stand, bend and lift for long stretches

Comfortable lifting crates up to about 15 kg through the shift

Willing to start early, around 6am, six days a week in season

Basic French or English to follow simple field instructions

No experience needed, the supervisor trains you on the first days

Reliable and on time, since the team picks together

Relocation help and pickup from the station on arrival

Shared accommodation arranged near the farms

Daily transport from the housing to the fields

A cold lunch provided during peak harvest days

Full registration and health cover under the French system

You start at 1730 net per month. Once you know the crops and keep a steady pace, you can move up to team lead or quality checker, which brings the net pay to 2010 per month. Workers who handle the tractor and trailer reliably are usually first in line for that step.

The work is on family-run and mid-size farms in the countryside around Avignon, a short drive from town. Days get hot in summer, the ground is uneven, and you are outdoors in all weather, so it suits people who are fit and used to physical work. Water and shade breaks are built into the schedule and the teams stay small.