Your First Summer Work in the UK - Picking Strawberries The Right Way

Most jobs on farms in the UK involve picking strawberries or berries in general, raspberries and possibly other berries with which I have not have the lucky chance to pick.

Picking strawberries is very demanding and hard work and if this being your first summer job, then it will take lots of patience and clear mind. You might be picking in tunnels, which has an advantage of you being able to stand, on the other hand, tunnels are hot as you would expect, and you will have to endure that for you to pick. Tunnels are usually picked in the early mornings and this is being done quickly so that you do not have to stand the mid day or afternoon heat.

After finishing the tunnels, pickers ususally move to the fields. This is probably the most common seasonal work in England on farms. It also involves all types of associated work such as pruning, straw laying around the plants,planting. Most of the work is piecework and you will be paid for every box that you pick. A box is made of punnets. Punnets have different colors usually and can be for first class or second class strawberries. Obviously the first class strawberries are the ones with the nice shape and no white parts, evenly red. Second class are the rest except green ones, which you need to leave on the plants for further picking later.

When picking in the fields, the work involves moving a rack infront of you, or behind you, depending on your technique, which will contain the boxes. Once you fill the boxes you will need to take them down to your supervisor for checking. You probably get your card punched for what you have picked.

It is in your best interest not to put in the punnets any green strawberries, leafes, straw, etc. The supervisors will find out and you will loose all your box. Not worth it. You will have a bad day and loose your concentration as well, which is most important with this type of summer job. Best of luck and do not worry, eat some of those strawberries, because they will all be picked eventually.

For more interesting articles about summer job experiences and more please visit www.farmhands.co.uk

Written by Marian Bridik, Aston Ltd. / Farmhands Service
http://www.farmhands.co.uk


More Resources

What Is Your Greatest Weakness?
The fastest way to make a good interview go bad is to avoid questions posed by the hiring manager. The one question candidates love to avoid is, "What is your greatest weakness?" Most candidates are quick to respond with superficial answers such as "I'm a workaholic" or "I'm a perfectionist.
Career Moves: Take Charge of Your Life
Every day millions of people let their inner fears stop them from creating the life of their dreams. No one will deny that it is scary to step out of your comfort zone, but once you challenge your fear and take action, you can attain great things.
Three Ways to Transition to a New Career
As a Certified Personnel Consultant working for Find Great People International in Greenville, South Carolina, I receive telephone calls from people who are considering a career change. For some, transitioning to a new career is easier than others.
So You want to be a Bodyguard?
Then let me start by helping out. The politically correct phrase these days is not "bodyguard" but personal protection specialist, executive protection specialist or close protection operative, depending on your place of training and other preferences.
Seminars: Why Are They Popular, and What Advantages/Disadvantages Are There to Attending One?
Seminars dealing with "special topics" have actually been around for decades, and are an older form of marketing and information exchanges, that have seen quite a resurgence of interest in the past ten years.Seminars are simply a group of people coming together for the discussion and learning of specific techniques and topics.
5 Resume Mistakes Telecommuters Often Make
Finding a legit telecommute job can be difficult. Telecommute jobs are in high demand and hundreds if not thousands of other people are competing for the same position.
Avoid a Three-ring Circus with These New Interviewing Strategies
I referenced the circus because I just finished another interviewing book that recommends asking for the job before leaving the interview. I can envision up to 15 qualified professionals each asking the interviewer for the job.
Job Search: Age-Proofing Your Resume
Older job hunters fear interviews where their age cannot be concealed and where an initial response of dismay on an interviewer's face, quickly hidden, confirms their anticipation of discrimination. The mature job seeker often prefers the anonymity of mailed resumes, e-mailed inquiries, internet applications, and telephone contacts.
Hello Work World, Im Un-Retiring
For many years, you looked forward to that day when you would bid the world of work a fond farewell and ride off into the sunset of your golden years.Initially, it felt wonderful not to have to go somewhere each morning.
Q & A How to Find a Great Search Firm
Q & AQ: Are people sometimes cautious of 'headhunters'?A. Yes.
Job Hunting Tips: Assessing Personal Value
A week out of work is a vacation. You can sleep late in the morning, revel in your newly found free time, shop when the stores are empty, and get around to those chores you have been putting off for too long.
Making Sure You Get a Good Reference
You've had 3 interviews with a potential employer and they've asked you for references from your prior job. The problem is that you didn't leave on the best of terms and now you're a bit worried about the kind of reference they'll give.
Discuss Your Accomplishments During the Interview
When preparing for your interview, you need to be ready to discuss your accomplishments. Surprisingly, many people are reluctant to talk about their accomplishments.
Federal Job Search Strategies: 7 Tips to Help You Succeed
Despite constant calls by politicians and policy makers to reign in government spending, the federal government remains the largest employer in the United States. According to the U.
Your Goals Must Be Within Your Reach
FIRST STEP -- Set short-term, incremental goals. Work up to larger plans later.
Mystery Shopping
Mystery shopping is an excellent way to make extra money. In fact, some people make a full time living doing it.
80,000 Americans Work in the Oil Change Industry
There is a huge shortage, which effects franchises costs in labor, availability of labor and quality of workmanship. For instance 80,000 Americans are in Oil Lube Facilities alone and over 50% are franchised lube centers.
Overwhelmed and Overworked: The Myth of American Productivity
Employment finally seemed back on track during the first few months of 2004. Politicians crowed that "Our tax cuts are working.
Benefits of Mystery Shopping For Secret Shoppers
Mystery shoppers are people who are hired to scrutinize employees, products and customer services of any organization. The benefits that they get from mystery shopping are:They enjoy doing a job that's fun and frolic.
10 Tips to Help You Ace the Interview and Get the Job
The interview is the "beauty contest" part of the job search process. Interviewers get to compare candidates by asking them similar questions and comparing the answers.

More Careers & Employment Information:

Related Articles

Culture Shock
Today we hear much talk of the 'global village'. People are have more opportunities to travel and live abroad than ever before.
Networking Mistakes and How You Can Avoid Them
'Fear of rejection' is the major reason why individuals looking for a career change hesitate to use networking as the most powerful weapon in their job search armoury. This is even the case with senior people who you would have thought anybody would be delighted to receive a call from.
How to Improve Your Work Situation
buWhy are so many people unhappy in their work situation? Why do people, who are successful at one career, have such difficult times coping with their new career? These problems frequently occur, because conflicts exist in their work relationships.Relationships between you and your work can also be considered the "games of work.
Considering a Career Change?
Are you thinking about a career change? Many people do this because of specific problems or difficulties. Others want to make such a change because of some growing, generalized dissatisfaction.
Writing Resumes
Use a resume as a foot in the doorWhen you go to college, they don't really teach you how to advance your career. In order to get the jobs you want, you need to know how to write an effective resume that will win you interviews.
The Computer-Friendly Resume
The evolution of technology is changing the traditional methods for job searching and recruiting. More and more companies are now relying on computers to initiate the process of hiring and are filling their database with candidates with skills that are easily searchable.
How To Get A Job Writing Speeches
Jobs in speech writing are amongst the most difficult to find, but are much sought after. In many cases, the subjects that will deliver them will want to find expert advice on what to say, how to say it, and how to make themselves look good through it.
Your Salary: What Are You Worth?
Why is it a good idea to determine your worth? Whether you plan to stay at your current job or seek employment elsewhere, your assessment of your worth can become a bargaining chip should you choose to negotiate for higher compensation. It's a reference point on your way to improving not only your standard of living but your sense of self as well.
Top Ten Networking Strategies To Get A Job, A Promotion, Or Make A Sale
Whether you are networking to find a new job opportunity, gain a promotion, or close a sale, you have two main goals with the networking interaction:1. To be remembered so that when opportunities appear, people will think of you as the perfect person to handle things,2.
Losing Your Job Without Losing Yourself
When we lose our jobs, no matter the reason, we lose a big part of our identity. Think of the last several times you met new people.
Searching for an IT Job
Looking for an IT job is one of the easiest to perform due to the incredibly high demand in the IT field. As the Internet grows, corporations network through Intranets - even the advancement of science has the demand for anyone with IT skills at an all time high.
Seven Ways to Stand Out in a Sea of Applicants
Is your résumé getting lost in a flood of résumés? Are you certain you could demonstrate your value to potential employers, if you could just get in front of them? Do you want to dramatically increase your chances of getting a follow-up call from employers? Bait your job-search hook with these seven tips and you'll catch a whale of a good job.1.
How NOT to Write a Resume
You can learn a lot about how to do something right by first learning what NOT to do.Take resumes, for example.
Losing A Career Can Feel Like Getting A Divorce
Most of us are aware that we need to grieve the death of a close friend, relative or favorite pet. We are beginning to learn that other events -- relocation, divorce, illness -- can also be experienced as loss.
The Night Worker
In the process of musing about our perennially awake world for my Social Psych blog, I started to think about our present work world and how its operations have changed the lives of millions of workers.I manage a 24/7 emergency crew (mental health).
Master Responding to Selection Criteria and Win Your Next Job!
As a human resources specialist for many years, I've seen it all when it comes to job applications. Most disheartening were those applications in which applicants had not addressed the specified selection criteria .
Successful Job Search: Knocking Out The Competition
Most of the time, competition stimulates us, gets our juices flowing, generates creativity, a sense of excitement, and motivates us to perform at our best. Looking for work is another matter! When it comes to financial survival, to regaining independence and self-worth, competition can be crippling.
Updating Your Plum Job Now That Youre a Parent
It's startling to discover how having kids changes the way you see the world. Just compare your "before kids" vs.
Learn Some Useful Feng Shui Career Tips
As it does with every main life aspect, feng shui also provides tips and guidelines to help you improving your career. If your career is not moving on in the way you wish, that is due to a lack of balance and harmony within your environment and the elements that affect it.
A Cover Letter Tip Guaranteed To Land You More Job Interviews!
Looking for a new job?I'm about to reveal one of the most powerful cover letter tips you'll ever discover. This little-known secret can dramatically increase your job interview requests all by itself.