Fruit and Nut

 

 
Home Fruit Nuts Ordering Special Offers Links Workshops Opportunities News Climate Change Contact
   
Part-time worker/intern
   

Updated 24/07/20

The nursery is looking for a live-in worker-intern for the period April/May-July 2021. The nursery is offering two days paid work each week with the balance of hours to be part of the internship.

 

Scheduling

The total number of hours per week (paid work plus internship) will average 35, spread over 5 days. There will be considerable flexibility regarding the scheduling of the hours. In-house training will be provided where required.

The placement will commence between 5th April and 3rd May (exact date to be determined by mutual agreement) and run for a minimum of 13 weeks. There will be a possibility of extending the placement for a further 1-3 months.

Duties

The work will involve the following:

* Potting up of containerised stock

* Preparing new beds and planting out of barerooted stock (this work finishes at the end of April)

* Stock maintenance (for example weeding and pruning)

* Compost production and monitoring

* Sowing and maintenance of early vegetable crops

* Logging of significant events with the research stock (for example inflorescence with the nut trees)

* Assisting with infrastructural projects (for example construction of a covered work space)

Training

In-house training will be provided where required

Who is the placement aimed at?

Anyone interested in horticulture but particularly anyone considering a working life involving nut trees, or in food security-related land rehabilitation projects.

Accommodation and board

Accommodation (timber cabin) and full board are provided.

Meals

Meals are generally vegan

Meal-preparation duties are shared between the host, worker-intern and other volunteers. Applicants must possess basic cooking skills.

Applicants from outside Ireland

The nursery will consider applications from outside of Ireland. Fluency in English is essential.

Prerequirements:

1: Minimum of 1 year's previous horticultural or related experience. Horticultural qualifications (for example FETAC levels 5 and 6) would be an advantage but are not an absolute requirement.

2: An interest in food security and climate change issues is essential.

3: Prospective applicants should be physically fit and prepared to work outdoors in poor weather (in practice, little work is carried out during very wet weather, but occasionally it is necessary).

4: Minimum of one week stay at the nursery working as a volunteer (ideally this would take place in autumn 2020)

Applicants who meet criteria 2-4 but who do not have the requisite horticultural experience but who have other useful skills may still be considered for an internship (but not for paid employment).

Age

Preference will be given to applicants aged over 24. Younger applicants who have the requisite horticultural or agricultural experience may also be considered.

Physical Work

We place considerable emphasis on learning how to use tools properly, both for work efficiency and for worker comfort and safety. The ability to correctly use tools such as scythes, spades and shovels are skills that once acquired will last for life and there is great satisfaction in knowing a skill has been mastered and that muscles know what to do. All physical work carried out at the nursery is grounded in good technique and personal awareness, not gung-ho brute force. In recent years, the majority of interns and other volunteers at the nursery have been women and this has helped us develop an approach to training geared specifically to women. References from former volunteers/interns available upon request.

Women in agriculture

In Ireland (as in many other countries) around 90 percent of registered farmers are men. This is largely the same with organic farms too. The nursery believes that a greater participation of women in agriculture and horticulture - and in particular in skilled work and in decision-making - will be beneficial for the future of food production.

Personal development

Personal development is important strand of all our internships and we hope that all interns gain useful soft skills in addition to the practical skills associated with nursery work.

Further information

Please contact us for further information. If you are unsure whether this placement is the right choice for you, why not email us and outline your concerns. We will be happy to discuss these and hopefully tease out any potential problems. All enquiries will be treated with the strictest confidence. Although there is no official closing date for applications, we strongly recommend that intending applicants contact us as far in advance as possible.

We look forward to hearing from you.