Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
dawn can all be very stressful experiences. Being stuck in some remote, wet area with
your truck tilting into a river (see Photograph 22 in the colour photograph section of
this topic) with no phone coverage, or your trailer has overturned, scattering fifty hives
across the road that all need putting back together again before dawn - these are all
actual examples. I can only stress again that, before venturing into this exciting and
really interesting work, you should first obtain some experience of it close to home.
Obtaining a job
Unfortunately, there is no central, international agency that collates beekeeping jobs,
and beekeepers tend to advertise in their local papers only. One way to find an overseas
job, therefore, is to place an ad in a foreign magazine or newspaper. When I was involved
with a large company in New Zealand, the company would scan the magazines and
newspapers when it needed beekeepers to see what was on offer - usually around the
July/August period.
Another way is to find out the names of the large and medium-sized beekeeping
companies in the area of your choice and to write to them, offering your services
and explaining your level of experience. Again, we used to take such letters seriously
and, before the start of the season, would contact those we thought would do well.
Obviously, if you knew someone in that country you could ask them to obtain the
information for you and to keep a lookout in the local press, or even to go and ask at
the beekeeping company. Companies need beekeepers because of the shortage of them,
especially in such countries as New Zealand, and beekeepers want jobs. It is just a
matter of ensuring that the twain meet, and you should be proactive in this. Remember,
though, that large, industrial-scale beekeeping is not the same as hobby beekeeping, so
be prepared for a vertical learning curve, both mentally and physically.
Many of the beekeepers who worked for us in New Zealand would complete their
contracts and then move to Canada or the USA, if they could get in, to work the season
there before returning to New Zealand at the end of that season. Many worked their
way around the world in this fashion and then used their experience and earnings to set
up their own beekeeping enterprises.
