Jillaroo Jackeroo - Career Advice - Environments

Jackeroos [Jackaroo]/Jillaroos are employed by cattle or sheep station owners to perform various activities associated with the day-to-day operations of a cattle station.

ANZSCO ID: 841511 Future Growth Decline

Alternative names: Farm Hand, Station Hand, Farm Worker, Station Worker, Stockman,

Knowledge, skills and attributes

A Jackeroo/Jillaroo needs:

to enjoy working outside in all kinds of weather
good communication and organisational skills
to be able to undertake manual, physical work
to be comfortable working with animals and interested in their welfare
a mechanical aptitude and able to make accurate observations
to be able to handle living in isolation and limited social contact
Able to deal confidently with people
Able to cope with the physical demands of the job, undertaking manual and often heavy work
Able to handle animals with confidence and patience.

At station

Duties and Tasks

Tasks may include mustering on motorbike or horseback, caring for livestock, maintaining and repairing station equipment, using and maintaining farming equipment, performing farm work associated with crops, as well as clerical and administrative tasks.

Jackaroos and jillaroos may perform the following tasks:

Care for livestock and treat minor injuries and illness
Muster on horseback or motorbike
Maintain station equipment and inspect, repair or replace fences, gates and yards
Use and maintain vehicles and heavy machinery
Undertake farming work such as cultivation and haymaking
Assist with light household duties
Undertake clerical and administrative tasks.

Working conditions

A Jackeroo/Jillaroo largely works outside in all kinds of weather conditions and usually starts work early in the morning. They generally work long hours. They may be required to live in shared accommodation on a station property.

Tools and technologies

Jackeroos/Jillaroos may need to be proficient with a wide range of farming machinery and hand tools. It is also an advantage if they have the ability to maintain or repair farming machinery.

Education and training/entrance requirements

You can work as a jackeroo/jillaroo without any formal qualifications and get training on the job. However, entry into this occupation may be improved by obtaining a qualification in agriculture or rural operations.

The Certificate II and Certificate III in Agriculture, and the Certificate II and Certificate III in Rural Operations are offered at State Training Providers and other registered training organisations.

You can also complete a traineeship. The assistant cattle farm hand, rural operations worker, cattle station hand and rural operations senior farmhand traineeships take 12 to 18 months to complete. The assistant cattle farm hand and rural operations worker traineeships are available as school-based traineeships.

Saddling Up

Apprenticeships and traineeships

As an apprentice or trainee, you enter into a formal training contract with an employer. You spend most of your time working and learning practical skills on the job and you spend some time undertaking structured training with a registered training provider of your choice. They will assess your skills and when you are competent in all areas, you will be awarded a nationally recognised qualification.

If you are still at school you can access an apprenticeship through your school. You generally start your school based apprenticeship by attending school three days a week, spending one day at a registered training organisation and one day at work.

Did You Know?

Mustering

There are many different ways to muster a paddock and how it is done depends on a number of factors, including how big the paddock is, how much water is in the paddock, the time available or even whether low stress stock handling is preferred.

These days many properties muster on 2 or 4 wheel motorbikes as they are quicker than horses and require less staff. There are however still many properties where horses are used either because the terrain is too difficult on bikes or because the property owners prefer to handle the stock quietly, whether you are on a property which uses bikes or horses, musters will often be done in conjunction with a helicopter or plane.

Learning to communicate effectively on UHF Radio is a valuable skill and particularly important when mustering, remember to speak clearly and concisely, keep the message short and to the point.

After a muster is complete you will usually process the stock, this usually involves some or all of the following processes; drafting, marking, weaning, inoculating, drenching, jetting, dipping, pregnancy testing, spaying or assessing for sale. Once the relevant processes are completed and sometimes prior to processing you may have to relocate some stock, walking stock can be a challenging task and at times it can be tedious.

If you are moving young flighty weaners you must be alert at all times to where they might try to run away to and always stay in the position around the mob allocated to you, on the other hand, a mob of older stock and their young offspring on a hot day will be extremely slow and nothing will speed them up, managing to stay alert even when plodding along can be difficult but is the difference between a good employee and a lazy one.
Source: Outback Careers