Find your place in the field of good food

Our goal is to connect good people with good food. We advertise sustainable food jobs and training opportunities to help jobseekers and employers find each other.

Roots to Work is a project of Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming.

Job description

BDAC is vetting applications on behalf of Tablehurst Farm for a full-time Farm Apprentice.

This is a paid route into ecological farming at one of the UK’s leading biodynamic farms. You will work on a 500-acre mixed biodynamic/organic farm, learn livestock farming and farm machinery, and complete the 2-Year BDAC Work-Based Training programme, including 8 weeks of study (4 per year), leading to the Level 3 Crossfields Institute Diploma in Biodynamic Farming & Growing.

You are employed by Tablehurst Farm and paid the National Living Wage while you train.  You will also be enrolled as a trainee with the Biodynamic Agricultural College. This combination will allow you to gain real experience and a recognised qualification without taking on the debt usually associated with full-time study. However, training fees apply (see below).

About Tablehurst Farm

Tablehurst is a 500-acre mixed biodynamic and organic farm in Forest Row, East Sussex, with mob-grazed Sussex horned cattle, Jersey dairy herd, arable land, pasture, ponds, woodland, a vegetable and fruit garden, polytunnels, bakery, pie kitchen, farm shop and café. Produce is mainly sold through the on-site farm shop. The farm has won multiple awards including BBC Food and Farming Award for Food Producer of the Year 2022 and runner-up at the 2025 British Butchery Awards.

Biodynamics is the farm’s core philosophy, and community engagement is central to its work.

Role and training

• Based at Tablehurst Farm and nearby land.

• Learn livestock farming using biodynamic and organic methods.

• Learn to operate farm machinery.

• Enrol in the BDAC Work-Based Training programme (monthly seminars, online and in-person learning, 8 weeks of study, written work).

• Leads to the Level 3 Crossfields Diploma in Biodynamic Farming & Growing.

Hours and package

• 42.5 hours/week over 5 days, sector-dependent with weekend work.

• 28 days’ holiday (including bank holidays).

• Salary: National Living Wage.

• Private room in a shared-kitchen building on the farm (government accommodation offset applied).

• Breakfast and lunch on working days.

• Paid Training

Requirements

• Minimum 6 months’ practical land-based experience (e.g. volunteering or WWOOFing).

• GCSE-level education or equivalent (Level 2).

• Aged 18+ (21+ recommended).

• Capacity for self-guided study and motivation for active learning.

• Open to biodynamic perspectives.

• Physically capable of agricultural work throughout the seasons.

• Valid UK driving licence.

Training fees for the BDAC programme are:

• £500 initial payment.

• 24 monthly payments of £320.

This includes seminars, seminar accommodation and lunches, assessment, QA, registration, and certification.

How To Apply

BDAC is vetting applications on behalf of Tablehurst Farm. Successful applicants will be supported through the recruitment and placement process.

Application deadline: 10 July 2026.

For more information on Tablehurst Farm: https://www.tablehurstfarm.org.uk/

For more information on the training programme: BDAC Work-Based Training

Application information

1. Submit expression of Interest Form here: https://bdacollege.org.uk/work-based-training/how-to-apply/

2. Send CV to info@bdacollege.org.uk

Shortlisted applicants will be contacted for conversation and placement matching.

Please mention Roots to Work when applying for these jobs