Ireland is the “destination of choice” for agricultural students around Europe looking for internships in the sector, according to one work-experience agency.

Equipeople says that students from Europe come to Ireland to improve their agricultural knowledge and skills; experience another culture; and to improve their English.

The agency said it has seen a surge in applications for internship positions from European students in the latter part of 2021.

“Ireland is hugely popular among schools and students.”

Val Gildea, placement coordinator for Equipeople, said: “Not only do we have a strong tradition of farming, but students can improve their English. And, of course we’re world-famous for our friendliness and welcome.”

Currently, the agency is preparing to welcome around 120 students from leading agricultural schools in Denmark. They are due to arrive on these shores in October.

“Many of these students are from farms at home, but farming in Denmark is quite different from farming here. Our dairy industry, in particular, is quite a new experience for them,” Gildea said.

Placement lengths for these students will vary from two to four weeks, but with such a significant number of students, they will be able to provide assistance on host farms for weeks, if not months, at a time, Equipeople says.

The surge in applicants from other European countries is mainly due to the impact of both Brexit and Covid-19.

Students were unable to participate in the placement programme in 2020 due to the pandemic and they are now applying alongside their 2021 classmates. Meanwhile, Brexit has meant that students that previously would have looked to the UK for a placement are looking to Ireland instead.

The agency highlights that work experience students can be a valuable addition to a farm, saying “the extra pair of hands they provide can offer relief from certain routine tasks”, in exchange for some guidance and mentoring.

“In a normal year, we have large numbers of students coming regularly, from February right until November. Obviously, some times of year are busier than others for farmers, so we try to prioritise.

“Those hosts who take students from us now at our busy time in late Autumn will be the first in line for students during their busy time in Spring,” Gildea explained.

Equipeople are looking for host families for these students coming from Denmark.

“We have some amazing hosts already, but we’d love to welcome even more farms onboard – our whole ethos is that students should be part of the family, whatever size or shape that family may be,” Gildea said.

“Students get up in the morning, help with the milking, powerwash the parlour, move fences, whatever needs to be done. But then they sit down with the family and have breakfast or lunch together.

“They might play with the kids in the afternoon before evening milking, or go to a GAA match… it’s a lovely opportunity for hosts and students to expand their horizons a bit,” she concluded.