Agricultural consultant
Give advice to farms and other land-based businesses. You'll guide them on technical issues, green practices and financial matters.
About the job
What it's like
Being an agricultural consultant lets you combine a business career with a love of the outdoors.
You'll offer advice and information to farmers, landowners, horticulturalists and other land-based businesses. The expertise you provide would help businesses modernise, become greener and boost profits.
You might specialise in business matters, technical areas or a mix of both. Areas you might advise on include:
soil and crop management
environment and conservation
animal health and welfare
pest control
waste management
business operations
In this career, you could be employed by a consultancy that works with lots of different businesses. Other employers include charities, environmental organisations, farming cooperatives, property firms and more.
Your tasks might include:
visiting farms or other sites to meet with clients and gather information
collecting and analysing data such as soil samples, crop yields or financial reports
summarising findings and suggesting ways to improve efficiency, sustainability or profits
putting changes in place, for example new drip irrigation systems to save water
helping clients meet environmental standards or apply for funding
keeping up to date with new ways of working, for example the use of drones to track crop growth
Green jobÂ
In this job you'll be doing work to help the environment. Find out more about green jobs.
Explore more information about this job
Here are some useful links to learn more about this career:
Society of Agriculture – find specialist training, conferences and learning pathways if you're a student or early in your career
Lantra Scotland – learn more about careers in agriculture
The Scottish Farmer – explore agriculture jobs in Scotland
Farmers Weekly – explore agriculture jobs across the UK
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Related industries
Many jobs can be done in lots of different industries. We've highlighted the ones we think are most important for this job.
Food and drink Finance, law and professional services Animals, land, water and environment
Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- analysing
- time management
- developing a plan
- attention to detail
- researching
- evaluating
- written communication
- verbal communication
- building relationships
- persevering
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Biology
Chemistry
Engineering Science
Geography
Maths (Mathematics)
Skills for Work: Rural Skills
Foundation Apprenticeship: Scientific Technologies (Laboratory Skills)
Applications of Mathematics
You can get a head start in this career by doing a Foundation Apprenticeship in S5 and S6.
You'll get an SCQF level 6 qualification which is the same level as a Higher. You'll also learn new skills and gain valuable experience in a work environment.
Discover what's on offer at your school on Apprenticeships.scot.
To become an agricultural consultant, you'll likely need an HND or degree in a relevant subject.
Explore some of the routes into the career.
University
A degree may be helpful for getting into this job. You could study subjects, such as:
Agriculture
Animal Behaviour and Welfare
Animal Biology
Environmental Science
Environment and Business
Forestry
Horticulture
Plant and Soil Science
Use the My World of Work course search to find relevant degrees.
College
Getting qualifications at college, such as an HNC or HND, could help you find a job or progress to more advanced study. Useful subjects include:
Agriculture
Animal Care
Land-based Engineering
Environmental Management
Forestry
Horticulture
Use the My World of Work course search to find relevant college courses.
If you're an adult looking to get back into education, consider the Scottish Widening Access Programme (SWAP). It offers routes to university by learning at college first.
If you don't have a degree and have been out of education for at least 3 years, you could be eligible. You can read more about eligibility on the SWAP website.
See what's available using our course search.
Apprenticeships
Modern Apprenticeships (MAs) mean you learn on the job. You get paid and work towards a qualification at the same time.
Getting an MA at SCQF Level 8 or above may allow you to work as an agricultural consultant.
Explore relevant MAs on Apprenticeships.scot, these include:
Other MAs may provide you with relevant skills, knowledge and experience to progress to more advanced study. These include:
If you're aged 16 to 24, you could apply for a land-based pre-apprenticeship programme. It's a 26-week paid placement where you'll gain rural skills and experience.
The pathway is designed to lead to a Modern Apprenticeship, college course or full-time work in the agriculture industry.
Learn more about the programme and how to apply on Lantra Scotland.
Trainee roles
You can become an agricultural consultant by applying for a paid trainee role, where you learn on the job. You might need at least an HND or significant experience in other relevant roles to get in.
You can use the My World of Work job search to look for trainee roles.
You may need to be prepared to move around the UK for job opportunities.
A full clean driving licence is helpful to have.
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