Estate managers are employed by estate owners to manage their trading businesses and let properties on the estate, ensuring the estate generates a profit. The businesses normally include farming (including let farms), forestry, renewable energy and tourism.

This important role involves significant responsibility, management skills and experience. The modern estate manager is likely to have stewardship of diversified businesses so must have confidence and experience managing a group of enterprises, preparing budgets and delivering plans.

The estate manager deals with property development, letting and lease negotiation and ensures the maintenance of buildings, agricultural land, woodlands, drainage and roads on the estate. In addition they deal with paperwork, including farm tax, insurance, grants, subsidies and compliance with law and regulation including health and safety.

The estate manager keeps up-to-date with changes in agricultural regulations and environmental and conservation planning, local planning activity and public access issues. They are responsible for liaison with local authority services and for community relations and engagement and for the recruitment, training and performance management of estate staff.

This skilled leadership position often involves work as part of a wider management team supervising all aspects of the business and sporting side of an estate’s operation. The estate manager fulfils a key role in maximising the efficiency of all business activity on the estate as well as ensuring the smooth running of countryside management processes occurring on estate land.

Estate managers are employed widely throughout the UK on estates with many senior professionals working as Chief Executive Officers for larger business groupings or with land agency firms.

They undertake an essential land management role that benefits the rural landscape and greatly assists the economic development of the countryside.

Many will hold a university degree, often in a related field such as land economy or business management. Many will have subsequently qualified as a chartered surveyor.

Working Conditions

Estates operate seven days a week throughout the year. The intensity and timing of work is related to the nature of the estate and the tasks required to be undertaken. For example, estates where the predominant activity is agricultural, will follow the growing seasons whereas sporting or tourism estates revolve around seasons related to the game or attraction present on the estate.

Many estates have a number of land-based functions and consequently an estate manager combines many capabilities and must be hard-working, experienced and adaptable.  Hours do vary according to the time of year and may involve some evening and weekend activity as well as time spent outdoors in all weather conditions.

An estate manager may work for a major organisation owning large areas of land or for an individual landowner. Agricultural surveying companies also operate widely and employ estate managers/land agents to oversee the work on estates.  The work is predominantly office based, often situated within the estate office but a good deal of time may be spent travelling around the estate, supervising and monitoring the work. A full driving licence is essential.

On shooting estates the manager may have a background interest in shooting and game conservancy and would be expected to have a Shotgun or Firearms Certificate. Continuing professional development is essential both to comply with professional accreditation and to maintain knowledge in an ever changing and complex operating environment.

Next steps

An estate manager qualified as a chartered surveyor may progress faster and a willingness to move around the country to gain experience may also assist career progression. In time, it is possible to take on a job managing a number of estates.

With experience and appropriate qualifications some estate managers move into advisory work, for example with a relevant government department.

Useful links

British Association for Shooting and Conservation

Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust

Institute of Fisheries Management

My world of work

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)

Scottish Land and Estates

Estate workers help to maintain and manage the environment for the benefit of people and wildlife. This can involve the management of a variety of different habitats including woodland, grassland, wetland and heathland, and also the maintenance of facilities for public access and recreation.

Their work varies depending on the habitat, and examples include:

Woodlands

• Felling trees using hand or chainsaws
• Coppicing by cutting trees on a regular basis after allowing them to re-grow
• Planting new trees to create new or replacing old woodland
• Removing unwanted plants and shrubs
• Creating habitats for birds, mammals, butterflies and other insects.

Grassland

• Removing vegetation by cutting using various equipment ranging from a strimmer to a tractor
• Managing vegetation by grazing using sheep, cattle or even rabbits to improve biodiversity
• Removing vegetation by burning
• Managing water levels.

Wetland

• Managing water levels
• Cutting vegetation including reed beds
• Creating areas for birds and other wildlife.

Heathland

• Removing scrub by grazing using sheep or cattle
• Burning the vegetation to help the heather to re-grow
• Cutting and spraying bracken and other unwanted vegetation
• Other work can involve the management and maintenance of boundaries (including dry stone walling, hedge laying and fencing), providing access points (signposting, waymarking, gates, bollards and stiles) and the building and maintaining of site ‘furniture' and other structures (access paths, benches, bird/bat boxes etc).

Working Conditions

Estate workers normally work around 40 hours a week. Weekend work and late evenings may be required.

The work will vary depending on the seasons and the habitat being maintained. For example most woodland management takes place in the Autumn/Winter whilst grassland management is undertaken in Spring/Summer.

The work is outdoors, in all weathers. It is demanding and can involve bending, lifting and carrying as well as using a variety of hand tools and other equipment such as chainsaws, strimmers and tractors.

It is likely that the job will involve working at a number of different sites, so a full driving licence would be useful. Some jobs, such as dry stone walling, may involve travel, and staying away from home from time to time.

Next steps

With experience or relevant qualifications it is possible to progress to supervisory or other conservation positions, such as Countryside Officer, Senior Estate Worker or a Property/Estate Manager.

The career structure will vary depending on the size of the organisation so you may have to change employers to progress.

There are some opportunities to become self-employed. This might include specialising in specific areas, for example dry stone walling or woodland maintenance, or expanding to include other areas of work, such as landscape gardening.

Those in self-employment will need to build a good reputation and develop their skills to get more work.

Useful links

British Association for Shooting and Conservation

Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust

Institute of Fisheries Management

My world of work

Scottish Gamekeepers Association

Scottish Land and Estates