“WE WOULDN’T HAVE MET OTHERWISE”: IVO AND STEF’S LIFE AFTER THE SEASONAL WORKERS SCHEME

A couple from Bulgaria have told how the Seasonal Workers Scheme transformed their lives – helping shape the direction of their careers, giving them a chance to travel and earn, and learn new things along the way.

It was also the reason they first met over 20 years ago, and can now credit the scheme with giving them a family, a home and a future.

Ivo, 41, and Stef, 40, grew up at opposite ends of Bulgaria. Living in different cities, attending different universities, and with no mutual connections, without a seasonal placement in the summer of 2007 at Hall Hunter farms in Berkshire, they would almost certainly never have met.

Nearly two decades on, they are raising two sons in Berkshire, own a house just seven minutes from the farm, and both hold senior roles at the same farm they worked on over the summer as students.

Neither came with a plan to stay more than one season at Hall Hunter Partnership, a group of farms that produce British strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries across Surrey and Berkshire, England.

Ivo had heard about Hall Hunter from his older brother, who had done the same placement a few years earlier, while Stef found out through a university friend who had previously spent a season there. Both came to earn money and see somewhere new, before intending to return home to Bulgaria once the season was complete.

When they arrived, they were drawn in by the community at the farm. Surrounded by mostly Bulgarian and Polish students, all around the same age, all away from home for the first time, Ivo says the relationships they built were strengthened by all the events organised by the farm.

“Living on the farm is like a little village,” he says. “There is a real sense of community on the farm which developed throughout the season to create a really supportive and familiar environment.

“You see each other every day, and you start to know everybody. There were lots of parties and gatherings which brought everyone together.”

The work can be challenging, but with the range of roles available when coming over as part of the Seasonal Workers Scheme, there are always options to train or move to other parts of the production process. Stef recalls an early decision to move to a role in the packhouse, which opened up more contact with new people and provided more reasons to return to the farm year after year. “That’s what made me stay,” she recalls.

The plan had always been to stay for just one season. Ivo and Stef went back to Bulgaria at the end of the picking season, finished their exams, and then returned to Hall Hunter the following year. Then again the year after. By the early 2010s, the pattern had become more regular. Hall Hunter was no longer just where they worked, but somewhere they increasingly called home.

In 2011, they moved out of on-site accommodation, rented a house with Ivo’s brother’s family, and eventually bought their own home. Their two sons, Lachezar and Teodor, were born in 2015 and 2019, both growing up in Berkshire.

“We see our future here. The family, the children, the life we’ve built,” says Stef.

Over the years, they both worked hard and built successful careers with the support of Hall Hunter. Drawing on their experience both on the farm and from home, they applied for different roles within the organisation, progressing over time through a series of positions that each required a formal application and interview.

As these were permanent, year-round roles rather than seasonal work, they were no longer here only for the picking season. This shift meant they had to reassess their immigration status and apply for settled status to remain in the country and take up their new positions.

Stef and Ivo were able to develop professionally in ways that neither could have anticipated when first arriving as seasonal workers.

Ivo found his way into the transport department in 2008 and spent the next several years working his way up to become the assistant transport manager, before being offered the top job seven years later.

Hall Hunter supported him through the qualifications he needed to take it on. Two years ago, as a result of his success and the support he received, his remit expanded again as he became the transport and logistics manager.

Stef’s path followed a similar upward trajectory. From initially working in the packhouse before becoming a quality controller, she eventually moved into a commercial finance role.

Both reflect on the support of Hall Hunter and how they invest in and advocate for their staff at every step of the way. Ivo says: “It’s all there for everyone if you wish to progress. Especially in our company, you’re always given a chance.”

For them, the seasonal workers scheme transformed their lives in ways they didn’t imagine. When asked what advice they had for people thinking about joining the scheme, Stef says: “Don’t be afraid to go outside of your comfort zone. Enjoy something new, something different. We’ve done that, and it’s not scary. You learn new things.”

Ivo also explained that a plan was important to help you develop professionally, adding: “Consider where you want to be in five years. Short-term, long-term, whatever it is, just have a plan.

“I’d thoroughly recommend it to anyone who wants to see something new, experience something different, learn, have achievement, meet other people – we would recommend it 100%.”