Gardener

Typical Salary

£16,000 To £25,000

Typical Hours

38 to 40 variable

freelance / self-employed managing your own hours

How To Become a Gardener

You can get into this job through:

a college course
an apprenticeship
working towards this role
applying directly
specialist courses run by a professional body

College / University

You could do a college course in gardening or horticulture to get some of the knowledge and practical skills needed for this career. Courses include:

Level 1 Certificate in Horticulture Skills
Level 2 Diploma in Horticulture and Amenity Horticulture
Level 3 Certificate in Practical Horticulture

2 or fewer GCSEs at grades 3 to 1 (D to G), or equivalent, for a level 1 course

2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course

Apprenticeship

You could get into this job through a horticulture and landscape operative intermediate apprenticeship.

5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

Routes into this Career

You could also start as an assistant gardener and work your way up.

If you have some related work experience, this could help you to get a job.

To work as a gardener you would need to be able to show employers that you have the gardening skills, knowledge and enthusiasm they are looking for. Experience in gardening or a horticultural role is highly valued by employers.

Other Routes

The Royal Horticultural Society offers courses which are suitable if you want to learn more about gardening, or if you want to get qualifications that will help you get a job in horticulture.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

to be thorough and pay attention to detail
patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
the ability to work well with others
physical skills like movement, coordination, dexterity and grace
the ability to work well with your hands
customer service skills
the ability to operate and control equipment
the ability to use, repair and maintain machines and tools
to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Day To Day Tasks

On a typical day you may:

raise plants from seeds or cuttings
dig, plant and weed flower beds and borders
prune shrubs and trees
check the health of plants and control pests
use machinery like lawn mowers and hedge trimmers
look after the appearance of plants and the surrounding landscape
clean and maintain equipment
do basic building tasks like laying patios, or putting up sheds and fences

Working Environment

You could work in a garden, in a park, at a client's business, at a client's home or in woodland.

Your working environment may be at height and outdoors in all weathers.

You may need to wear protective clothing.

Career Path & Progression

With experience, you could become a senior or head gardener.

You could move into other work like landscaping, greenkeeping or the care of trees and shrubs (arboriculture).

You could also set up your own business, offering a service to private customers.

Volunteering Opportunities

You could get experience by volunteering through Do-it or with organisations like:

Tips & Information

Further information

You can find out more about becoming a gardener from Grow Careers and Horticulture Week.

Restrictions & Requirements

You'll need to:

have a Certificate of Competence, if you carry out hazardous tasks using a chainsaw