Horticultural Worker

Typical Salary

£13,000 To £30,000

Typical Hours

43 to 45 a week

evenings / weekends / bank holidays on a rota

How To Become a Horticultural Worker

You can get into this job through:

a college course
an apprenticeship
applying directly
training through a professional body

College / University

You could take a course at college. Relevant courses include:

Level 1 Award in Horticultural Skills
Level 2 Certificate in Gardening
Level 2 Diploma in 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 may be able to get into this job by doing a horticulture and landscape operative intermediate apprenticeship.

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

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

Routes into this Career

Routes into this Career are not listed for this job.

You can apply directly if you have experience of working with plants. You could get trained up on the job or develop your skills through a part-time course. Employers may ask for GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) in maths, English and science.

Other Routes

You could do a training course through a professional body like The Royal Horticultural Society. Their courses can be done at a training centre, with some available by distance learning.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

to be thorough and pay attention to detail
the ability to work well with others
the ability to work on your own
to be flexible and open to change
persistence and determination
physical skills like movement, coordination, dexterity and grace
the ability to work well with your hands
physical fitness and endurance
to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Day To Day Tasks

Your day-to-day duties may include:

sowing seeds, planting bulbs and ornamental plants
growing plants from cuttings and by grafting
taking care of plants - watering, weeding, pruning, feeding and spraying
mowing grass, cutting dead growth and branches, and general tidying
laying paths and looking after ornamental features
researching new strains of seed and plants in the lab for crop production
picking, sorting and packaging produce to be sent to retailers
selling plants and other products
advising customers in a garden centre

Working Environment

You could work on a country estate, in a park, in a garden or at a garden centre.

Your working environment may be outdoors in all weathers.

Career Path & Progression

Career Path & Progression are not listed for this job.

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering Opportunities are not listed for this job.

Tips & Information

Career tips

Getting experience and skills from working in related jobs like gardening, forestry or farming could be useful.

Customer service experience would also be helpful if you want to work in a garden centre.

Further information

You can find out more about careers in horticulture through Grow Careers and The Royal Horticultural Society.

Restrictions & Requirements

Restrictions & Requirements are not listed for this job.