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Horticultural worker

Horticultural workers grow plants in garden nurseries, work in food production, and maintain parks and gardens.

Annual Salary

£19,500 to £24,000

Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)

Working hours

40 to 45 a week

You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; on a rota

0.9%
Future employment

There will be 0.9% fewer Horticultural worker jobs in 2027.

Day to day tasks

Your duties will depend on whether you work in a garden centre, a park or in crop production. You could:

  • plant seeds and bulbs to grow plants and shrubs
  • water, weed, prune, feed and spray plants
  • advise customers about plants and how to look after them
  • maintain plant and soil health, and control pests
  • pick, sort and pack items to be delivered
  • serve customers

Green job

As a horticultural worker, you can make greater use of recycled water to improve water management in parks, nurseries and gardens. This can have a positive impact on the environment.

Find out more about green careers

Working environment

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

Your working environment may be outdoors in all weathers.

You can get into this job through:

  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • applying directly
  • training with a professional body
College

You could take a college course, which may help you when looking for jobs.

Courses include:

  • Level 2 Certificate in Horticulture
  • Level 3 Extended Diploma in Horticulture

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course
For more information
  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • funding advice|https://www.gov.uk/further-education-courses/financial-help
  • search for courses|/find-a-course
Apprenticeship

You could start by doing an apprenticeship, such as:

  • Horticulture or Landscape Construction Operative Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
  • Landscape or Horticulture Supervisor Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship

These take between 2 and 3 years to complete.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 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
For more information
  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide
Volunteering and work experience

You might find it useful to get some practical experience by volunteering in horticulture or gardening, while looking for jobs.

Direct application

You can apply directly for jobs if you have experience in gardening, horticulture or retail. Employers might ask for GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) in maths, English and science.

You could then do a part-time horticultural course or get training on the job to develop your skills.

Other routes

You can take a course with The Royal Horticultural Society to learn more about horticulture or to help you get a job.

You could learn at a training centre or online depending on the course you choose.

More information

Further information

You can find out more about careers in horticulture through:The Royal Horticultural Society; The Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture; HortWeek

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With experience, you could:become a supervisor or horticultural manager; set up your own plant nursery or garden maintenance business; specialise in crop production methods like vertical farming

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Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

You'll need:

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