Choosing my growing medium
It being mid-August, it's fair to say that I'm enrolling late for this year's college intake. I finally made my decision to change career into horticulture very recently, and every RHS Level 2 course available near me starts in September.
There are two aspects to the Level 2 certificate, which is the most common first step for career changers:
- Certificate in the Principles of Plant Growth and Development, which is theory-based.
- Certificate in Practical Horticulture, which as the name suggests, is more hands-on.
According to the RHS, you can complete these in either order. Once you've passed both, you receive the overall RHS Level 2 Certificate in the Principles and Practices of Horticulture - a prerequisite for many (but not all) entry-level jobs, and a nice thing to show customers if you decide on self-employment.
A good alternative, if your circumstances suit it, is an apprenticeship. There are lots of these all over the country, from botanic gardens to council parks teams, and they do welcome career changers. There are also plenty of other qualifications out there - City and Guilds, for example, or the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh's own certification scheme.
I chose the RHS course because it appears most often as a requirement in the job and traineeship ads that attract me. It's also widely available as a part-time option, which is great when you have rent and a mortgage to pay. And, snobbishly, I quite like the idea of having RHS on my CV.
It's offered by plenty of colleges. I applied to two within an hour of my house, after calling around to see who still has spaces for a September course. I've been mega lucky that both invited me to enrol.
Suffolk New College
This well-known land-based college is the closest to home, and there are some lovely news stories about it. It's won an educational 'Oscar' for its sustainability drive, and some previous students have done very well.
The website doesn't have a lot of information about the course, though, and the Facebook page is sparse. Not a lot of student reviews, either. It's probably lovely, but I just can't get a good sense of it: do they have good industry links? What are the facilities like?
In fairness, there is a lovely virtual tour of the greenhouses on the site, but not much about the outdoor spaces I might be learning in. Mostly my fault for being too late to attend an open day, but I just couldn't get a clear picture of what it's like to study at Suffolk New College, even after driving past the college for a sneaky peek.
Capel Manor College
Capel Manor is very well-known, and very well-established. It's set on a historic estate, which goes back to the 13th century and is accessible to the public, and for me, this is a big plus.
I'm still exploring gardening careers, but the idea of working at a heritage garden appeals - I've always loved history, and one of the most amazing things about the modern day is that so many of these wonderful spaces are now open to the public for everyone to enjoy.
The college has a really good internet presence, too. Very strong student reviews on Facebook and Google, and the course details are much more comprehensive than Otley's. They also seem to have great industry connections.
There were two main cons.
One is that it's in Enfield, which is about 45 minutes from my home - obviously more in morning M11 and M25 traffic.
The other is that they "strongly recommend" doing the theory certificate first. For lots of people, this is probably sensible. After 12 years of office work, I'm itching to get my hands dirty and would rather start with the practical course. But I didn't want to be left behind by choosing that option.
However, this turned out not to be a problem. I called the college, and the lovely person on the phone suggested I come in to speak to the tutor during the enrollment period. Course leader Dave assured me that although most people do the theory first, there are quite a few who do it the other way round, and that I wouldn't find it an obstacle. It was also very reassuring to hear that I was "typical" of the students on the Level 2 certificate - lots of career changers, and plenty of women too.
In the end, although it was a little further, Capel Manor was the one I chose. What really swung it was a day exploring the 30 acres of gardens, which are absolutely beautiful. Heart and head made the decision together, and I'm due to start in the second week of September. Eek!
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