Horticulture trainee schemes in the East of England and London

Entry-level options for a gardening career

Last updated 26 Nov 2024

Horticulture is a really career-changer-friendly field. Every time I listen to a Gardener's World podcast, pick up the RHS magazine or visit a garden, I come across somebody who became a professional gardener later in life.

The industry is becoming more fashionable, but it's been struggling to attract young people for a bunch of reasons:

• Low pay compared to other industries
• Hard physical work
• Hard mental work! - there's a strong scientific element to many gardening roles 
• Not perceived as glamorous - this is changing, with gardeners increasingly seen as part of the movement to combat and adapt to climate change 
• Not presented to schoolchildren as a viable career choice

Good news for us relative oldies, who are more likely to have developed an interest in gardening. We can help to fill the gap. But how do you get your first job?

There are many different routes, depending on what you know, who you know and what sort of career you want. But many people start with either:

• a course (my previous blog discusses the different qualifications available), followed by a traineeship or self-employment
• or an apprenticeship. 

I've been researching the schemes that are available in my area, and I thought I'd share with you what I've found out. Here's a list of all the horticulture traineeships and apprenticeships in the East of England and London, when to apply, and what their entry requirements are. 

Do you know of any schemes I haven't included? Comment below!

Horticulture entry schemes in the East of England and London

Location	Name	Scheme type	What it involves	Salary	When to apply:
National	HBGTP (Historic & Botanic Garden Training  Programme)	Traineeship	One year, fulltime Sep-Aug. Work and learn in a historical botanic garden. Three written projects, technical journal, regular plant idents. You need paid or voluntary experience in hort.	Living Wage	From March. Interviews in May and June.
National	WRAGS (Work & Retrain As a Gardener Scheme)	Traineeship	One year, 12-14hrs a week. Work in a garden under instruction of owner or head gardener. Complete monthly  reports. Note, you'll have to pay a £600 fee and there's usually a waiting list.	Living Wage	No specific dates, varies.
Cambridge Botanic Gardens	Horticultural Trainee Technician Scheme	Traineeship	One year, Sep-Aug. Demanding scheme: practical work augmented by talks, seminars, demos and plant idents. Previous practical experience and a hort qualification essential. They  take on lots of trainees at once. You'll get a Certificate in Practical Horticulture and Plantsmanship from the University of Cambridge ICE.	£21,828	From around December, closing around February
The Garden Museum, Lambeth, London	Horticultural Traineeship	Traineeship	One year, summer to summer. Part time, 4 days a week. Diverse scheme with celeb involvement and placements elsewhere, e.g. Beth Chatto and Chelsea Flower Show builds.	Unknown	Unknown
National	The Professional Gardener's Guild  Traineeship	Traineeship	Three years, Sep-Aug. You'll work in three world-class botanic gardens of the Guild's choice. This will mean moving around each year. Requires previous paid or voluntary experience, and RHS qualifications are an advantage. You'll get certificates in chainsaw use, pesticide application and tractor driving.	Minimum wage, plus rented  accommodation and bursary funding for relocation.	Interviews are usually around June, at RHS  in London.
Royal  Botanic Gardens Kew, London	Apprenticeship in Botanical Horticulture	Apprenticeship	Two years. Entry level, for people who want a career at senior craft level in botanical or amenity hort. Outdoor and  glasshouse work. Includes a 2-week exchange to Europe and a travel scholarship for 2 weeks at the start of the second year.	£19,856, plus £725 allowance  for books and equipment.	From October.
RHS Hyde Hall Essex), Wisley (Surrey), Rosemoor (Devon),  Harlow Carr (Harrogate), Bridgewater (Grtr Mancs)	Professional Work Placement	Traineeship	One year, full-time working with a specific  department. Requires a completed RHS Level 2 qualification, and 3-6 months' practical experience in a professional hort  environment. You'll develop expertise in a group of plants, garden practice or style.	Unknown - paid. Discounted accommodation available.	Applications next open January 2025
Royal Parks, London	Horticultural Apprenticeship	Apprenticeship	Two years, full-time, to get a Level 2 qualification in Horticultural Operations. There's an optional third year to get a Level 2 RHS Certificate. Some apprentices stay on at a Royal Park afterwards. They take on 10  apprentices each year.	Living Wage	From March. Interviews in May and June.
National	National Trust Gardening Apprenticeship	Apprenticeship	Full-time apprenticeship, presumably two or three years, though details are not currently live.	Unknown - paid	From spring onwards.