A career in Horticulture

[lynne]

Morning all
I'm fed up to the back teeth and beyond with working in a corporate bear pit, for numpty idiot managers and with work shy oiks. I've been interested in gardening for many years and I've decided that spiritual well being is more important than having a new car every couple of years.
I'd like to know more about a career in Horticulture, and I think some of you good fellows here might be able to advise me.
I'm not naiive, I know that it's a lot of hard work, in all weathers, and that the pay isn't great.
I have an innate desire to make a positive difference to people's lives. Years ago I trained as a nurse, but when all said and done nurses are always going to play second fiddle to doctors and my inherent lack of self belief is aggravated by that. (There are four highly qualified degree nurses in my family, we all think the same!)
I know of nobody whose soul is not gladdened, whose inner turmoil is not calmed by being in a garden, and it is these people to whom I want to appeal. There are so many nouveau riche who boast about having had a garden designer in; I'm not interested in that type of client. I want to help to create little oases of calm and tranquillity for those who neither have the knowhow to do it for themselves, nor the money to have someone else do it.

I have no qualifications in any kind of gardening or horticulture; I guess that's the place to start?
My three year plan goes something like this:

Year one: study at night school for the NCH (or a more appropriate qualification if necessary)
Year two: start offering my services at weekends and in the evenings at basic minimum wage, or free for those who can't afford it. Further qualifications at night school, no idea what, will defer to the superior knowledge of the good folk of KG!
Year three: part time working in the corporate lion's den, part time gardening stuff. More qualifications.
Year four: do my own thang, self employed.

What do you think? Utopia? Do-able? needs sectioning?
Any and all comments, however unpalatable I may find them, are most welcome.
Thanks chaps

[Jenny Green]

I think it depends on your current situation Lynne. Do you depend on your wage to pay the mortgage? Have you provided for your retirement? Do you live in an area where there's going to be plenty of work?
I would love to have had a career in horticulture. In fact a career guidance test I took while at college said my best match was landscape gardener - to my complete amazement at the time! Yet it's all very clear now of course. Had I taken that route then, I think that now (20-odd years later) I might have been in a position to put two sons through university imminently and plan for my retirement. Alas, now I would have to start from scratch and with others dependent on me it just isn't possible. Having said that I'm reasonably happy in the work I do (it's the people I work with who bother me!).
Given your desire to help others benefit from horticulture, might it not be better to train as a community support worker? I'm not sure you'll get a decent income the route you intend - do positions exist for gardeners to do that sort of thing? Horticulture is notorious for being poorly paid. I was talking to a lecturer from Capel Manor once who'd had to give up his horticultural endeavours and turn to lecturing instead because he just wasn't making enough money. Having said that, Chris Beardshaw was a lecturer too, so, if you've got the looks - go for it!

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Lynne, there is absolutely no reason at all why you can't break into gardening as a career.
There are so many avenues that you can go down, that there is always some sort of job that would suit someone. And it's never to late either.

I changed my career from the building trade to gardening four years ago, and wish i had done it many years before. I think many people that have swopped careers to gardening will say the same thing.

I now have a regular set of customers, that i mantain their gardens for all year round.
I hasten to add that i have no qualifications in horticulture at all.
But to take a career in horticulture further than i have it is a must.
As for what qualifications would be the best, i will have to leave this to someone else.

One little tip from me Lynne, would be to get as much practical experience as possible.

Hope this idea of yours comes to fruition.

[richard p]

hi i find there are two basic types of client. one is the retired who pysically cant do what they used to amd the other is the "yuppy" got a largeish garden hasnt got the time to mow the lawn or even know how to start the mower in some cases.
the basic steady year round earners are, mowing , trimming and weeding., you need to build a base of regular work, repeat steady business is better than spectacular one offs. oh and never refuse a cup of tea even if its earl grey with jersey milk!!

[Tigger]

Whilst I would congratulate you on being brave enough to change your career, I do feel I owe it to the public purse to say something about the number of public sector professionals who do this.

I can hear lots of you out there saying that people wouldn't be in such a rush to leave if it was a good place to work, but it's not as simple as that. Career decisions made at 18 or so are not always the best informed and the only way to change a workforce culture is from within.

The tax payers in this country fund a massive training programme for public sector workers and I think we have a duty to repay that. I've been in the NHS and Social Care world for 31 years and it's given me an excellent career. I certainly don't believe I am subservient to Doctors.

All that said, rant over, there's no point in doing a job you dislike if you can do something that's more satisfactory.

[lynne]

Tigger, I meant no offence by my observations, my experience as a Theatre nurse was such that we were definitely made to feel like lackeys! I found this to be even more pronounced in the private sector. I worked in the NHS for a total of 14 years, in both clinical and non clinical roles, and left only when I could no longer reconcile myself to the appalling state of affairs that passed for management.

[Chantal]

Lynne, I think there's a scheme running which allows people to work with the gardeners at stately homes etc (for nothing of course) which gives an insight into the job and also hands on experience. I'm sure I saw a TV programme about this some time ago and it looked great. You could also have a go before you give up anything else.

[Tigger]

None taken! I'm not surprised you found theatre work so awful, because it is where the surgeon is king. I hated my time there.

[Tigger]

Picking up on Chantal's thread, the RHS and Kew do volunteer schemes, as do the National Trust and English Heritage.

[Clive.]

The Women Returners To Amenity Gardening Scheme (WRAGS). Women's Farm and Garden Association

http://www.wfga.org.uk/wrags.html

[Sue]

Lynne - read this this book. It is inspirational and will explain how you get closer to your goal. Paul Power - Starting your own Gardening Business ISBN 1-85703-861-4

Part-time study is a great idea, but be warned that garden design is a nightmare to make money out of. I went to college with dozens of wannabee designers and the only one making a real living out of it is a gardener\landscaper who did the course to add skills to his existing business.

Look on the following web sites for ideas of what is out there and the money it all pays - www.bloominggoodjobs.com
www.gardenforum.co.uk
www.hortweek.com

I did the big career change 4 years ago from office to horticulture and it was the best decision I have made in a long time, but I did research it all carefully beforehand and had a plan before I jumped.

Sue

[haggis]

Lynne

I am reading all this with great interest. I really don't like my job very much but am pretty much stuck with it at the moment. Over the years gardening has become more and more important to me so I have decided to indulge my interest and stretch my brain by starting to study for the RHS certificate in Horticulture. It is a lot more difficult than I had anticipated but it is interesting!! Has anyone out there completed the course?

Anyway Lynne, what I really wanted to say to you was good luck with your plans. You seem to have given it a lot of consideration. The only piece of advice I can think of is that if you are wanting to make a living from it you should really do a business plan. There are various business advice centres/enterprise agencies that should be able to give you free advice.

Even if you start evening studies just now you will still presumably have your day job so it isn't an irreversible decision. Maybe you will make some contacts through your evening classes who will be able to give you an idea of what the local market is like so that you can make a decision as to whether to carry your plans further at a later date.

Anyway, best of luck.
Haggis

[Johnboy]

Hi Lynne,
Your first step must be to contact your nearest Horticultural College and discuss what is available for you to do.
As you have been gardening for some time I would suggest that you pick an NVQ 3 in Nursery Stock Production. Now, although Nursery Stock Production is not gardening it will give you an exceedingly good grounding into the world of horticulture from several angles. You should be able to do this as a day release and the course would last a year.
If you attain your NVQ 3 you are automatically accepted on the national pay structure. This means that you can command a certain wage from an employer. Should you wish to be self employed it also gives you the minimum wage to work to.
You can adjust you rates up or down as you see fit depending on your customer.
I advise you not to go and work for anybody for free.
When you are self employed you must be quite ruthless and you will need self control. You must be strict with yourself about working times. Although you can please yourself you have got to regard your time as money. You must start work earlier than if you were working for an employer. To be self employed is not easy and you can very easily fall into bad habits.
I was self employed for 33 years up until I retired in Horticulture.
If you want to PM me about anything please feel free.
JB.

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Lynne, well it looks to me, as if you are going to have to go for it.

[Weed]

Having had the opportunity to talk to several horticultural garders recently I would say that you certainly need to consider the financial implications.

The ones I have had dealings with are highly qualified, dedicated to the work that they do and work hard...their pay by today's standards is not good.