Experienced Help for Career Guidance

Laurence Reynolds

OK, so I have just started my A-Levels and I am studying Environmental Studies, Geography and Graphic Products. I have known that I would want to live and work in the world of Gardening for many years now, and as my need for a job comes ever closer, I need some help to know how I can get into this field, preferably Garden Design.

Any help would be great!

Side note: When I am able to, I would like to give Chelsea flower show a shot, I think this field is my real future, and would love to have my own garden there for a show one day.

Thanks for any help you can provide!

Beaus Mum

Laurence, I'm not an expert but think a degree in horticulture would be necessary

I doubt they will have the facility at your school but maybe you could look online and see if you can do in your area?

also I know the big garden centre group Wyevale run training schemes and all information is on their websites

Also check out careers on RHS website as they are very keen to encourage young people into the world of horticulture 

hope this is starting point for you 

 

artjak

I would have thought that to do a degree in Horticulture you would need an A level in Botany or Biology, I don't know how scientific Environmental Studies is.

artjak

...and I believe places like Cambridge Botanic Gardens do degrees, may be worth emailing them for details.

pansyface

http://www.sgd.org.uk/student_green/Choose_Course.aspx

You may well have looked at this already.

Loxley

Landscape Architecture may interest you as a career, it encompasses Garden Design but a lot else besides. Your A-levels would make you an ideal candidate.

http://iwanttobealandscapearchitect.com/becoming/index.html

It's a career I slowly groped towards - after a false start in Art and Design, then an HND in Horticulture but without any clear idea how I was going to actually find employment at the end of it all. One of my tutors on my HND, Chris Beardshaw, suggested Landscape Architecture to me and I went on to study it at Cheltenham, and haven't been out of work since (touch wood). 

No Chelsea garden for me yet, but after a lot of housing, schools and public park landscape design, I'm finally in a position where I get to work on lovely private garden commissions!

BTW if you would rather go the Horticultural BSc degree route to a garden-related career you can access it via a Horticulture HND if your A-levels don't meet the course requirements.