Horticulturist

Horticulturists will find themselves engaged in anything from mowing lawns to managing a national park or forest reserve. Usually their responsibilities include, overseeing horticultural cultivation, maintenance, pest control, and ensuring compliance.

Many hotels and resorts are committed to maintaining beautiful gardens to increase the aesthetic appearance of the property and for the pleasure of their guests. This means that there is a growing need for an expert in the field to ensure that the gardens are landscaped and maintained to high standards. This is a great opportunity for those who love gardening and horticulture.

Job Roles

There are no specific entry or supervisory level positions for a Horticulturist. The responsibilities of a Horticulturist include, overlooking the cultivation, planting, harvesting, feeding and pruning of plants, designing and laying out gardens as appropriate to the environment.

Career Progression

Unlike other jobs in the hotel trade, there is no clear career progression in this field. You may begin as an assistant, and then become the chief Horticulturist.

Knowledge & Skills

Becoming a horticulturist is rather straightforward. You need to have completed your Ordinary Level examinations, and ideally your Advanced Level examinations, qualifying in science subjects. If you have not completed your Advanced Level examination, you should complete a foundation course qualifying in either science subjects or a certification in hospitality and tourism. It is essential that you have a diploma or higher qualification in fields related to horticulture or agriculture. Furthermore, a bachelor’s degree or higher national diploma in horticulture or agriculture, or in environmental, soil, crop sciences will be useful in this line of work. You also need to have a working knowledge of English.

Skills

Hiring Process

The Human Resource Manager will question you on your education qualifications and work experience. All candidates must be physically fit and capable of working well under the pressure of meeting tight deadlines.

Salary Scale

A person working as a Horticulturist typically earns around Rs. 30,000 per month. Salaries range from Rs. 11,700 (lowest) to Rs. 40,300 (highest). This is the average monthly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits.