Australia has over 140 botanical gardens and national parks, which draw millions of visitors every year. Obviously, many parks and gardens require a lot of staff, and, indeed, plenty of people are looking for such botanical garden employment. Why wouldn’t they? These are spectacular places, there are many types of jobs available, some of which do not require much by way of qualification, and the pay is good.
Let’s see how you go about finding employment at a botanical garden and what documents you’ll need.
Do I Need a Degree to Work at a Botanical Garden?
The best part about working at a national park or botanical garden is that you don’t necessarily need a degree. Obviously, if you want to work as a horticulturist and be engaged in conservation or research projects, you will need a degree in horticulture. If you’re looking for a senior position, some work experience in a similar job will be required.
National parks and botanical gardens also need plenty of technical staff. You might want a job in IT or accountancy, and in most cases, you’ll be asked about a degree.
However, many other positions do not require a special qualification. These places always have restaurants and entertainment venues, so you can get a job as a chef, barista, event planner, ticketing assistant, etc.
Most of the jobs are full-time, but as these places see a lot of activity during the warm seasons, you can find many short-time jobs, anything between a few weeks and a few months.
Where Can I Find Out About Botanical Garden Jobs?
That depends on the type of garden that has vacant positions. There are some privately-owned botanical gardens around the country and these will probably advertise their vacancies on various job portals.
On the other hand, national parks are coordinated by local governments or by Parks Australia, which functions within the Department of Energy and Environment. For more information about their career opportunities, visit their website.
What Sort of Documents Do I Need?
If the job requires a certain qualification you will be asked to provide a relevant diploma. Most ads specify what degree you need to have.
Many of the jobs you can obtain through Parks Australia require that you submit to a national police background check. This is because parks and botanical gardens are under governmental jurisdiction and technically you get a job with the Australia Public Service.
All people working directly or indirectly for the Department of Energy and Environment need to pass character checks, security checks and get a health clearance. Also, for positions requiring direct interaction with minors you’ll need to submit to a special Working With Children check.
Can I Get a Job at the Gardens If I Have a Criminal Record?
This depends on the type of offenses you have on your record and the specific position you’re applying for. You cannot expect to get a senior position with a criminal record, but these places have so many different positions available it’s hard not to find one where they would accept you. If you need to know what’s on your criminal record and what convictions have become spent, you should order a background check on yourself. You can get these online from services like the ANCC – which is commonly used throughout Australia.
They have user-friendly interfaces and you can access them even on your phone. They’re also very quick and you can see your full criminal record in a matter of days, usually 2 or 3. Once you’ve seen what your record looks like you can start looking for a suitable job.
