Chelsea Physic Garden (CPG) has been a teaching garden since 1673 and continues to demonstrate the medicinal, economic, cultural and environmental importance of plants to visitors. Now run as an independent charity set up in 1983 to promote and preserve the four-acre garden, the garden also continues to teach horticulture and provides a one year paid traineeship to a horticultural trainee.

The traineeship has been funded by the Finnis Scott Foundation, the Barbara Whatmore Charitable Trust and Lord Leverhulme’s Charitable Trust. It provides a one-year placement in the garden to give the successful trainee the chance to gain practical horticultural experience both outdoors and inside the glasshouses while working in a small botanic garden open to the public, with an important plant collection. Added to this, the trainee can also study for four RHS modules on either the RHS Level 2 or Level 3 Certificate in the Principles of Horticulture: this i via a correspondence course paid for by CPG. They will also be offered the opportunity to study for and take the PA1 and PA6a Safe Use of Pesticides qualification. 

Training in horticulture requires both practical and theoretical learning so this one year placement offers a great mix for an individual with prior horticultural experience or training. There is more information about the training programme in the application pack.