AusBonsai

I've been bitten by the bug of Bonsai, and I have a love of nature in general. However I work in the Automotive industry I have recently found a nursery 15mins from my house that specialises in advanced trees up to 5m. These include Japanese Maple, Trident Maple, Liquid Ambar, Japanese Black Pine, Japanese White Pine, Chinese Elm, and Wollemi pine among others.

I was wondering what the best way of approaching getting a job there would be? It seems like the perfect place for me to work outdoors amongst some beautiful trees. I have no formal training in horticulture, but being that I work full-time, I don't think I will be able to gain any either. I was thinking about asking for a job, and/or offering to do work experience to show my eagerness and work ethic.

Any suggestions to help me get my ideal job would be much appreciated. Next to working in Bonsai Nursery, this is by far the next best thing

wish me luck
Thanks guys and gals

Good luck

I work in the Automotive industry as well mate. and I was wanting to get into a nursery. The hurdle I faced every time I approached a nursery was that I didn't have any hort qualifications. Your best bet is to study horticulture by correspondence if you don't have alot of time and go from there.
That's jsut from my experience.
Oh, and can you send me some Wollemi Pine please??

Most nurseries prefer experience but unless it involves real specialised work it shouldnt be needed. Either call, email or go in in person and have a chat to who ever is in charge, let them know your keen and would like a job. Even if they dont have anything going at the time they may be able to take your name for when they do need someone.

John

I would start with work experience. Find a nursery or botanical garden that you find interesting and ask if you could start doing volunteer work on a regular basis.
I believe there would be courses you could do from home that would help as well.

NathanM wrote:I work in the Automotive industry as well mate. and I was wanting to get into a nursery. The hurdle I faced every time I approached a nursery was that I didn't have any hort qualifications. Your best bet is to study horticulture by correspondence if you don't have alot of time and go from there.
That's jsut from my experience.
Oh, and can you send me some Wollemi Pine please??

Thanks everyone for their replies Such a great bunch of people on here

I went and spoke to the owner/manager who told me they aren't looking for anyone atm. But if I were to be considered I would at least need cert II in horticulture. I have done some research, and I'm going to an information night in a fortnight at Urrbrae Tafe campus which specialises in Agriculture and Horticulture. the only issue is work

Nathanm, or anyone for that matter, do you know of any cert II or above (or equivalent) Horticulture courses by correspondence? In the mean time I am going to approach other nurseries and see if I can get weekend work or at least work experience.

The lady I spoke to today said my best bet is a wholesale nursery as you don't need as much knowledge for dealing with retail customers.

As for the Wollemi Pines they start @ $89 and go up from there, I know of 2 nurseries that stock them here in Adelaide (Links below), and I know of one locally that is now a bonsai after years of training.
http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/Plants ... tate_Flora & http://www.clevelandnursery.com.au/
Thanks again for the support guys

Bretts wrote:I would start with work experience. Find a nursery or botanical garden that you find interesting and ask if you could start doing volunteer work on a regular basis.
I believe there would be courses you could do from home that would help as well.

I've tried getting work experience but the issue I've had so far is OH&S in the workplace. I'm not sure how to get around that?

Bretts wrote:I would start with work experience. ....

Best advice plus some kind of study.

Stick with your current job for the time being seeing as your 'bonsai age' is just 1. You may've been bitten by the 'bonsai bug' but the cure rate for people in their first one to two years is very high. Definitely a minority that stick with it longer.

good luck.
i work in a nursery before. and also did some work at wholesale growing nursery.
for me i think that working at wholesale is harder. but there's more fun in it.

all u need to do is be humble and know your stuff.

I can't give advice about working in a nursery, cause I've done it, and hated it. however I can give advice about night schooling. My husband works full time, usually on rotating shifts, and he has managed over the last 10 yrs, to regularly upgrade his qualifications with night school. even now, he drives 1hr each way, once a week to attend school. work is fairly understanding in this case, and allows him the time off (usually) but in the past, he's used rdo's annual leave etc, to allow him to attend. when we lived in leeton, he drove twice a week to wagga (1 1/2 hrs each way) to attend his classes. he's now looking into the next course he's planing on doing, when he finishes his current one, which will be conducted through a virtual classroom, he'll clock into the classroom oncee a week (or whatever) through the net. (ther is a teacher at the other end, not a computer program)

so there are various ways to do your schooling, stay in your job, until you have some qualifications, and while you are schooling, ask if you can work on a volunteer basis, and if you can't go to your local botanical garden/hort club, and ask if you can voluteer there.

Oh, I'll add in here, it's not unussual for him to work a 12 hr shift and then go for 3-4 hrs of nightschool, or do the school first and then go for his shift.... you have to have an understanding family tho, and they must understand why you are doing this.

Hey mate, if the nursery sells advanced stock, the bet is, they need a dockhand with a forkies license and your OH&S White card!!!!!! This will get you a foot in the door. Then, you can look at getting your hort.qualifications via correspondence like me. This is how I started although I was, and still am studying my hort. Certificate 3. Since then I have been sent on a course to get my Chemcert accreditation and have gone to a few seminars. I have as many pots, fertiliser and soil as I need and also plenty of space to grow my bonsai out the back. I have a key to the nursery and can go there whenever I want to (Which included all day yesterday and today to pot up a heap of trees). Also there will always be lots of throw outs.!! Guess what happens to them????? Yep you guessed it mate.

The amount of stuff I have learnt since I have been there is unbelieveable. I even have growers bringing me trees for free. simply because I look after their plants!!!

If you want it bad enough, you'll get it mate. I absolutely love my job. Feel free to call me on 0412 588986 if you would like to discuss the matter further.

PS I was a courier for 5 years before that.


John

paddles wrote:I can't give advice about working in a nursery, cause I've done it, and hated it. however I can give advice about night schooling. My husband works full time, usually on rotating shifts, and he has managed over the last 10 yrs, to regularly upgrade his qualifications with night school. even now, he drives 1hr each way, once a week to attend school. work is fairly understanding in this case, and allows him the time off (usually) but in the past, he's used rdo's annual leave etc, to allow him to attend. when we lived in leeton, he drove twice a week to wagga (1 1/2 hrs each way) to attend his classes. he's now looking into the next course he's planing on doing, when he finishes his current one, which will be conducted through a virtual classroom, he'll clock into the classroom oncee a week (or whatever) through the net. (ther is a teacher at the other end, not a computer program)

so there are various ways to do your schooling, stay in your job, until you have some qualifications, and while you are schooling, ask if you can work on a volunteer basis, and if you can't go to your local botanical garden/hort club, and ask if you can voluteer there.

Oh, I'll add in here, it's not unussual for him to work a 12 hr shift and then go for 3-4 hrs of nightschool, or do the school first and then go for his shift.... you have to have an understanding family tho, and they must understand why you are doing this.

Hi paddles, thanks for the detailed reply, I am willing to put in the time to study and work full-time in the meantime. Can you please find out the name and or contact of the virtual classroom place? I have tried (and failed) to find a night school and or correspondence course for Horticulture. I won't give up though, when I have my mind set on something, I always find a way to succeed

it's through the local tafe... (well sheparton tafe) you can just log in. but that could also be the course (cisco)

Hey mate, there are two places I've looked into for correspondence Hort certificates. The Orchid Academy and Cengage Education.
http://www.orchidacademy.com
http://www.cengage.edu.au
Have a look at them