RHS New Shoots School Work Experience/Youth Volunteering

PLEASE NOTE: We now have extremely limited spaces available for Summer 2025 work experience. If you are specifically interested in work experience in horticulture please e-mail newshoots@rhs.org.uk to check availability for the week you wish to make an application for.

Please note: Both reviews of applications have been completed for summer 2025 - applications will now be reviewed on a rolling basis with your application scored against other applications received, and you will be notified whether you have been successful or unsuccessful in being awarded a placement. Placements are no longer available with Science & Collections. 

RHS Garden Wisley is the flagship garden of the Royal Horticultural Society located just off of Junction 10 of the M25 between the A3 and Woking in Surrey. We offer work experience opportunities of one week, subject to availability, for individuals in years 10/11 and sixth form during Autumn and late Spring/Summer. All placements are a great way for you to explore what it is like in the workplace, gain general skills such as teamwork, and specifically gain and understanding of professional horticulture. 

Placements are offered within the following teams:

- Gardens (Curatorial) - work with our skilled horticulturists to develop and maintain our plant collections in a variety of horticultural settings, from our formal gardens through to our glasshouse and specialist collections such as Alpine. 

- Plant Centre - work alongside colleagues in the plant shop to create inspiring displays of seasonal plants and horticultural consumables, delivery great customer service to our visitors and care our wide selection of plant species available to buy. 

- Science & Collections - rotate between two or three of our teams, including our horticultural library, horticultural information, environmental horticulture and plant health to discover how to curate a living scientific collection and carry out leading horticultural research. 

- Education - work with our onsite education team to develop and maintain our learning gardens and deliver engaging workshops about the natural world to school groups or adult learners. 

- Visitor experience (for sixth form only) - work alongside our visitor services team to deliver a warm welcome to our garden visitors, developing your customer service skills, as well as finding out about the ways we inspire our visitors with our horticultural heritage.  

To apply for a placement you will need to complete the application form and tell us specifically why you would like to undertake work experience with the RHS.

If you are successful, but your chosen team is no longer available (this could be due to spaces already having been filled or dates being incompatible), you will be offered an alternative team. 

If you have any questions before, or during, the application process please contact us at newshoots@rhs.org.uk 

We are committed to being an inclusive recruiter and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk and expect all applicants to share this commitment.

To apply, complete an application form at the top of this page, even if you have applied with us before. Please note this link will take you through to our Work Experience Portal where, if you have not already done so, you will be prompted to create a login before progressing to the application form. If you have used this system before, please use your existing login details.