FAQs for Greenkeepers, Groundstaff and Volunteers

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How can I become a Greenkeeper or Grounds Maintenance person?

Depending on your background and experience this can vary, many careers and activities under the Horticulture umbrella often cross reference and become relatable to other topics. Plants are plants and most require a similar form of maintenance. 

For somebody with experience in another sector of Horticulture or even Agriculture you may find searching for a job in Sports Turf slightly easier. As you may already have experience using machinery, irrigation, maintaining lawns and other relevant skills. In these cases we recommend looking for either standard Greenkeeper/Groundstaff positions or an Apprenticeship if you are looking to attend college alongside your work.

For somebody without an experience we recommend starting from the beginning. No matter the age, an apprenticeship may be a good option. Alternatively as above standard Greenkeeper or Groundstaff positions are the best places to start looking.

Can I get experience and qualifications before joining the industry?

Yes. Volunteering can be one of the biggest and quickest ways to boost your experience. Top class venues often take on volunteers during busy periods or large scale events. It’s a great way to learn new skills and meet others within the industry, you never know where you’ll be working or who with, next! 

Over the past few years online courses have been cropping up, and now with so many options prices have become very competitive. Most associations, turf based colleges and leading bodies now offer some form of education. For Grounds we recommended visiting the GMA website. Courses can be found for as little as £25, with a large variety of sports including, Football, Rugby, Cricket, Race courses and more. For Golf related courses we recommend speaking to BIGGA. Links below.

https://www.thegma.org.uk/learning/qualifications

https://www.bigga.org.uk/education.html

How can I find an Apprenticeship?

One of the easiest ways is to search on your local government websites. If you’re applying from overseas this may be more difficult and you may need to consider gaining experience in your current place of residence. You can also check our Useful links section to find advertised positions. https://internationalgreenkeepers.com/careers

How can I obtain work visas?

This is the most difficult question we are often asked. It totally depends on where you are from and where you are planning to work. For some temporary overseas visas will be easy to obtain but others may find difficulty. Your best option is to search on the country's government website that you wish to work in. Visas can be very complex so it may be worth contacting an agency to help with your applications and choice of visa. 

Where can I find Greenkeeping and Grounds jobs advertised?

We put together a useful links section on our website under the careers board where you can find a range of job listings from around the world. That way you’ll only need one saved link in your bookmarks. I’m sure there are some we have missed out but let us know and we’ll get them added! Remember this is a community based project, all to help fellow turf managers, greenkeepers and groundstaff out.

https://internationalgreenkeepers.com/careers