Apply For Consultant Membership

Apply for membership

Consultant Member

Consultancy is a logical step for experienced gardeners who want to make good use of their knowledge and be less dependent on contract labour for their income. However, many members qualify to be consultant members but choose not to because they don't want to offer a seperate consultancy service.

Our minimum acceptance criteria for gardeners who want to be listed in our Consultants category is among the highest in horticulture. Consultant members are expected to be exemplary in all aspects of their business.

Consultancy is a different service to garden maintenance. Consultancy is not another way for you to find garden maintenance work although you may also offer garden maintenance. Consultant membership is for gardeners who are prepared to charge for their advice only and who do not expect to be the gardener who also does the manual work.

You may have specialist interest in one or two topics of horticulture and can provide clients with a CV of your relevent experience. You are able to write professional reports and manage client expectations with professional correspondence.

Consultant members receive all the benefits of Full Membership plus:
- Higher entry criteria
- The right to describe yourself as a Consultant Member of The Gardeners Guild (shorted to CMTGG)
- Inclusion in the Consultant search box results of the Member Register*.

* Consultant members do not have to be listed as Contractors but there is no discount if you choose to be excluded from that part of the Member Register.

Affordable

Membership is still just £52 a year.
There is also an initial processing fee of £25 for new members (includes 1 vehicle sticker).
Existing members who apply for Consultant membership pay a £15 processing fee.
Total cost in year 1 for new members is £77.
Additional member stickers are just £3.50 each. Size: 175mm x 185mm.
The Gardeners Guild is not currently registered for VAT.
1 application gives 1 entry in the member register.
Fees and subscriptions to professional bodies are allowable against UK Income Tax.
Membership is renewable annually.

Minimum Acceptance criteria - (Consultant Member)

Consultant Membership requires a combination of formal training and experience.

To be accepted as a Consultant Member a gardener must meet the following minimum criteria:

a. Be self-employed and the proprietor of the business they trade as or a Partner/Director of that business and;
b. Be at least 18 years old.
c. Include garden maintenance and/or garden maintenance advice as part of their services and;
d. Be primarily dedicated to horticulture or a trade related to horticulture and;
e. Qualify for 17 or more points via a combination of experience AND at least one regulated horticultural qualification equal to the following Ofqual regulated qualification levels as follows:

Qualifications

- Horticultural HND,
- Foundation Degree,
- Bachelors Degree,
- Botanic Garden Diploma,
- RHS Master of Horticulture.
= max 10 points

- Horticultural HNC,
- Level 4 Horticultural Certificate,
- RHS Diploma Level 3
- BTEC Level 3
= 9 points

- Level 3 Horticultural Certificate e.g. NDH, RHS Diploma Level 2, RHS Advanced Certificate, Edexcel NCH, Level 4 'Award'.
- BTEC Level 2
= 7 points

- Level 2 Horticultural Certificate qualification e.g. City & Guilds, NCH, RHS Certificate, Level 3 'Award'.
= 5 points

Experience

- For each year of experience as a self-employed or employed horticulturalist.
= 1 point

Points will be awarded based on the highest qualification submitted. Qualifications are not cumulative but bonus points may be applied at our discretion for different additional horticultural qualifications or relevant experience.

Consultant Membership is for individuals who meet the entry criteria and who are responsible for the activities of the business they trade under. The standard of individual applicants is very high. As a result, there is no option for a corporate or practice application. You cannot use the combined experience and qualifications of yourself and your colleagues to gain inclusion in specialist categories.

Members can choose to be included in all or some of the 4 default consultancy categories which are:
- General advice, research and reports,
- Training and demonstrations,
- Maintenance schedules and Garden Management,
- Public speaking/presenting/Guest Q&A/Garden tours

As a consultant, it is expected that you will have good general knowledge and one or two specialist areas of expertise. You will only be included in other specialist consultancy categories if you can provide verifiable evidence of your relevant qualifications and/or experience for those specialist categories.

A separate specialist category will be added for free if the applicant can prove that they have relevant, verifiable experience or specific qualification e.g design, victorian gardens, invasive species etc. Creation of, or your inclusion in, a category is not guaranteed and will be at the sole discretion of The Gardeners Guild based on the evidence you have provided.

Applicants must send evidence for all qualifications and experience you claim to have. If you rely on references to prove experience, you must have consent from the referee for us to contact them and you must provide us with their contact details. You are also expected to provide us with a formal CV.

If you are unsure please contact us.

You can now apply online!

Take a picture of each of your qualifications, evidence of experience and CV using your smartphone. Once you have done that, click on the link below to apply for membership using our online form.

APPLY ONLINE >>>

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