LincolnCollege

Oxford OX1 3DR

Further Particulars

Job Title: ApprenticeGardener
Department: Gardens
Responsible to: Head Gardener
Job Purpose:
To assist in the upkeep and maintenance of the College grounds and Gardens. Full apprenticeship and on-the-job training will be provided.

Background information on the College

LincolnCollege was founded in 1427 in the University of Oxford and is a self-governing institution in which the ultimate authority for all decisions rests with the Rector and Fellows. Lincoln has 600 students in residence, of which approximately 300 are graduates. It enjoys an excellent reputation for its undergraduate education and has been among the top third of colleges academically for the past several years. The College is also a popular choice for graduate applicants to the University. LincolnCollege is located on an attractive historic site in the centre of Oxford, with excellent access to university libraries and the university’s departments and faculty buildings. More information on the College can be found on its website,

We are looking for someone with a passion for gardening to join our existing team to assist in the upkeep and maintenance of the College grounds and Gardens. The College’s main site is in Turl Street with a number of quads and private gardens. In addition, there are a number of other sites and properties that the gardening team maintains.

The College is famous for its lawns and climbing plants that can be seen in our front quads. There are two private gardens in the process of being redesigned and planted, and the new team member will participate fullyin this. This is a rare opportunity to be involved in the creation of gardens for future generations. The College also growsa lot of edibles, including fruit and vegetables and herbs, and has plans to expand in this area. The College tries to adhere to organic principles, with very limited use of pesticides, and would much prefer things to be natural-looking rather than in straight lines.

This is an apprenticeship role whereby formal training will be provided over a two year period.

Job Description: Gardener

Duties and Accountabilities

  • Lawn care – grass cutting withboth cylinder and rotary mowers, edging, scarifying, aerating, feeding, irrigation. Experience in this area would be advantageous.
  • Weeding, hoeing and raking and cleanliness of borders
  • Path clearance including litter and leaf clearance, grit spreading etc.
  • Planting of new areas
  • Ensuring Health and Safety standards are adhered to at all times
  • Pruning of shrubs, small trees, climbers and perennials
  • Propagation of plants
  • Planting and tending window boxes and pots
  • Machinery use and minor maintenance
  • Hedge cutting
  • Maintenance of garden furniture
  • In-house composting
  • Other duties as required by the College

Person Specification

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate that they have:

  • Minimum of4 GCSEs at Grade A*-D, or equivalent
  • Enthusiasm and passion for gardening
  • An eagerness to learn and undertake formal and on-the-job training
  • Develop towards working with minimum supervision and use own initiative, including showing creativity and engagement with the development of the gardens
  • The ability to work well with people at all levels, including students, staff and members of the public
  • Good team-working skills
  • Good health and physical fitness, being capable of doing physical work which involves standing for long periods, bending, lifting and carrying
  • The ability to work flexibly in line with the demands of the role and to bewilling to go that extra mile to ensure the gardens are kept to the highest standard

The following criteria are also desirable:

  • Previous experience in a similar environment
  • Current and clean driving licence
  • Experience in caring for fine turf
  • Experience in growing fruit and vegetables

Terms and Conditions

Appointment: / This is a fixed term appointment for 2 years, until completion of the apprenticeship and isto be filled as soon as possible. The initial period of appointment is probationary, for six months.
Salary: / Equivalent to the Apprentice Grade of the Oxford University Pay Scale, with a starting salary of £15,659 per annum. Upon successful completion of qualifications there will be the possibility of progressing up the Apprentice salary scale.In addition to the salary, Lincoln College will fund the relevant training course(s), and any other additional training required.
Pension rights: / Oxford Staff Pension Scheme (OSPS).
Meals: / Free meals are provided in College when on duty.
Hours of working: / Full time, 40 hours per week, Normal working hours are Monday–
Friday 8.00am – 4.30pm. Occasional weekend work may be required
on a rota basis.
Annual leave entitlement: / The postholder will be entitled to six weeks’ paid leave plus 8 days of Bank Holidays in each year. One week must be taken at Christmas and the remainder to be taken at such times as shall be mutually convenient, and agreed in advance with theHead Gardener.
Notice period: / During the initial probationary period, notice will be one week on either side. Subsequent to satisfactory review and confirmation in the post, the notice period will be one month on either side.

Application process

Prospective candidates should send the following items to the College:

  1. A completed application form (available on the website).
  1. A covering letter of no more than 300 words, stating how their skills, experiences and interests equipthemto undertake this role.
  1. This post is subject to recruitment monitoring to ensure that the selection process is consistent with the law and the College’s Equal Opportunity Policy and Code of Practice.To this end, applicants are asked to complete a Recruitment Monitoring Form;this too is available on the website. This should be returned with your application, but should be placed in a separate sealed envelope addressed to the Human Resources Manager. The information supplied on the form will play no part in the selection process, and will not be seen by any member of the selection panel.

This material should be sent to:

The Bursar’s Secretary

LincolnCollege

Turl Street

Oxford

OX1 3DR

Applications may be sent by e mail to:

Any enquiries related to these Further Particulars should be directed in the first instance to the Head Gardener, Kyle Rix,

Closing date for applications is 12.00 noon on Friday 19th February 2016.

It is anticipated that interviews will be held at Lincoln College on Friday 26th February 2016. As part of the selection process, candidates will be required to undertake an initial academic assessment with Abingdon & Witney College.

DataProtection. All data supplied by applicants will be used only for the purposes of determining their suitability for the post and will be held in accordance with the principles of the Data Protection Act 1998.

Other Information

The appointment will be conditional on verification of the successful candidate’s availability for employment in this country.

The successful candidate will be required to complete a confidential medical questionnaire which will be forwarded to our Occupational Health Department who will assess their fitness to perform this role.

LincolnCollege is an Equal Opportunities Employer. Conduct against fellow employees and College members which is offensive, or detrimental to them on grounds of age, colour, disability, ethnic origin, marital status, nationality, national origin, parental status, race, religion or belief, gender, or sexual orientation will not be tolerated.