Have you decided to hire a gardener for your outside space? And perhaps you have found the right gardener already. Great! With the right gardener, you will not regret the decision. But do you know how to prepare for having a gardener working for you? Do you know what you should be thinking about?
Find out how best to prepare for having a gardener in your private home.
Tasks and Duties
Gardener tasks can vary depending on the set up of the garden and the type of outside space. There are so many things a gardener can do. Therefore it is important for you to know exactly what you need your gardener to be in charge of. And what things you might enjoy doing yourself, or are simply not important. Besides that, it is important to understand what your new gardener’s qualifications and skills are and have this match with what you need to do.
The best way to prepare for this is to create a list of tasks you feel you need your gardener to do. Perhaps on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis depending on the setup and contract too. Have a think to understand what its important for you. Is it overall maintenance and upkeep of the garden? Or do you want detailed landscaping, fruit and veg patches etc?
Make sure the task list is divided into daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. So that everything is very clear both for you and your new gardener.And that way expectations can be managed!
DBS Check
It might be worth it to get a DBS check for your new gardener. Even though gardeners might not interact with the family a lot, there is still a chance they will be around your children when they are outside! So if your new gardener will be working neat children or working with vulnerable adults, DBS checks are a MUST. And it is a good thing to consider just for peace of mind in general. For your gardener to get a DBS, you would have to request one by going through one of the registered bodies that can give access to DBS checks. You can find out more about it here.
Payment and Employment
Have you ever hired or employed someone before? Or have someone freelance working for you? This is one of the key things to prepare when you are hiring your new gardener. When you employ someone, it means you have to provide a contract. Also, consider what works better for both you and the gardener. To be employed or self-employed. Gardeners can be both – and it is important to discuss what they are looking for and what works best for you. Whatever way you will sort it, the right agreement with pay and working days and hours needs to be in place. You can find out here what you should roughly pay a full-time gardener.
If you are unsure about salaries, this great website can help you further too in salary calculations. Finally, reading on this government website about employment might help too.
Machinery & Gardening Equipment
Finally, prepare practically for your gardener to commence working for you. Do you have all the right tools and machinery for your gardener to do the job you want them to do? Ask them as they are the specialists! If you have never had a gardener before you might well need to consider upgrading some of the gardening tools and equipment. And invest in some durable, well-working pieces. Make sure everything is up to date and working well.
How can Polo & Tweed help?
Polo & Tweed are leading experts in finding the best gardeners for you and your household. Whether this is a full-time, part-time or temporary role. Not only can we find the right match for your requirements, but we can also help with the whole process from interviews to more challenging things like hiring and contracts. Let us help you in the search and take all the stress out of it!
Do get in touch with us here and one of our recruitment consultants can talk you through what we can do for you.