intern

horticulturist

stocking associate

public safety officer

service associate

Longwood Gardens

A wide variety of tasks and responsibilities made for a busy day, but working with some great people in this beautiful place made every day pass quickly.

My particular position required constant maintenance of the perimeter of the property as well as the interior grounds in all weather conditions.  This included cleaning and sanitizing the outlying restrooms, collecting trash and recycling from the workshops and offices inside the Gardens, and periodic stripping and re-waxing floors in specific areas. Preparation for special events was also part of the job, and included setting up for concerts, holiday displays, and seasonal events such as fireworks shows and the month-long Christmas display.

The Longwood Gardens management is very proactive and receptive of input from the staff. Meetings were scheduled and announced well in advance to the specified date, which made it easier to complete my tasks during the time around the event.

My co-workers are all team oriented, and while each one has specific responsibilities, everyone is willing to help one another complete the more demanding requirements.

The hardest part was usually the extended working hours for the events mentioned above. The typical workday is ten hours, but it was sometimes necessary to stay much later.  The counter-balance to that was the caliber and quality of all other other employees in each of the other departments. Everyone was exceedingly knowledgeable in their specialty fields and happy with their lives and their work. That made for a very positive and energized environment.

I worked part-time for LWG for nearly five years, making my way up from a regular ticketing representative to a full-time call center representative. Overall I'd say it was a great experience, except for the pay -- by the end of my time working there, I was making only about $12 an hour, and this was after more than one pay raise following a yearly performance review.

Leads and managers were all great, with very few exceptions; this was an incredibly wholesome-feeling workplace and everyone generally looked out for each other. Call center work, which is what I was most familiar with, combined aspects of the other previous departments I was in; people will generally call you to solve an issue they're having with the website, a question they have about the Gardens, or for help buying a ticket and/or a membership. On typical days I'd probably take around 100 calls -- less on a slow day, up to double that during peak times.

It's a very good job if you want a unique and slightly more relaxed retail-like experience, and it only very rarely got stressful (usually during weird hours or around Christmastime), however I didn't really make a living wage working part-time. If you have a secondary source of income there are few downsides.

As an intern, I had the opportunity to learn quite a bit and grow professionally. I completed important and interesting projects, and got to participate in professional development classes and field trips. All interns are offered a garden membership, insurance, on-site housing with included utilities, and free admission to area gardens/historical sites which are great perks! Pay is not super high, but, with housing covered, expenses are low. The company culture is very positive, but there are high expectations, so be prepared to work diligently. Also, who wouldn't love working in one of the most beautiful gardens in the US?

A typical work day depends on the position and season. On non-holiday days expect to be standing/patrolling/cycling/driving for a 9 to 14 hour shift. On holidays expect either constant action, strange lulls of peacefulness amongst thousands of people, or some interesting time in the lots. 
The management is enjoyable and well established. You really get to know your bosses and vice versa.
It is a very laid back work environment, the most difficult thing to deal with is the very nature of the job. Sometimes you have good days where nothing happens at all. And sometimes you have bad days where there are incidents upon incidents to respond to. 
However, the laid back atmosphere, great looking environment, and enjoyable company more than make up for any difficulties.

When I interviewed for the job, I was told the "busy season" or the "peak season" begins in April, & lasts until the end of December, & would be 29 hours a week. This was one of the reasons I accepted the position.  Co-workers I talked to said they were told the same thing. This is not the case. 14-18 hours a week is closer to the number of hrs. per week, with the exception of the holiday season.
My co-workers were all very supportive of each other, but some of the management was difficult to follow. You would be told one thing in the morning, and with a change of management 2 hours later, you have do things differently. 
Communication is fair-poor. Management may tell the morning team any changes/updates, but word would not get passed along to the afternoon/evening team.

* beginning at 6:30 am, check all outdoor areas for litter, spills and broken, damaged, or malfunctioning features. Empty and clean all outdoor trash cans, open and clean all outlying rest areas. Collect and process recycling and trash from various locations, execute work orders, unload delivery trucks and complete receiving documents.
* working together toward a common goal is the most effective way to create the desired environment.
* management displayed capability and competence
* coworkers were very up-beat, a pleasure to work with.
* the most trying times were the special events and seasonal displays, which often contributed to frequent scheduling changes.
* working in this beautiful, marvelous place was a reward unto itself.

I worked for Restaurant Associates, a contract food service company, which is located at Longwood Gardens.  You have the good and the bad with any job.  Working for a corporation is very different and I understand why people don’t care for this type of employment.  There were times I would be told, “this is how it’s done here or our policy”.  My asking “why? It makes no sense” didn’t go over well.  

What is the best part of working at the company?
Supportive learning environment 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Frequently asked to take on new responsibilities with no increased compensation.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
There is enough money to throw at any project that you do not need to think or be creative, they have highly paid BS'rs to do that for you. You might not be paid enough to live within an hour of the company, but hey, it's a privilege to work at a place like Longwood Gardens. A lot of hiding behind their name.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Every day could be entirely different, moderate to slow pace most days, some busy days/weeks here and there.

Part time offered 28 hrs, no benefits. Difficult place to fit in. One big clique, they'll say "culture". Making friends #1 before work apparently b/c manager 1:1 meeting resulted in being questioned for actions such as "walking ahead of the team to a central location and not sitting with them". Wasn't welcoming. Improperly/incomplete training resulted in numerous complaints rather than constructive criticism. Very thrown to the wolves feeling. IPM team especially was very driven by gossip, drama and finger pointing. 
 

I worked in the kitchen at Longwood Garden and I had the worst experience ever!
I got hired for management position and worked as a line cook. They are not very open for new ideas and if your not in the boys club you will get treated as piece of trash. There are lots of whispering going on in the kitchen among the senior staff.
They have a cooperative structure but most of the senior staff figured out how to get through the cracks to make people uncomfortable.
Lots of food waist! I guess part of being cooperate, No one cares!
  
One of the worst places I ever worked!


Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Intern 3 salaries reported	$19.00 per hour
Horticulturist 10 salaries reported	$17.53 per hour
Stocking associate 6 salaries reported	$16.98 per hour
Public safety officer 3 salaries reported	$16.55 per hour
Service associate 2 salaries reported	$16.46 per hour

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