What Does a Groundskeeper Do?
Groundskeepers typically work for historic sites, schools, public parks, private homes or cemeteries. They use their knowledge of horticulture and love for gardening to maintain a visually appealing outdoor space for others to enjoy. Their job is to perform a variety of tasks like raking leaves, pruning trees and shrubs, cleaning benches and other structures and applying pest control methods to plant life. They may also form relationships with local maintenance and gardening services to outsource jobs that require more specific skills.
Groundskeeper Skills and Qualifications
No matter what position you’re hiring for, you’ll want a candidate to have the necessary skills and qualifications to do the job well. For a Groundskeeper position, this largely depends on the nature of the work they’ll be doing, but typically, Groundskeepers should be able to meet these qualifications:
- Ability to lift 50 pounds
- Familiarity with sprinkler systems and other landscaping equipment
- Knowledge of gardening techniques
- Knowledge of gardening products such as fertilizers and pesticides
- Physical stamina and the ability to stand for long periods of time
- A valid driver’s license
Groundskeeper Salary Expectations
According to our data, which were gathered for the last three years from over 8,000 groundskeeper job postings, employees and site users, a Groundskeeper makes an average of $12.64 an hour in the United States. They earn an average of $3,937 in overtime pay per year and generally stay in their position for less than one year.
Groundskeeper Salary Expectations
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Common salary:
17.64 HOURLY -
Typical salaries range from
8.50 -29.95 HOURLY - Find more information on Indeed Salaries
*Indeed data –
Groundskeeper Education and Training Requirements
If the nature of your Groundskeeper position is fairly basic, you may only require a high school diploma or GED. The more advanced the work is, the more likely it is to require an associate degree, bachelor’s degree or some training in a related field such as agriculture or horticulture. The more specialized the tasks they’ll be performing, the more education and training you may require. Depending on the position, you may want a Groundskeeper candidate to have forklift, landscaping or other certifications.
Groundskeeper Experience Requirements
The experience required of a Groundskeeper varies according to the job. You may not require your applicants to have any experience at all if the demands of the job are basic. For more complicated jobs, you might prefer that they have knowledge or experience in a specific area, such as topiary or advanced horticulture. It all depends on the position. If your Groundskeeper will be have any managerial duties, you may want them to have some management or supervisory experience. If they’re going to work with chemicals, heavy machinery or power tools, you might want to require previous experience working with these.
Job Description Samples for Similar Positions
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