How to hire a nursery helper

How to hire a nursery helper, step by step

Here's a step-by-step nursery helper hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a nursery helper job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new nursery helper
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the nursery helper you need to hire. Certain nursery helper roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect nursery helper also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents nursery helper salaries for various positions.

   Type of Nursery Helper	Description	Hourly rate
   Nursery Helper	Childcare workers provide care for children when parents and other family members are unavailable. They attend to children’s basic needs, such as bathing and feeding... Show more	$10-15
   Kids Club Attendant	Kids club attendants are employees who are responsible for supervising the operations of children's play facilities that are present in fitness centers, resorts, shopping centers, and other businesses. To provide safety and a place of fun, these attendants should supervise the kids who are left by their parents while doing other activities in the establishment... Show more	$8-16
   Vocational Childcare Teacher	A vocational childcare teacher teaches vocational subjects at a secondary school level, in either public or private schools. Their duties include preparing materials for classroom activities, assigning and grading classwork, and designing assignments... Show more	$11-18

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Water Plants
   • Shovels
   • Wheelbarrows

   Responsibilities:

   • Regulate the underground water systems pressure and consistency by performing HVAC relate maintenance with regular time monitoring.
   • Promote language development skills through reading and storytelling.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your nursery helper job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A nursery helper can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, nursery helpers' average salary in mississippi is 46% less than in maine.
   • Seniority. Entry-level nursery helpers 34% less than senior-level nursery helpers.
   • Certifications. A nursery helper with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a nursery helper's salary.

   Average nursery helper salary

   $12.77hourly

   $26,571 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level nursery helper salary

   $21,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

4. Writing a nursery helper job description

   A nursery helper job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a nursery helper job description:

   Nursery helper job description example

   Work for Indiana
   
   Grow your career with the State of Indiana! With more than 50 executive branch agencies, the State of Indiana is a diverse workforce offering employees stimulating and challenging projects across a broad scope of career opportunities. As a State of Indiana employee, you impact the well-being of Indiana's communities every day.
   
   At the State of Indiana, we don't just talk about diversity and inclusion - Our goal is to create a welcoming, accessible, and equitable workplace, with a workforce that is representative of the State of Indiana population. As a proud equal opportunity employer, reasonable accommodations may be available to enable individuals with disabilities to interview and to perform the essential functions of a role.
   
   About the Indiana Department of Natural Resources:
   
   The Indiana Department of Natural Resources protects, enhances, preserves, and wisely uses natural, cultural, and recreational resources for the benefit of Indiana's citizens through professional leadership, management, and education.
   
   About the DNR Vallonia Nursery:
   
   Vallonia Nursery produces and distributes high-quality tree seedling stock to Indiana landowners for conservation plantings. Conservation plantings include timber, windbreaks, wildlife food and habitat, watershed and soil protection, reclamation, and education.
   
   Role Overview:
   
   Seasonal Helpers provide a broad range of supportive work for the nursery. You will work 3 - 4 days each week, with a flexible schedule. You will assist with collecting, weighing, testing, bailing, and raiting the grade of seedlings for quality and use. This role also packages tree seedlings and fulfills customer orders, surveys, plant monitoring, property upkeep, and daily nursery activities.
   
   This is a great position for those who enjoy plants, nature, environmental education, and resource management. Seasonal Helpers enjoy breaks during non-peak periods and can return each year to build on their knowledge and support of Indiana's natural resources.
   
   A Day in the Life:
   
   Seasonal Helpers fulfill many functions at state parks, forests, nurseries, and recreation areas. You may provide support in one of these areas:
   
   * General Resource Management Technicians assist with the control of invasive plant species natural area restoration trail maintenance, brush and tree removal, signage, timber marking and/or timber stand improvement based on the property.
   * Nature Preserves Stewards assists Regional Ecologists to implement habitat restoration and management plans for native plant and animal communities, including endangered, threatened, or rare species. Further, this role assists with the control of invasive plant species through physical or chemical removal, and natural area restoration (including controlled/prescribed burns). Stewards also assist with trail maintenance, brush and tree removal, signage, timber marking and/or timber stand improvement based on the property.
   * Biological Naturalist Aides assist District Biologists with future succession control, food plot plans, fish, wildlife and vegetation surveys. Duties may include data collection, species monitoring, mowing, planting and managing habitats for wildlife.
   * Wildlife Science Technicians assist Wildlife Science Biologists with research and management activities focused on a species or group of species. Duties may include developing and/or conducting surveys, building and maintaining traps and other equipment, coordinating volunteers, entering data, staffing check stations, and processing carcasses.
   * Entomology and Taxonomy Identifiers sort through samples of exotic forest or tree pests of specific concern. Survey samples are collected from high risk sites to determine locations of exotic insects and pathogens in Indiana. Samples of concern are processed and forwarded to a certified taxonomist for further identification and classification.
   * Nursery Workers collect, weigh, test, bail and grade seedlings for quality and use. This role also packages tree seedlings and fulfills customer orders.
   * Creel Clerks interview anglers, collect biological information and tissues from various fish species, and enter data on relevant forms and/or systems.
   * Classified Forest Program Interns primarily conduct field inspections of forestlands and complete associated reports. Duties may include assisting with forest inventories, timber marking, educational programs, and timber stand improvement.
   
   The job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Other duties, responsibilities and activities may change or be assigned at any time.
   
   What You'll Need for Success:
   
   Candidates shall have a high school diploma or GED or one (1) year of work experience. A valid driver's license is required. Completion of some college coursework in wildlife management, natural resources, biology, ecology, forestry and/or related areas of study is required for some roles.
   
   Additional Skill and Ability Preferred:
   
   * Ability to understand and apply through on the job training and using previous, relevant experience basic biological principals, ecological variables and interactions, plant identification, herbicide application, invasive plant management techniques (of conservation biology, the management of forests, wetlands, and prairie habitats), and life histories of invasive plants.
   * Basic knowledge of scientific methods, procedures and theories applicable to the management of invasive plant populations
   * Ability to lift equipment, tools, or materials up to 50lbs
   * Ability to sustain periods of strenuous physical activity
   * Ability to carry out assignments with general instruction and limited supervision.
   
   Additional Comments:
   
   * This role may be required to work afternoons, evenings, weekends and holidays.
   * Individuals may experience working in potentially inclement weather.
   * Individual may be required to wear a DNR provided uniform.
   * Individuals may experience working directly with offenders.
   * May be required to travel to additional properties.
   * May perform duties in a variety of different environments, including an office environment, field environment, rugged terrain, and various adverse weather conditions (extreme heat, cold, rain, snow, sleet, etc.).
   * May be required to work around potentially dangerous heavy equipment (e.g. tractors, disks, mowers, planters, etc.).
   
   Supervisory Responsibilities/Direct Reports:
   
   This role does not provide direct supervision to direct reports.
   
   Salary:
   
   This position traditionally starts at $10.35 per hour. Salary for this position may be commensurate with education and job experience.
   
   Benefits of Employment with the State of Indiana:
   
   This seasonal position does not offer benefits and is limited to 180 working days in an eleven (11) month continuous period
   
   Equal Employment Opportunity:
   
   The State of Indiana is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
   
   Current Employee? Click here to apply.

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5. Post your job

   To find the right nursery helper for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with nursery helpers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit nursery helpers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your nursery helper job on Zippia to find and recruit nursery helper candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit nursery helpers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new nursery helper

   Once you've found the nursery helper candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new nursery helper first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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