Ellie Lock
What employment sector do you work in?
Public Sector
How long have you had a green job for nature?
8 years
Please describe the work that you do.
I teach curriculum-based programmes to school groups visiting Kew Gardens, and run sessions for trainee teachers. I also created Grow Your Teaching – a free online resource for teachers on Kew’s Endeavour website.
What do you most like about your job? Any dislikes?
Being outdoors all year round immersed in the biodiversity of Kew’s living collection, and working with incredible colleagues doing vital work with plants and fungi to protect the future of our planet. Not a fan of the Heathrow flight path.
What inspired you into this career?
My childhood, and my children. I’m not a trained scientist, horticulturalist or teacher. I was a journalist for most of my career. But I have wonderful childhood memories of going for long walks in nature and visiting Kew, and I worked as a gardening teacher at my children’s primary school, so I stalked the Kew.org jobs page until the right job turned up.
Have you faced any challenges in progressing your career so far?
Imposter syndrome! I’m surrounded by incredible horticulturalists, scientists and qualified teachers with years of experience. But everyone is incredibly generous with their knowledge and passionate about what they do, so nobody cares how you get here, we’ve all got a shared goal. I’ve learnt that people get where they need to be in all sorts of ways.
What education/training did you have?
I did an English degree and a Journalism diploma – that doesn’t seem relevant at first glance, but actually those communication skills are incredibly useful for simplifying complex ideas and telling relatable stories about nature.
What advice would you give to someone coming into the profession?
Stalking skills and patience. This profession is full of passionate enthusiasts, so I think there are a lot of potential mentors out there. Use social media to get in touch with people whose job you’d like. I found my job by choosing where I wanted to work and constantly refreshing their jobs page. The jobs/careers button is usually right at the bottom of the website for some reason.
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Tags: England, Public sector, Environmental educator
Date profile submitted: 15/05/2026
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