About Us

At The Huntington, we believe that having a team of diverse backgrounds and voices working together will enable us to support and promote the appreciation of the humanities, the arts, and botanical science. The Huntington is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities regardless of race, religious creed, color, national origin, disability, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal law.

The Huntington

Founded in 1919, The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens is a collections-based research and educational institution open to the public, housing world-class library, art, and botanical collections. Its mission is to support research and promote education in the arts, humanities, and botanical science and to display and interpret its extraordinary resources for diverse audiences.

The Culture

Here we are committed to the highest of standards in all that we do – from preserving and protecting the collections, to exhibitions, educational and scholarly programming, visitor and reader services, and beyond.  Achieving excellence across these pursuits requires a diversity of perspectives, expertise, experience, and methodologies. We are better together.  We believe an explicit commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion directly impacts and improves staff and audience engagement and experience. 

Job Description

About the Role

The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical gardens is seeking full or part-time student interns for a 10-week work commitment.  This is an on-site internship. This position is scheduled to begin in July/ August 2024 and end in September/ October 2024, with some flexibility on start and finish dates, based on the successful candidate’s availability (e.g., school schedule or other commitments).

All interns report to the Associate Director of Botanical Collections, Conservation and Research, but work under the direction of the Head Gardener of the Herb and Shakespeare Gardens.  The internship will take place in the Herb Garden.  This internship will provide the intern with opportunities to expand their experience in the field of horticulture. The focus will be on cultivating useful plants within a biodiverse landscape, with additional opportunities to learn about plant histories, processes, and interpretation. S/he/they will demonstrate a background of working directly with people from diverse racial, ethnic, geographic and socioeconomic backgrounds, using a welcoming, inclusive, and accessible approach.

Essential Duties

The intern will immerse themselves in the following areas:

• General maintenance of beds including watering, planting, grooming, and weeding under direct supervision of the gardening staff.
• Mulching, composting, and maintaining soil health.
• Assisting with interpretation duties, such as updating and organizing plant signage, processing flax, and other tasks as time allows.
• Must adhere to written safety policy, following all precautions and directions in use of equipment and chemicals.
• Other duties as assigned.

Candidate Requirements and Experience

Knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Must be currently enrolled college undergraduates in Los Angeles County, who have completed at least one semester of college by the time of application.
• Have some educational and/or practical experience in horticulture, botany, and/or landscape design/maintenance.
• Candidates should enjoy working outdoors in a dynamic gardening atmosphere.
• Should be able to operate light-powered equipment.
• Should be able to stoop, bend, move between long distances in the gardens, and lift moderate and, occasionally, heavy loads.
• Familiarity with the safe and proper use of hand tools and garden equipment.
• Must be able to work independently without constant supervision or be able to work in teams.

Preferred:

• Strong interest in horticulture and/or urban agriculture

Working Conditions  

• Routinely perform physical work in the gardens which may include bending, pulling, stooping, squatting, lifting, digging and/or hauling garden waste
• Use of basic garden power/hand tools expected

Compensation & Benefits 

We provide competitive compensation, generous benefits and perks for all eligible employees including: 

• Pay Rate: $16.00/hr.
• Discounts for staff in The Huntington Store and restaurants 
• Free admission to various museums and cultural institutions 
• Free passes each month to welcome family and friends to visit the grounds 

The Application Process 

Please submit a cover letter and CV/resume as a single PDF attachment.? 

You will have the opportunity to submit additional documents on the “My Experience” section of the application.