General Information
• About the Garden
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• Contact the Garden
• Garden History
Employment
• Seasonal Jobs
• Internships
• CLM Internship
• REU Internships
• Stroger Internships
• How to Apply
Internship Programs
John H. Stroger Jr. Internships
Conservation and Land Management (CLM) Internship
At The Garden — Internships
Internship Opportunities
The Chicago Botanic Garden is 385 acres of natural beauty with 24 gardens and three native habitat areas. The second most visited public garden in the United States, it has more than 2.3 million plants of 8,800 taxa, the largest collection in the Upper Midwest. The Garden, which is a recognized center of education, research, and conservation, has a respected internship program.
Interns gain hands-on experience in the areas of education, horticulture, or research. In addition, as part of their training, interns are required to attend educational programming to broaden their general exposure to public horticulture and research. The educational component consists of lectures, field trips, and workshops offered through the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden.
Most interns work between 37.5 and 40 hours per week at $9 per hour. Housing is not provided. However, assistance in finding local accommodations is given. Interns are ultimately responsible for finding housing. International students are accepted.
The following 2010 Internships are now open to applicants:
President John H. Stroger, Jr. Internships
The President John H. Stroger, Jr. Internship Program offers eight-week internships to 18- to 21-year-old residents of Cook County. Six paid and five unpaid internships are available in the summer of 2010. These internships are designed to introduce early career or college students to professional experiences in the not-for-profit sector. Application forms may be obtained from, and must be submitted to, each candidate's appropriate Forest Preserve District Commissioner, which is determined by residency. All internships will take place from June 7 through July 30, 2010.
Plant Science and Conservation Program
Research Assistant, Rare Plant Monitoring
Research Assistant, Plants of ConcernOne 7–12 month internship and one 5–7 month internship. Length of time is dependent on funding. Interns, called Research Assistants, work with Plants of Concern, the largest volunteer-based monitoring effort for rare plants in the Chicago Wilderness region. The 7–12 month internship works throughout the region and the 5–7 month internship is focused on rare plants at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie near Joliet, IL. Interns interact closely with conservation scientists, volunteers, land managers, and researchers. The best candidates are independently motivated and good team workers, with a bachelor's degree in biology, botany, ecology, or a related field and a commitment to native plant conservation. The application deadline for these internship is March 15, 2010.
Center for Teaching and Learning
Fairchild Challenge Internship (6 months, unpaid)Join us in presenting the Fairchild Challenge, an innovative educational outreach program serving hundreds (soon to be thousands) of Chicago-area high school students. As the Fairchild Challenge intern, you will work with side by side with the program coordinator throughout the planning and implementation of the program. Find out more about the Fairchild Challenge.
Horticulture
Plant Evaluation Intern
Do you have an interest in learning about new garden plants? Would you like to be a part of a program that shares information on how ornamental plants grow with professional horticulturists, landscape designers, educators, researchers, and home gardeners? The Plant Evaluation internship provides an opportunity to observe plants in outdoor gardens and document their performance through data collection and photography. The Chicago Botanic Garden has one of the largest and most diverse plant evaluation programs in the U.S., featuring a wide variety of perennials, vines, and shrubs. This six-month internship begins in early May.
Find out more about other available internships:
| Center for Teaching and Learning | Fairchild Challenge Intern (unpaid) |
| Community Gardening | |
| Conservation and Land Management (CLM) | |
| Horticulture | Intern, Display Gardens |
| Media Relations |
