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The Tropenhaus site
Under the theme ‘Hands-on biodiversity – see, feel, smell, taste, hear’, the Tropenhaus in Kleve houses a collection of tropical and subtropical crops under glass. There are also three show gardens: a mixed orchard with a fruit trail, an apiary and a barefoot trail; a ‘living display’ featuring perennial plants; and the seasonal garden with annual plants. As a green meeting place, the Tropical House serves as a venue for nature and environmental education for students, school pupils, children and adults – with a focus on topics such as sustainable land use, the conservation of biodiversity and fair trade.
Since August 2014, the university has been offering two FÖJ placements at the Tropenhaus. Your role is varied: the greenhouse, the demonstration gardens, the bee colonies, the equipment shed and climate-controlled cabinets, as well as an office with a computer workstation and the seed collection. You’ll also gain an insight into how the university operates.
Your framework
As an FÖJ participant, you will sign a contract with the LVR and the university which sets out, amongst other things, your working hours (39 hours per week), training courses, work placements and holiday entitlement. You will record your working hours in a working time account; we will organise your daily schedule as flexibly as possible in consultation with you. In return, we also expect flexibility from you: on four Sundays and one Saturday each year, the greenhouse is open to visitors from 11.00 to 16.00 – on these days, your presence is required (you will be given time off in lieu shortly afterwards). Occasionally, watering duties may be required at bank holiday weekends; this is on a voluntary basis and counts as working time.
Your areas of responsibility
Your duties are varied and cover four areas:
1. Gardening work in the greenhouse and in the show gardens
- Establishing and renewing plantings (fruit trees, shrubs, arable crops and much more)
- Propagation of plants and seed collection, particularly for old and endangered cultivated and wild plants
- Caring for the bees and beekeeping
- Managing the seed collection
- Pruning and tending to plants (weeding, watering, fertilising)
- Composting and maintenance of the composting facility
- Preparation of growing media and watering duties in the greenhouse
2. Environmental education and education for sustainable development
- Conducting guided tours
- Planning, organising and assisting with events (Fair Trade, pumpkin and strawberry cultivation, and much more)
- Creating plant fact sheets
- Preparing practical sessions and exercises for degree programmes
- Contributing to teaching and learning materials
3. Contributing to research and development projects
- Assisting with the collection of plant and soil samples in the field
- Contributing to field measurements
- Supervision of pot experiments
- Assistance with laboratory experiments and analyses
- Data collection, entry and analysis
4. Other duties
- Maintaining a professional appearance
- Producing promotional materials (posters, leaflets)
- Maintenance of materials, equipment and machinery
- General administrative tasks
- Internet research, microscopy, photography
Entry requirements & application
What you should bring to the role:
- An interest in working with plants and in the natural world
- A passion for working with young people and children
- An interest in bees and beekeeping
Good to know
- 1 place for secondary school leavers (lower secondary qualification)
- 1 place for upper secondary school leavers (higher school-leaving certificate)
Every FÖJ participant develops at least one project of their own, from planning through to implementation – this is how, for example, our herb spiral and a scent trail came about. Accommodation is not provided at the placement location; you can receive a subsidy towards meals in the canteen.
Organising body & application
The FÖJ is part of the Federal Voluntary Service. The regional associations (LVR/LWL) are responsible for the approval and recognition of placement sites in North Rhine-Westphalia. Your application is submitted via the LVR’s online portal – you can also obtain further information directly from us at the placement site.
Contact persons & current FÖJ participants
Your contacts:
Prof. Dr. habil. Jens Gebauer · Tel. (02821) 806 73-218 · jens.gebauer(at)
Doris Winkels, horticultural technician · Tel. (02821) 806 73-9703 · doris.winkels(at)
Currently working with us (August 2025 to July 2026): Leonard Tenbieg and Luis Goedeke.