The job of a floral specialist, or florist, involves cutting flowers and arranging them into bouquets and display which are suitable for specific social events. The job may sound simple, but there are various crucial parts to it which are impossible to learn overnight. A crucial part of the job that is often overlooked by those with a desire to become a florist the ability to deal with customers and being qualified and knowledgeable enough to be able to recommend certain flowers with authority. Apart from having a good eye for colour and proportion, a successful florist will possess a good business sense, be able to keep books and be proficient in maintaining positive customer relations. The following is a step-by-step guide on how to get where you want to go in the floristry game, no matter your age or experience.

Step 1: Get a Job in a Florist’s

The first step for anyone who harbours aspirations of becoming a florist is to find work, whether it be voluntary or as an assistant, in a local florist’s. Most places will not require you to have any formal training when you join. As long as you are capable, willing to learn and passionate about the job, they will probably be eager take you on. Your best chance of success will be to go around handing out your CV and chatting informally around times of the year when you anticipate that there will be high demand for floral arrangements, such as Mother’s Day or Easter.

Step 2: Find a Good Floristry Course

Once you have spent a short period of time working in your first floristry job and you have decided that you like the work as much as you had anticipated that you would, the next step is to find a floristry course. It is worth shopping around for a course taught by an experienced florist that really knows their stuff. Ensure that the course that you choose covers a wide range of the aspects that make up floristry, including specific types of floral design, foliage care, interior and exterior plants and retail management. If there are no suitable options near to where you live, there are some excellent options for floristry courses online.

Step 3: Earn a Certification

When you have completed your course, the third step on your way to becoming a fully-fledged florist is to gain a widely recognised floristry certificate such as the certificate iii in floristry. Most certifications will be awarded based on a mixed assessment of work experience, a written exam and a practical exam in which you will be asked to demonstrate your arranging skills. 

Following the winning of your certificate, there is always the option of taking your studies further and completing a bachelor’s degree in floristry or an associated discipline. Through undertaking a degree course, aspiring florists will have the opportunity to learn the finer points of more specialised floral arrangements from traditions around the world

Step 4: Polish Your Skills

When you are fully qualified, there is nothing to stop you from moving up the hierarchy to a more senior position in your current job, looking for a new job at a top-end florist’s or going it alone and starting your own business. Once you start building your own reputation as a specialised florist, the only way is up, and it will not be long before you gain wide recognition for your skills.

The world of floristry is not too difficult a nut to crack with the right desire and application. With a little guidance, you will soon find yourself satisfied in your dream job.