Getting a job as a florist - the smart way to get a start and make it work

Published: Wednesday 31 March 2021

Making people smile is one of the biggest gifts in the world. It can be even more rewarding if you can earn a living from it. Welcome to life as a florist!

If you are someone who loves being around flowers, has a taste for aesthetically working with them and is creative, then a career as a florist might be perfect for you.

However, working to become a successful florist is not always a bed of roses. There is a lot of hard work involved, a ton of early mornings, plenty of weekends and many dirty buckets to wade through before you can make a mark in the business. Nevertheless, the gratification you will feel at being able to produce things of beauty that people will feel happy about more than makes up for all of it.

Here are some of the things you need to know about being a florist.


You Need Both Talent and Skills

While being a good florist is a talent you can be born with, you would need to develop some skills in order to be a success in the business. Skills can be learned; you can study and develop them. There are many recognised courses in floristry that are easily available to anyone. These are great starting points for a newbie entering the field; besides equipping you with some qualifications, it also demonstrates your dedication to the profession, whether to prospective employers or to clients if you establish your own floristry business.


More Than Just Arranging Flowers

An important thing you need to understand is that floristry is not just about arranging flowers to look fabulous. While that is an important part of the job, you also need to know how to handle flowers, prepare them, package them and deliver and install. Those skills are just as crucial. Doing a professional course in floristry will equip you will all the right skillsets for the job.


Florists are Artists

It is also important to approach floristry like an art. As florists, you are artists creating unique pieces of art to the taste of customers. Your canvas and your tools are flowers and foliages and how you design the end composition will determine the impact it will have on the life of your customers.


Understand and Listen to Your Customers

Unlike traditional artists, however, florists can’t afford to be temperamental. You will be constantly involved with your customers, whether advising on suitable gifts for boyfriends or girlfriends (and some of them know little about flowers) or designing custom arrangements for major personal events such as a wedding or a funeral. Thus, excellent customer service skills are a critical part of the job.


Florists Must be Flexible and Available

Being a florist is not a 9 to 5 job; flexibility is the name of the game. From working on weekends to seasonal holidays, as a florist, you have to be prepared to work all through the year. Add to it the very early mornings that the job demands and you will know exactly why being flexible is a game-changer in this field. But it’s also awesome having time-off when people are working. 


Florists are Multi-Skilled

Aside from everything mentioned above, florists must have additional skills as well, like being able to drive and knowing your way around town. You also need to be in good physical shape as the job will need you to be on your toes the whole day. Knowing computer basics is also advantageous. As more and more florists go online, knowledge of processing online orders and maintaining websites are looked upon favourably by employers.

Now that you know what it takes to perform the job, let’s look at how you can land your dream job. All prospective florists are encouraged and advised to start at the very beginning, with perhaps work experience or a job at the flower shop around the corner. The experience you will gain there will be your training wheels, prepping you for the long ride.

Not only will work experience at a local flower shop help you learn everything from flower arrangement to delivery and clean up, it will also teach you valuable customer service skills and train you to work in the industry. Multi-tasking is critical.

These experiences don’t just help build your development as a florist but also teach you the economics of the business, so that when you are ready, be it to open your shop or to move to a more challenging work place, you will be prepared. You will have covered your basics and will be ready to bloom as a florist.


 ← More Useful Flower Tips and Resources