By Andrew Smith
A florist is the person who deals in flowers of all types. She or (he) may be running a florist's shop or a business.
What A Florist Does
A florist works with flowers and plants, makes decorative arrangements and bouquets, my be in charge of floral arrangements at various places like offices, hotels, airports, parties, function, wedding and more.
While there are more women than men working as florists, the work is the same. The florist has the source the flowers, take care of the inventory, make the bills and see the money coming in and going out. She may have to be buying special items whether they are vases or decorative flower holders and other things which go into making floral arrangements whether it is cellophane, ribbons, tissue, foil, fancy cloth, driftwood or other stuff. It is work which is extremely creative and artistic.
The Qualifications
Though there are no formal qualifications needed for this kind of work if you have done a course in flower arrangement or horticulture or dealt with plants or worked in a nursery, it can be added advantage. Basically you need to know your flowers and how to make attractive arrangements. There are online courses available and you can study at universities if you want formal qualifications.
There are many different types of flower arrangements and you should know the basics of those, whether it is ikebana or more formal arrangements and also know how to do the flowers for funerals, make corsages, flower garlands and the like. As such, if you do a course, it will teach you the basics or you can work as an assistant in a florist shop, till you get the experience.
Work Prospects
You can work at a florist's or you can start your own shop, you can do freelance work and can work part-time or full-time. You can specialize in particular types of flower arrangements, too. If you get the contracts of a big hotel or fine dining restaurants, or shops, you can make a healthy income.
You will have to get the flowers from the wholesalers and stock up on everything that goes into the making of the arrangements. You may also have to keep delivery staff if you cannot handle all the work yourself.
Earnings
Experienced florists can hope to earn £16,000 to £18,000 a year, after starting at a minimum wage. After more experience, salaries can rise to £25,000. In the US a florist can make around $35,000 a year. If you are exceptionally good and make a name for yourself, then you can make large amounts of money as a designer florist.
Some experienced florist, after having worked for years, start their own businesses, too. They can use their own experience and make use of their own style.
An Example of Someone's Own Story As a Florist
In 2004 Nancy Garner started the Chesapeake Floral Arts. From a young age, Nancy showed an affinity for floral design as, much to her mother's chagrin, she lopped off all the flowers in her mother's garden and arranged them in vases around the house.
Nancy started in the floral industry in suburban Washington DC in 1984 but her love of the Bay brought her to Chesapeake Beach where Chesapeake Floral Arts was born in her kitchen. Since the area is home to some of the most exquisite event venues particularly the ones with outstanding bay views, Nancy and Chesapeake Floral Arts fills a need for floral designers that know how to design events around these great settings. Her work has been featured in the TV shows like Whose Wedding is it Anyway and Platinum Weddings.
Although she still meets with clients in her kitchen, Nancy now has a full studio where she and her team of talented designers work with you to create and execute your vision. You can find more on Nancy's story
http://www.chesapeakefloralart.com/about_Chesapeake_Floral_Arts.shtml
Andrew Smith runs a how-to guide that provides information on how to do things. Understanding different types of careers Understanding different types of work at home jobs
Source:www.isnare.com |
