Florists of AskUK, how did you get into your job?

Posted by FreedomEagle76@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 8 comments

Hi all, 23m here that's been stuck in retail for the last few years without many ideas fir a career idea like. I've been thinking more and more of becoming a florist lately and I quite like the idea of it. It seems like a hard job to get into. Any florists here that can share their journey into the profession?

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8 Comments

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bookowl@reddit

A family member recently made the career change to floristry. She did an evening course, which allowed her to discover she enjoyed it. She then did a city and guilds qualification and built up a portfolio which enabled her to apply for jobs. During this course she got a trainee job in a florist business and since then has worked for a few other florists. The hardest part for her was the income reduction from working part time and paying for the qualification.

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Andi-anna@reddit

Not a professional but floristry is a hobby of mine. You could try joining NAFAS to see if you can use it network a bit. If not, you'll still learn something about flower arranging so can't hurt! If you haven't already, I'd also recommend doing a flower arranging evening class or something just to see if floristry really is something you'd enjoy.

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Perfect_Confection25@reddit

Studied STEM subjects school.

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JennyW93@reddit

They always said STEM will set you up for a successful fuchsia

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gdrlee@reddit

Blooming heck

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cglotr@reddit

Just kinda grew into it. Organically.

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AngelHeart1987@reddit

Some big supermarkets have florists within/attached to them, it might be possible to get a job in one of these larger stores and then move into the florist. Some stores offer training and qualifications for it as well, according to the staff at the Morrisons I shop at. When I was in college there were some BTEC horticulture and floristry courses if you wanted to get some kind of qualification to help your search, but I have seen a few job postings in florists where they just want someone with customer service experience and willing to learn. A similar job might also be in a garden centre, they often have lots of staff who just work in the plant nursery instead of the customer service side of it all, and I know one guy who did that before becoming a gardener at a botanical garden.

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