Hello! I'm Alicia from Flourish Sussex Flower School. I founded the school in 2017 and have been lucky enough to welcome many students through our studio doors. We moved to our permanent studio here in Sussex last June and we have created a beautiful space for students to get creative in.
This blog is where I share floristry tricks, tips, inspiration and guidance. I want to share my passion of floristry and hopefully get you to get creative with flowers. I hope you enjoy!
I want to become a florist where do I train?
Making the decision to enter a new industry is so exciting, but can also be fairly daunting. One of the questions I get asked a lot is; ‘Do I need a diploma to become a florist?’ The simplest answer is no, however it does depend what area of floristry you want to go into.
Traditionally florists would either embark on an apprenticeship or go and get a diploma at a college.
Training on the job can give you a great insight into what real floristry is like and how the industry as a whole works. It can give you a good understanding of time management, conditioning, working in a shop and dealing with customers. The down side can be some florists only allow trainees to do the basic jobs, which can be frustrating and not allow a student to progress .
What is a diploma?
Diplomas are set by the City of Guilds. Colleges that offer diplomas usually offer part time or full time courses. Full time can be two days a week for a year or two years for an advanced level three. The courses are structured, students cover all the popular arrangements in floristry. Students learn the techniques and follow traditional rules. Students are assessed and have to take exams throughout the courses.
What are the traditional rules in floristry?
In traditional floristry certain rules of design are taught. This includes working in odd numbers, not putting certain colours together and making sure arrangements on the whole are made in tight shapes. Students arrangements are assessed and need to meet certain criteria in order to pass assessments.
Some view this style of floristry as more traditional and perhaps a little out dated. More and more floral designers are being led by flower movement; leaving the more traditional rules behind.
Often courses that result in diplomas, require students to supply their own flowers. This can be an exciting part of the course, although it can be expensive and sometimes when you are starting out your knowledge of flowers is limited. The combination of expense and limited knowledge can leave students feeling overwhelmed and choosing flowers which are not suitable for the arrangements that they are due to make.
Do I need a diploma to work in the industry?
The simple answer is no. I ran a wedding and event business for eight years and at no point did a client ask me to see my diploma. Clients were much more interested in my portfolio and me as a person, as opposed to my qualifications. Some more traditional florists shops might ask you for a diploma, but it depends what area you want to work in. If you want to start up on your own you definitely do not need a diploma.
What is a Flower School?
A flower school is an education setting dedicated to running bespoke floristry courses. Unlike colleges flower schools tend to leave more traditional methods of floristry at the door and lead students to become designers in their own right. Techniques, skills and business knowledge generally are taught. Courses can be spread throughout the year or in the form of intensive training. No qualifications is issued.
Advantages of flower schools is that they tend to focus on a more modern approach of floristry. Areas such as the business side and social media are covered and students are able to develop their own styles of floristry as opposed to being restricted by assessment criteria.
Do I need to train at all?
There are some very successful floral designers out there who have trained on the job or taught themselves. It is certainly possible to do this. My argument against this would be creating flowers for someones wedding for example can be stressful and often things can be challenging or go wrong. Having training will allow you to deal with these challenges. You can draw on the knowledge that you have learnt and use it to help you navigate through the slightly more tricky aspects of your career.
I believe you can never stop learning so I am definitely in the pro camp for training!
There is no right or wrong way to enter the floristry industry. It is about finding an avenue that you believe will meet your criteria and lifestyle. Open days are a great way to check out if an environment is right for you.
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