Florist

Cassidy: Hi my name is Cassidy, I’m 16, I go to Matamata College and I want to check out what it’s like to be a florist.

Clinton: Cassidy is at Forget Me Not Florists in Matamata to learn all she can from florist Debbie Nowell and apprentice florist Sheree Vaimoso.

Cassidy: So what do you guys love about floristry?

Sheree: I love *complicated Latin flower name*.

Debbie: I love *complicated Latin flower name*.

Sheree: *complicated Latin flower name*.

Debbie: I love…I’ve forgotten the name of it!

Sheree: *complicated Latin flower name*.

Debbie: *complicated Latin flower name*.

Debbie & Sheree: We love all that stuff!

Cassidy: So what’s it like being a florist?

Debbie: Well we do everything – we own the business, we do the cleaning, we do the ordering, make up the flowers and we deliver them!

Cassidy: Wow!

Debbie: So what we’re going to do is we’re going to condition these flowers, they’ve just arrived in, and they’re pretty Chrysanthemums.

Debbie: Cut across the whole lot, on an angle.

Cassidy: So what are the rewards of your job?

Debbie: You get to be creative all day long basically.

Debbie: So these bits here just get pulled off…

Debbie: …yep, so just up to about halfway-ish really.

Cassidy: Do you get quite busy as a florist?

Debbie: The busy days are often the best days. They’re fun, they’re exhilarating and customers are often happy around those times, like Valentine’s and especially Christmas, it’s just fantastic.

Cassidy: So would you like me to sweep these up if you want?

Debbie: That’s awesome, thank you so much!

Cassidy: That’s alright.

Debbie: An employee needs to be able to help lighten the workload, use their initiative and just make an effort where they can.

Cassidy: Hi!

Sheree: Hi Cassidy, I’m going to teach you how to make a presentation bow.

Cassidy: Oh cool.

Cassidy: So why did you get into floristry?

Sheree: I’ve always been into really creative things – I love art and I’ve always liked photography and stuff like that so it was just another way to let the creative side of me go and I can do this as a job so it’s really cool.

Cassidy: I think it’s pretty good for a first shot maybe.

Clinton: Now Cassidy needs to learn about the business end of floristry.

Cassidy: So whereabouts do you get your orders from?

Debbie: They come in from various places. Obviously we get customers into the shop and we get phone orders and they come in through the internet and also we’re an Interflora member and we all receive orders through Interflora over the internet.

Cassidy: So I guess you get a lot of different people wanting different flowers – what happens if they don’t know what they want?

Debbie: It’s probably a matter of understanding the person, finding out what kind of person you’re sending them to – maybe the age of the person that they’re going to and whether the person actually likes something brighter or softer. But obviously in only a short amount of time you’ve only got a limited time with your customer.

Clinton: And Cassidy’s time starts now.

Cassidy: Hi there!

Customer: Hi, how are you?

Cassidy: Good, so what type of flowers are you looking for today?

Customer: I’m looking for some for my wife, it’s our anniversary.

Cassidy: So what type of flowers does she like?

Customer: She likes gerberas.

Cassidy: Do you think she’ll go for the brighter or the softer look?

Customer: Probably brighter I suppose.

Cassidy: Brighter?

Customer: Yeah.

Cassidy: I was actually a little bit nervous, you’re sitting there and she’s watching you and you’re like, I hope I do this properly!

Cassidy: Have a nice day.

Customer: Thank you very much! See ya.

Debbie: See you did really well there Cassidy, thanks for that.

Cassidy: Thank you.

Debbie: And he seems happy.

Cassidy: Yep.

Clinton: Now flowers are picked based on the price, size and feel of the bouquet.

Cassidy: So what’s the training like in floristry?

Sheree: It’s really good. I’m still training right now, so I’m earning while I’m learning, which is really cool.

Clinton: Sheree is completing a National Certificate in Floristry, people doing this qualification get ongoing support from industry training advisers like Penny Trubshaw, who works for the Primary Industry Training Organisation.

Penny: Well I’m there 24 hours – they can ring me anytime, with any problems. I’m also there in an advisory capacity.

Cassidy: So why get qualified?

Penny: Well it shows employers that I’m serious about floristry and about my job. There is a shortage of qualified florists at the moment and it’s transferable all around the world so I can travel anywhere and take it with me.

Cassidy: Ok cool. Why do you personally enjoy this job?

Sheree: Lots of things actually. I love being creative all day, I love being part of the person’s special moments, like with the little messages with it, so it’s really cool. My boss is great!

Cassidy: Yep!

Sheree: Any ideas on the colour of paper, you reckon?

Cassidy: Well we have to do it like it’s matching?

Sheree: Yeah, just a colour that will bring out all the colours in the flowers and make everything stand out – the pink and orange because the orange on the other side will bring out the orange in the gerbs.

Cassidy: Oh!

Sheree: And then we’ve also got the pink so it’s always a good way to go.

Sheree: We just grab the paper like that.

Cassidy: Ok.

Sheree: Ok so if you want to do that.

Sheree: Yep.

Cassidy: Yeah?

Sheree: Lift it up like that…

Sheree: …yep…

Sheree: …and then…

Cassidy: Oh I can see what you mean by the orange and stuff coming through. It looks cool.

Sheree: Yeah.

Cassidy: Oh I’m stoked! Do you think I could be a florist?

Sheree: Yep, I think you did really, really well. I think you could be a budding florist.

Clinton: But what does the boss think?

Debbie: That looks really good! You’ve just got a bit of a hole in the middle here. I have one more challenge for you – let’s see if you’re a real florist.

Debbie & Sheree: Woohoo! Excellent!

Sheree: Oh it’s pretty average…

Clinton: Cassidy has hit the mark as a florist and now it’s time to hit the road.

Cassidy: I’m quite attached to this bouquet now! It’s my baby!

Sheree: You have to give it up Cassidy!

Cassidy: I gotta let it go!

Sheree: You gotta let that one go.

Sheree: Ok Cassidy this is the best part of the job, this is the bit that I really enjoy.

Cassidy: Awesome!

Janine: Oh hello there.

Sheree: Hi! We have some flowers for Janine.

Janine: Oh my God!

Janine: Oh wow!

Cassidy: There you go.

Janine: Oh that’s absolutely amazing! Thank you very much!

Sheree: Enjoy them! You have a lovely rest of your day.

Cassidy: Delivering the flowers to the customer, I can see why Sheree likes it so much, it’s exhilarating you know, you get that feel of their happiness kind of. It’s really good.

Clinton: There are no specific requirements to become a florist but a floristry qualification is a distinct advantage. The National Certificate in Floristry (Advanced Level 4) is a NZQA recognised qualification and can be completed through the Primary Industry Training Organisation. With a mix of on and off job training you can earn while you learn. It takes three years to complete, but time varies because it’s completed at a pace that best suits you.