What is everyday working life like in florist jobs?

As a florist with a federal certificate, you work in flower stores, garden centers or garden departments. This responsible role involves designing bouquets, flower arrangements and other plant arrangements - usually including management or department management and staff management. This involves receiving customer requests, planning orders and implementing them efficiently and within budget. For occasions such as weddings, funerals and celebrations, suitable workpieces or entire decoration concepts are developed, including advising customers on style, colors and plant and flower selection. In the store, the florist designs sales rooms and shop windows to create a pleasant and inviting shopping atmosphere. The florist's field of activity also includes business management tasks (purchasing, costing, bookkeeping, etc.) and the implementation of marketing measures such as an in-store reading.

The following areas of work are typical in florist jobs:

• Plant or department management (possibly as a deputy)
  • Business organization and administration incl. orders
  • Definition of the appropriate assortment of flowers, plants and accessories
  • Ensure purchasing incl. goods inspection
  • Price calculation and determination
  • Planning demanding orders
  • Coordinate work processes and ensure efficient implementation of orders
  • Preparation of invoices and bookkeeping
  • Make salesrooms and shop windows attractive and inviting
  • Plan and implement marketing measures, sales promotions and advertising events
  • Incorporating the latest trends in architecture, fashion and art
• Employee management
  • Check the implementation of floristic working techniques
  • Work planning
  • Ensuring a good working atmosphere
  • Apprenticeship training
• In customer service
  • Recording the wishes of customers
  • Clarify specifications such as technical requirements, room architecture and budget
  • Create and suggest flower and decoration concepts as required
  • Educate people about natural materials that conserve resources
  • Creation of bouquets, flower arrangements and plant arrangements
  • Ensure budget compliance

Target group and skills: Who is the florist course and professional examination suitable for? What qualities and skills are required?

The florist course is aimed at the following people:

• Motivated florists who appreciate working with flowers and want to do more for the business
• Professionals from the floristry sector with the will to further their professional development
• Floristry professionals with a flair for colors and shapes

The following skills and characteristics are required for a successful job as a florist:

• Enjoy nature, flowers and plants
• Interest in customer contact, trade and sales
• Creative talent and a sense for aesthetics and colors
• Leadership qualities, communication skills and a confident manner
• Business acumen, numeracy and math skills
• Organizational talent and customer orientation
• Creativity and manual dexterity
• Sense of responsibility and reliability
• Ability to work in a team and willingness to work irregular hours
• Good health and no allergies

Requirements for admission to the professional examination in floristry:

The following prerequisites are required for admission to the final examination (federal professional examination) as a florist:

• Federal certificate of proficiency (EFZ) as a florist or equivalent qualification

and

• at least 2 years of professional experience in floristry

or

• Completed vocational trainer course or equivalent certificate
   

You will be informed in writing at least three months before the start of the examination whether you meet the requirements for the professional examination in floristry.

Subject matter and content of the florist apprenticeship:

The subject matter of the preparatory courses for the professional examination for the professional certificate as a florist is based on the specifications of the sponsor of the federal examination, theSwiss Florists Association.

The learning content of the florist training is divided into the following topics:

• Floristry
  • Floral design (work exercise, specialist practice)
  • Design and form theory
  • Color theory
  • Space acquisition and design
  • Building styles, architecture and art history (design, art, fashion)
  • Material and product knowledge and technology
  • Botany, botany and plant protection

• Marketing, sales, sales promotion
  • Shop window and store design and product presentation
  • Graphics, typography, advertising theory and visual communication
  • Decoration planning, model making, presentation techniques
  • Exhibition design, lighting
  • Innovation and idea management
  • Sales promotion

• Employee management
  • Instruction
  • Promotion
  • Apprenticeship training

• Finances
  • Industry-specific specialist calculation
  • Quotations / Invoices
  • Periodic financial statements

• Company organization
  • Orders
  • Work processing
  • Management

Costs and financing of floristry courses:

The costs vary depending on the provider and duration of the florist training. On average, you can expect these amounts for the training costs:

• Course fees:about CHF 6'000.- to CHF 9'800.-
  After taking the exam, you will receive around 50% of this back from the federal government on application (regardless of the result)*.
  Each participant who works in a member company of the sponsoring association "Schweizer Floristenverband" receives a contribution of CHF 4,000 from the training fund.
• Examination fees:CHF 1'800.- (CHF 2'500.- as of 2024, material sponsoring of CHF 800.- from florist.ch)
  The examination fee is set by the body responsible for the professional examination. It is paid by the candidate once admission to the florist examination has been confirmed.
• Extra costs:At some schools, the costs for enrolment fees, teaching materials, training documents, books, intensive exam training, simulation exams, school diplomas and intermediate diplomas, for example, are not included in the course fees. Please contact the provider of your choice directly to find out what additional costs you can expect for the florist courses.

*Since 1.1.2018, preparatory courses for federal professional examinations such as florist training have been financially supported by the federal government. Graduates of these courses can therefore be reimbursed up to 50% (max. CHF 9,500) of the course costs paid after taking the federal examination. In cases of hardship, the federal contributions are also pre-financed in exceptional cases.

Duration of study, number of lessons and learning effort for florist training:

• The florist training, further education is classically structured (i.e. the professional examination covers all the skills to be assessed) and lasts 2 semesters while working. It comprises around 400 lessons.
• The teaching times vary depending on the provider of the floristry course. Classroom teaching usually takes place in block weeks (especially for practical training), sometimes supplemented with individual weekdays (for theory).
• Thanks to the extra-occupational concept of the florist training course, you can immediately apply and deepen the learning material in practice. Nevertheless, you should allow sufficient time for lesson preparation and follow-up as well as for self-study. Depending on your previous knowledge, working style and learning speed, we recommend that you allow the same amount of time for the additional workload as the regular course duration.

Note: Some schools offer so-called "taster lessons", which provide an insight into the lessons and the learning atmosphere. A suitable learning environment is important on the way to successfully completing your florist training.

Degree, diploma and title:

The professional examination "Florist with a federal certificate" is held annually in German, French and Italian, provided that the minimum number of 12 to 15 candidates meet the admission requirements, otherwise every three years.
Candidates for the professional florist examination are notified at least four weeks before the start of the examination. The invitation includes the examination program (with details of the place and time of the examination as well as permitted aids) and the list of experts.

The professional examination for florists comprises the following three parts:

• Floral design (12 to 15 hours, weighting 2) on the subject of the development and execution of specialist practical work forms of contemporary floristry with a focus on:
  • Daily customer needs
  • spatial conditions
  • Seasonal, religious, cultural or symbolic occasions
• Professional knowledge (weighting 1):
  • Written examination (3 hours): such as basic knowledge of spatial perception and form and color design based on spatial situations using floral materials and suitable products and materials
  • Presentation (10 minutes): present and explain the concept developed in the written part
  • Expert discussion (20 minutes): examined on the basis of the presentation and assessed by at least two experts

• Business management (weighting 1) on business management issues and typical situations in the florist's store:
  • Written examination (3 hours): Application tasks in sales and sales promotion, business organization, employee management and finance
  • Expert discussion (30 minutes): includes an expert discussion with two experts
     

Diploma and title

Graduates of the professional examination receive a federal professional certificate and are entitled to use the federally recognized and protected title "Florist with a federal professional certificate" or "Florist with a federal professional certificate".

• In French: "Fleuriste avec brevet fédéral"
• In Italian: "Fiorista con attestato professionale federale"
• In English: "Florist with Federal Diploma of Professional Education and Training" (Attention: This is only a recommendation/translation and not a protected title)