How to Become a Florist in Australia: A Beginner’s Guide (2025)

A career as a florist can be exciting as you’re always surrounded by beautiful flowers and their fragrance. So if you’re considering starting one, let’s go through the essential steps on how to become a florist in Australia. 

To become a florist, you have two distinct choices either study a floristry course or open a new flower shop. Most employers (flower shop owners) who offer jobs for florists look for a ‘certificate’ as proof of the applicant’s expertise in the floral industry. But this is not always mandatory as you can directly apply for traineeship to most employers and get an internship.

Before jumping into our guide, let’s first understand who is a florist and what their basic tasks are.

Who is a Florist?

A florist is a person who works in the floral industry and has expert knowledge about flowers. A florist’s basic task is to create flower designs for bouquets, weddings, decorations, etc. Florists’ task goes beyond designing and decorating flowers for special occasions. They also need to have managerial and marketing skills to maintain their business operations.

However, depending on the job description, their task could be limited to creating beautiful designs or something completely different. 

How big is the flower market in Australia?

According to IBISWorld, the flower market in Australia was worth a whopping 1.1 billion dollars in 2023. It is no doubt a very blooming retail industry and can be very worthwhile to start your business in. 

Now, it’s not all sunshine and roses for new florists dreaming of a thriving business in Australia. Like any other business, there are risks and challenges that one must understand and go through to succeed. We will talk about the future of floristry in Australia and the possible risks associated later in this blog. 

A Complete Checklist for becoming a florist in Australia

To become a florist in Australia, you need to go through all the following steps:

1. Understand the role of a florist
2. Get a formal floral education
3. Gather practical experience
4. Understand the flower market in Australia
5. Learn the intricacies of setting up a florist business
6. Recognise the importance of a floral POS system
7. Fathom the future of floristry in Australia

Understand the Role of a Florist

Before you start scavenging around for a certificate in floristry, you need to first understand what being a florist really means. What are the responsibilities that a florist needs to fulfil? And essentially, whether you really are interested in dealing with flowers. 

Here is a list of responsibilities that entail a florist as per a job description on Seek:

1. Plan, design and arrange the supply, storage and arrangement of flowers, leaves and decoratives.
2. Use a variety of equipment and tools to select, trim, care and store flowers to prevent spoilage.
3. Advise customers on deciding the type of flowers, bouquets and designs to choose from.
4. Pack, wrap and organise the delivery of all orders
5. Collaborate with event planners to set up floral arrangements at venues for weddings and other events

Get a Formal Floral Education

To be able to handle all the responsibilities mentioned above, you have to do a bit of digging into all things flowers. For that, the best way is to join a floristry course. The most popular floristry courses you can join in Australia are:

1. Certificate II in Floristry (Assistant)
2. Certificate III in Floristry
3. Certificate IV in Floristry

These courses usually take 6 months to 2 years to complete individually and give you all the knowledge to become a licensed florist in Australia.

If you can’t afford to have a formal floral education, you can search online for a self-taught program. Learning online can be fruitful when you actually become a florist. But this method requires a lot of online research or reading books which can be a letdown for many. What you can do is follow top florists on your favourite social media app such as Instagram or Youtube and follow their guide. Remember that nothing practical is an overnight success. A lot of practice, attempts and failures go into making an experienced florist. 

Gather Practical Experience

While having a formal degree in floristry helps a ton, it's still not enough if you want to be a top florist. You can find opportunities like internships where you can put your knowledge to practice and learn under an experienced florist.

It's not always a flower shop that you have to work in, you can also participate in workshops, events and florist studios. This will let you really understand how delicately you need to handle the flowers and customers.

Understand the flower market in Australia

As we mentioned above, the flower market in Australia is pretty gigantic. So, it is crucial to understand the floral trends in the market and what the customers want in your local area. Not every locality will want the same 2 species of flowers in their homes. 

You also need to understand what the markup on specific types of flowers is. You can’t set the Red Rose bouquet for $200 when your competitor next door is selling them for just $99. 

Learn the Intricacies of Setting Up a Florist Business

Multiple things come into play when you set up a florist business. For instance, there are multiple legal and regulatory considerations you need to make depending on the location of your floral business. Just having a flower shop and knowledge of flowers won't sell flowers. You also need to consider a suitable location and make marketing and branding strategies accordingly. 

Recognise the Importance of a Floral POS System

You will also have to get a POS system for flower shops that will help you streamline operations and transactions swiftly. Look for a POS system that has inventory management with an alert system. This comes in handy when your flower stock is running low or is about to spoil. Moreover, a POS system also gives you multiple ways to accept payments which helps improve customer experience. 

Fathom the Future of Floristry in Australia

With changing times, people's preferences in the floral industry are also changing. Consumers are increasingly looking for sustainable and eco-friendly products, and this is no exception for flowers. 

Florists need to adapt to this trend by offering more sustainable options. Customers prefer flowers that are locally sourced or that are grown using organic methods. You will also need to focus on using recycled materials, reducing waste, and using energy-efficient practices.

Technology also plays a growing role in the floral industry. As a florist, you need to be able to embrace technology if you wish to stay competitive. This includes using platforms like E-commerce systems to sell flowers online. 

What’s the next step?

Now that you’ve become a certified florist, time to look for ways to earn with everything that you’ve learned. As mentioned earlier, there are two ways you can earn as a florist. The first one is by looking for jobs as a florist. You can find vacancies for florists in online job portals like Seek or even look for one on the Australian Government Workforce website. 

The alternative option would be to open your own flower business. Don’t know where to start? Read our guide on how to open a flower shop in Australia to learn more.  

Summing Up

Becoming a florist in Australia is a journey that blends passion, creativity, and dedication. Whether you want to work in flower stores or want to own one for yourself, both can be exciting & fun. Now that you are this far, we hope you understand where you should start your floristry journey. Cheers!

*DISCLAIMER: This article is for general information only. POSApt does not guarantee accuracy, completeness, or specific results from following this advice. Consider consulting business professionals for tailored guidance.