Cómo convertirse en diseñador floral en West Virginia

If you have an aesthetic appeal and are passionate about plants, a career in floral design may be perfect for you. Floral designers, commonly known as florists, are often responsible for cutting live flowers and plants to create beautiful arrangements, bouquets, centerpieces, displays. In this profession, it is very important to know how to convey emotional messages through flower and color combinations. You will also need to know the care needed to care for plants and flowers.

Empathy with your clients is essential. You will need to be able to interpret their emotional states through your floral arrangements. Throughout life, people go through different vital moments, of joy or sorrow, and a good florist will need to know how to communicate these feelings through flowers.

 

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Requirements to Become a Floral Designer in West Virginia

Like many states, West Virginia currently has no regulations governing the practice of floral design. Therefore, employers are the ones who set the requirements. In most cases, a high school diploma or GED will be sufficient to obtain an entry-level position. There are also employers who may be willing to hire you in this state without a high school diploma or GED.

Standing out from the competition is important if you want to take your career to the next level. To do so, it is advisable to enroll in a post-secondary training program in floral design. You can find training programs at local colleges or universities, as well as national or regional organizations dedicated to new and experienced florists. Certificate and degree programs can be completed in one to two years.

Networking with professional peers, in person or online, will create interesting connections that could lead to an internship, apprenticeship, or mentoring opportunity. It’s a great way to build lasting professional relationships and gain practical experience, which could open the door to a lucrative job offer.

Becoming a Certified Floral Designer (CFD) will help you stand out from the competition, showing employers and clients your commitment to the craft. It also often comes with a higher salary in traditional employment settings, or an increase in clientele if you’ll be working as a freelance floral designer.

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West Virginia Schools for Floral Designers

Attending floral design workshops will help you learn about the latest trends in the sector. Here are a couple of options:

  • Crown Florals is located in the city of Parkersburg and offers a selection of floral design workshops to choose from: how to create centerpieces, how to build seasonal floral arrangements, and more. These classes typically last no more than two hours and each costs $50.
  • Penn Foster Career School offers a Certificate of Completion in Floral Design, which can be completed in as little as five months. The program is conducted entirely online and tuition is currently around $640.

National Certification for Floral Designers in West Virginia

Many employers look for candidates who have a minimum of six months of professional experience as a floral designer, but a CFD credential may allow you to bypass this requirement if you do not have professional experience.

The CFD designation is offered exclusively through the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD). This organization requires one of the following requirements to obtain certification:

  • Complete a floral design education program at an AIFD partner education center, approved state floral association, or SAIFD chapter (AIFD Student Chapter) and score 80 percent or higher on the online Professional Floral Design Assessment (PFDE) test.
  • Complete the PFDE online test with a score of 80 percent or higher and participate in the hands-on design assessment.

Completing one of the above options will grant you a CFD PIN and certificate, as well as a listing in AIFD’s online and print directories.

Since West Virginia does not currently offer AIFD-approved training programs, to earn your CFD designation in this state you will need to take the online PFDE test and the practical design assessment. To do so, you will need to pay a $150 registration fee as well as a $1,550 PFDE exam fee.

Maintaining your status as a CFD will require payment of an annual fee of $124. Additionally, you will be required to complete at least 25 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) every three years, which can be done by attending a selection of workshops, presentations, seminars, and more.

Career prospects and salary expectations

According to data from The Projections Managing Partnership (PMP), there were 670 florists working in West Virginia during 2016. The same data shows that there will be 600 floral designers working in this state by 2026. This means that, over this 10-year period, there will be an 11 percent decline in the job market for floral designers in West Virginia.

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicates that West Virginia florists earned an average of $10.61 per hour in 2017. This equates to $22,060 per year. Some of the highest-paid floral designers in the state earned nearly $30,000 during the same year.

Working as a Floral Designer in West Virginia

Cities like Morgantown, Wheeling and Charleston are home to some of the highest-paying floral design jobs in West Virginia.

Floral designers work outdoors, tending to plant life and planting seeds for new flowers. But they also work indoors, taking orders over the phone or online and working with design elements to create stunning works of art. You may choose to work in a retail flower shop, greenhouse, nursery, floral design studio or in the floral department of your local supermarket, or you can start your own business as an independent florist. With effort and time, you can develop a fruitful career as a floral designer.