90% of French employees say they are ready to join another sector of activity to find a new job (monster.fr survey). Economic necessity or not, change has never been so exciting. But how do you decide on a new job when you've never done it? How can you be sure you're making the right choice? A conversion cannot be improvised! It was while listening to a former colleague tell him about his desire to become a florist, when he had no real idea of the job, that Marc Gesbert, then a telecom executive, had the idea of creating the company Viamétiers , with the explicit slogan "to change your life, change your job!" ". Its principle:allow employees to test "for real" the job of their dreams over 2, 3 or 5 days, in total immersion with a professional in the sector concerned. A kind of professional "live my life" intended to get out of the fantasy, which can be financed by your company within the framework of the Individual Right to Training (DIF). Objective:to know all the advantages and disadvantages of the dream job to decide whether or not you are ready to commit, of course, but also to gain self-confidence, save time in the construction of your project by obtaining specific advice, create the right network... Of course, you don't learn a job in a few days, but you have all the cards in hand to make the right choice before embarking on any training, which is long and costly.
Journalist since always, it sometimes happens to me to dream of a second professional life, one day... Why not florist precisely, me who loves flowers and nature so much? I imagine busy days, that's for sure, but without the big bad stress that often poisons my life. It's decided, I'm going to test this job for two days. Before my immersion, I have the right to a one-hour telephone interview with a consultant specializing in retraining. Questions abound:“Where does this interest in flowers come from? "How old is this change project?" ", "What are your strengths in relation to this profession? ", "How much do you expect to earn in this profession? (hey, that's right, how much does a florist make?!), "is that compatible with the quality of life you would like to lead?" ". A real maieutic exercise intended to prepare me as well as possible for the immersion that will follow, by teaching me to ask myself the right questions and to observe effectively.
So here I am at Cyrille and Cathy, Parisian florists themselves reconverted after a first career in IT. It's 9:45 a.m., and after a little welcome coffee, we start to take out the planters that go in front. It's 0° and I understand why I was advised to come in warm clothes and insulated shoes… Cyrille and Cathy went to Rungis that very morning (phew, I escaped the morning wake-up call!) and bought a profusion of foliage (red eucalyptus, green eucalyptus, lentisk, myrtle…) and flowers (wax, tulips, anemones, buttercups, lilacs, roses…) that I have trouble identifying. Without a solid knowledge of botany and horticulture, it is difficult to advise customers or provide the appropriate care for each variety (pruning, watering). I really need to take remedial classes! It is now necessary to remove the purchases made at Rungis from their packaging, remove the rubber bands around each bundle, remove the leaves and thorns from the stems, cut the stems at an angle so that the flowers can drink, remake bundles of ten, with very straight and level flowers... First difficulty:manage to make a spin with the stems before retying the elastic. I get cramps in my left hand holding the boot and start to lose patience. At noon, no break, the shop does not close. Cyrille and Cathy have been up since 4 a.m. and won't leave until at least 8:30 p.m., the time to put everything away. Two to three times a week, you have to go back to Rungis. Barely two customers since the morning, I'm starting to freeze on the spot. The cold, but also the snow, the rain, the school holidays, the end of the month, the elections… so many circumstances which reduce sales. Cyrille and Cathy have divided their salary by 3 compared to their former job. 5 p.m. An order arrives by fax, direct from Japan. While Cathy composes a bouquet that sticks to the budget, I grab the broom to remove the leaves that litter the ground. As at the hairdresser, it is necessary to sweep regularly. At least it's warming!
Outside temperature:-8°. Indoor temperature:6°! Despite my 4 layers of sweaters, my tights under my jeans and my gloves, I'm dying of cold. With this freezing weather, no customers. We take the opportunity to clean up the shop, vacuum the windows, remove damaged leaves or flowers... The afternoon comes to life a bit. Barely entered, a man admits having argued with his wife and tells us about the whole scene before leaving with 3 roses, calmed by our listening. So you also have to know how to play shrinks sometimes! "We don't buy flowers like a bottle of wine, there is always a message, a story to tell," confirms Cathy. She must deliver in the evening a bouquet for a birthday. The husband gave her a budget saying "I trust you". It's unclear ! It will eventually be a moss-lined basket into which she will poke a profusion of roses, ranunculus, and foliage. I have to dip foam blocks one by one into a bucket of cold water, then, once they're waterlogged, take them out to cut them into the right shape. The water is frozen! But the result is superb, a bit like an armful of flowers that has just been picked. It's time to close the shop, we bring in all the bins that were outside in front of the window, one by one, fold up the blind, one last sweep and my day is over. It remains to do the accounts and the inventory of what to buy or not the next day, but that is not my responsibility and I abandon my two "guides" after leaving a note on the wall of shop toilets, as is the tradition for every trainee:"I don't know if I will ever be a florist or not, but if so, I would like to be exactly like you!" .
The next day, the consultant calls me back for another hour of interview, going over my preconceptions or fears point by point before asking me what I think of them today. If necessary, it will also help me to build an action plan for my future retraining. Then comes the crucial question:"Are you ready to become a florist?" “It will be no for now. These two days allowed me to realize how painful the time amplitude could be... And that it was not enough to like flowers to know how to manage a shop! “I always try to dissuade people, or rather to warn them well, Cathy had warned me. This is the best way to test their motivation! .
