If you are someone who loves homes, then pursuing a home designing career is a great idea. This is especially true in a country like Australia, where people are concerned about comfort and luxury. As a home designer, you will be consulting with a variety of clients (homeowners) on creative interior designing briefs and using design principles to turn ideas into reality. Besides, you will have to concoct designs and styles that suit architectural plans. From color schemes to furniture and fixtures to other installations, every element of the client’s homes will be your responsibility to create.
But
just like any other profession, the profession of a home designer involves a
few risks. Take, for example, your client suffers an injury or a financial loss
during the course of providing your service. It can be due to a breach of
professional duty, a mistake, or an omission on your part. Such an instance can
lead your client to seek appropriate compensation by initiating a lawsuit
against you. Believe it or not, legal battles in Australia calls for hefty
expenses in the form of legal fees. Moreover, you may suffer reputational
damage as a professional.
Your
only resort to protect yourself against such events is a designer’s professional
indemnity insurance policy. Such an insurance policy will cover your
legal expenses and compensation costs, which you would have to pay out of your
own pocket otherwise. To know more about the designer’s professional indemnity insurance, you
can visit BizCover.
If
you wish to start a career as a home designer but are feeling clueless about
it, then fret not. Below are a few tips that can make the process easier for
you.
1.
Get
the necessary training
To
become a home designer in Australia, you will be required to first acquire a
VET degree. There are many institutions across major Australian cities where
you can pursue an interior designing course. The prerequisites, subjects, and
duration of these courses differ from institution to institution. You may have
to contact the institution personally to know more about it.
Generally,
the scope of entry into this profession improves greatly if you already have a
degree in spatial design, applied design or interior architecture. A Senior
Secondary Certificate of Education, including English and Mathematics, is a
mandatory requirement. Also, some institutions require you to have a portfolio
of work to show during a personal interview.
2.
Know
your skills
Home
designing is a skilled profession. Your clients will expect you to deliver
superior-quality work, which becomes possible only when you possess some core
hard and soft skills. Here’s a quick overview of the various skills that you
will be required to have to pursue a home designing career:
- Creative thinking:
People like to see something unique in their homes. This uniqueness will show
in your work only when you are able to think beyond conventional norms. As a
home designer, you should be able to put together different materials, colors,
and artwork to create a best-in-class home.
- Technical skills:
Besides out-of-the-box thinking, you should also be able to think about the different technical aspects involved in designing homes. You need to have some
degree of calculative abilities to be able to determine the number of materials
required and the costs involved in executing various home designing projects. You
will also have to be well-versed with some computer software like PhotoShop and
AutoCAD to come up with drawings and design layouts.
- Communication skills:
Your primary job as a home designer will be to communicate your design ideas to
a variety of people, such as property owners, vendors, and fellow designers. So,
your communication skills will play an important role in providing clarity of
ideas to your clients. You should have a good command of your language skills
(both oral and written) to achieve professional success.
- Organizational skills: You need to be highly efficient and organized as a home designing professional. Your clients will expect you to be active and deliver everything within stipulated timeframes. You will have to work with various tradespeople and vendors in tandem so that the project is executed properly.
3.
Know
your earning prospects
Last
but not least, you should be aware of how much earning potential you will
have as a professional home designer. On average, a home designer in
Australia makes $1,146 per week or $59,952 per year. You may not be able to
charge a huge sum during your initial phase as a home designer. As you gain
experience and build a portfolio over time, you will surely have good
negotiating power.
Also,
you will have to know how much time you will have to put into your job.
Ideally, the number of hours worked by home designers is the same as all jobs in
Australia, 44 hours per week. As you organize yourself into a professional home designing company, you should be able to delegate most of your work to your
employees, thereby reducing your work stress considerably.
The above are some useful tips to follow if you wish to become a home designer in Australia. Know that it’s an extremely lucrative career option, especially if you are creative and communicative. It stores a huge money-making potential and will give you ample opportunities to meet and work with new people.
References
[1]
Seek.com, Interior Designer, Avl at: https://www.seek.com.au/career-advice/role/interior-designer
[2]
Career FAQs, How to become an interior designer in Australia: careers in
design, Avl at: https://www.careerfaqs.com.au/careers/how-to-become-an-interior-designer-in-australia-careers-in-design
[3]
Good Universities Guide, How to become an Interior Designer, Avl at: https://www.gooduniversitiesguide.com.au/careers-guide/interior-designer
[4] Open Colleges, How To Become an Interior Decorator: Career Salaries, Job Stats & Education, Avl at: https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/careers/why-how-become-interior-decorator