Interior Decoration-Carreer and Education

career of Interior decorator?

This is very true of places that we visit. First impressions of rooms, which please our aesthetic senses, tend to stay with us for a long time, long after we’ve physically left the place. Some people have an inborn talent to bring out the best in whatever is available and arrange things around to make a place beautiful. And others who appreciate this aspect of decorating a place to achieve a desired effect can go in for training and become experts in the field. In fact, the field of beautiful interiors has made so much progress today that there are now two distinct fields viz., interior decoration and interior designing. As compared to interior decoration, interior designing is a more specialised field and a lot of training and hard work goes into the making of a successful interior designer. An interior decorator advises, chooses and then assembles furniture, furnishings, colour schemes, artefacts, etc. to do up a place. While on the other hand, an interior designer would actually design exclusive and unique furniture, fittings and artefacts, keeping in mind a client's tastes, personality, lifestyle and his budget.

 Do you have it in you? 

A natural aptitude for working with colours, an artistic leaning, dexterity with hands, creativity, imagination, being able to visualise one's thoughts and an ability to translate one’s thoughts effectively, patience and above all the ability to get along with people are some of the qualities a person requires for entry into this field. As an interior designer or decorator will be required to create an atmosphere as per the client's tastes, it is essential that he or she is able to understand, visualise and create something that will fulfil the client's needs, be aesthetically pleasing and keep to a budget too. An interior designer/decorator should be good at communicating his or her ideas to others. Good communication skills will be needed very often during the course of work. A good working knowledge of architecture helps too.

What do you need in order to become an interior decorator or interior designer?

Well, there are many institutes offering courses in this field. The minimum academic qualification required for admission to such courses is 10+2 or its equivalent. Many polytechnics and vocational colleges offer courses in interior designing and decoration. The duration of these courses ranges from two to four years, depending upon the type of course and the institute identified for the pursuit of study. The course of study covers subjects like Art & Basic Design, Furniture Design, Furnishings & Fittings, Design, Construction & Materials, History of Interior Design, Services, Professional Management-Estimating & Budgeting, Display, Computer Aided Designing. Other areas covered included lettering, properties of materials and paint technology, exhibition design etc.

What is the procedure for admission ?

For interior designing, professional training can begin immediately after successfully completing the plus two examinations. Admission is usually based on performance at an aptitude test conducted to evaluate one’s sensibility, drawing skills, especially technical drawing, spatial apperception and so on. There is a centre in Ahmedabad that offers a five year professional programme in interior design for students who have cleared the plus two exam with science subjects. Here the requirement is sixty per cent at the tenth standard level and fifty at the plus two or equivalent level. The course content is a good mixture of arts and technical subjects. Students are trained to look for optimum use in various types of materials. Some companies have their own specialised courses in interior design. In collaboration with Jenson & Nicholson, Exteriors Interiors offers a one-year programme in interior design. This course is open to all graduates and pre-graduates in any discipline.

What are the Job prospects?
With the demand to create more working space increasing and with more and more people realising the need and importance of professional designers, interior designing as a profession has come to be recognised in our country. Opportunities are aplenty in architects’ firms or in consultancy companies. Private business is a very lucrative option. One, however, has to be up to date on what’s new, what’s in, what’s got maximum utility, pricing, etc. and bring about a good blend depending upon the client’s requirements, budget and tastes. One also needs to be extremely dedicated about keeping commitments. To be successful in private practice, one also needs to have a native business sense.

 List of institutes offering this course?

• School of Interior Design, Centre for Environmental Planning Technology, Kasturbhai Lalbhai Campus, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad.
• Exteriors Interiors, S-49, Kalkaji, New Delhi; 47/1C, Hazra Road, Calcutta.
• J. J. School of Arts, Mumbai.
• Nirmala Niketan, 49, New Marine Lines, Mumbai.
• Sophia College B. K. Somani Polytechnic, Bhulabhai Desai Road, Mumbai.
• SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai.
• South Delhi Polytechnic for Women, Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi

3.Home Science Education

Q1.What are the job prospects after doing Home Science ?

A1 The Home Science offers tremendous amount of opportunities and provides a treasure of knowledge on various fields. Undergraduate Level : Although it can be taken at the +2/PUC/Intermediate level (approved by many State Boards and CBSE), the student only begins to really learn about Home Science at the undergraduate level. This is because the practical training begins in printing, basic tailoring, interior design, cooking, dyeing etc. Students can chose to branch out into other fields, like fashion designing, interior decoration etc. or go on for a Masters in Home Science. There are more detailed courses in nutrition and dietetics, rural community extension, child development, family relations, textiles/clothing and so on. Those with creative minds as well as those with the hard-core scientific views can benefit from a Home Science degree. There are degrees such as the M.Sc in Dietetics/Food and Nutrition, which is designed for the applied scientist, while the 'creative' group can chose a career in textile designing or child-care or rural work. Most of the Masters' programmes require that the candidate has a B.Sc. degree in Home Science.
Q2.What are the Career Prospects and Future Projections ?

A2 The various jobs that Home Science can entail are:

• Production jobs - this covers food preservation, dress-making, specialized cooking. Graduates of Home Science can go on to enter the textile business, fashion designing etc. or even work in hotels, the food industry etc.
• Research jobs - these projects involve educating specific segments of the population such as mothers, farmers, villagers on the food value of certain food items.
• Sales jobs - sales promotion of food items (baby foods) are given to home science graduates granted they have relevant information and experience.
• Service jobs - maintenance and supervision of house keeping departments at tourist resorts, hotels, catering facilities, restaurants etc.
• Teaching jobs - The recognized qualification for a primary school teacher is a Bachelors degree in Home Science and many postgraduates also are taken on as senior secondary school teachers and college professors.
• Technical jobs - manufacturing industries do require home science graduates to serve as research assistants, food analysts, food scientists etc. Home Science students have a wide range of fields that they can enter, as the above list illustrates. Attention to customer services and nutrition is increasing at a tremendous rate, since numerous multinational firms are getting involved in these ventures. This makes a career in Home Economics very promising

2.EDUCATION AND CARREER IN INDIA

Q1.What is the Eligibility and Training for the Teacher's profession ?

A1. Pre Primary Teacher Primary school teachers should preferably be 12th class pass with at least 50% marks aggregate. More than the academic records it is the personal skills and aptitude that is more important. There are a number of vocational training centres which conduct training for pre school teachers. There are Montessori Teacher training schools which give training for pre-school education. Primary Teacher The minimum requirement to be a primary school teacher is a graduate with a nursery training certificate / diploma or degree. Normally candidates who have a Bachelors in education ( B.Ed.) start their career as primary school teachers and gradually move up. Candidates who are graduates in home science can also be selected for primary school teachers. The candidate must be a graduate or a post graduate with at least 55% marks aggregate and holding either a diploma or degree in education or teaching. The candidate should have at studied least one of the teaching subjects during graduation.
Secondary and Senior Secondary Teacher The candidate must preferably have a post graduate degree in the subject and a Bachelors in education ( B.Ed. ) degree. The B.Ed. course thoroughly prepares the teachers for secondary schools. Teachers who have this B.Ed. degree after their graduation are called Trained Graduate Teachers. Candidate with a previous teaching experience are preferred. There are a number of teacher's training colleges which give this B.Ed. course of one year duration. Some universities also offer correspondence courses for training teechers who are already in service. There are separate institutions for special teachers such as teachers of the blind, deaf and dumb, mentally retarded, art, craft, music and physical education. Regional Institutes of Education at Mysore, Bhubaneshwar, Cuttack and Ajmer are run by NCERT. They offer basic Graduate Degree in Art or Science along with a B.Ed.This is a four year course after school. Shivaji University, Kolhapur conducts a BA, B.Ed course of four years duration. Barkatullah University, Bhopal conducts a BA, B.Ed and also B.Com., B.Ed. course of four years duration.
Lecturers Lecturers in Arts, Commerce, Sciences, Social Sciences, Law, Foreign Languages and Physical Education require a post graduate degree in the relevant subject from an Indian University University or an equivalent degree from a foreign University, with at least 55% marks. Eligibility test for lecturers (NET) are conducted by UGC, CSIR or similar tests accredited by the UGC. Lecturers who have completed 8 years of service after regular appointment and participated in at least two refresher courses of approved duration are appointed in the senior scale. They should also have a consistently satisfactory performance appraisal report. Senior scale lecturers who do not have a Ph.D. degree or equivalent published work and who do not meet the scholarship and research standards, but fulfill the other criteria and have a good record in teaching, get the Selection Grade.
Professors Eminent scholars who are actively engaged in research, whose work has been published and appreciated, and also have at least 10 years of experience in postgraduate teaching can be selected as professors. Those who have done research at University or National level institutions and also have the experience of assisting students in research work at doctoral level could also take up teaching jobs as professors.
Q2.What is the remuneration ?

A2. Primary school teachers Government Schools : Rs. 4,500 - Rs. 9,000 Junior school teachers Government Schools : Rs. 5,500 - Rs. 12,000 Secondary school teachers Government Schools : Rs. 2,000 - Rs. 3,500 College lecturers Rs. 6,500 - Rs. 10,500 College readers Rs. 8,000 - Rs. 13,500 College professors Rs. 12,400 - Rs. 22,400
Q3.What is the Career Structure ?
A4.There is no rigid promotion structure in the teaching profession. Some teachers with good track records and who have been actively involved in handling additional administrative assignments in school could become Vice Principal or Principal. Designations and functions are not consistent and vary according to the rules of the institute. Colleges have a more strict career structure.
Q4. What are the Future Prospects ?

A4. Teaching is especially suitable for those who prefer flexible schedules. The profession welcomes late entries and those who are changing careers. Many married women find it suitable as it allows them to work again after they have started a family. It should be noted that teachers who do return after a break are entitled to nothing less than their old salary. In most professions, once a person leaves, it is difficult to catch up since new things are always being learned and discovered, but teaching is one of those professions where someone is always needed. Another avenue for teachers is giving tutorial classes. With the increase in classroom size and lack of sufficient attention given to the students, most students and parents feel the need for extra classes. As the school is unable to provide such classes, tutorial batches have become fairly common in big cities and towns. Tutors can provide coaching for not only the class subjects but also for competitive examinations, such as the Civil Services entrance exams, MBA, TOEFL etc.