Certificate 4 in Celebrancy Course

As one of the founders of the Celebrant Institute I attend biannual meetings with the Marriage Law & Celebrants Section of the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department and I am active in responding to their requests for consultation and assistance.

My ceremony clients are just as impressed with my work as my colleagues are; I provide a warm and compassionate service to my wedding and funeral clients, and they are always quick to recommend me to others.

I not only know all of the things, I’m also adept at teaching them to new and experienced celebrants in a way that is friendly and approachable. With expertise spanning all aspects of a celebrant’s work, from the legalities to writing ceremonies to performing ceremonies to running a successful, process-oriented business, I have so much to give to the next generation of Australian celebrants, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to pass on my skills and knowledge.

If you’d like to hear me speak on all things celebrant-related, have a listen to my podcast with Josh Withers, The Celebrant Talk Show, available in your podcast app or at celebrant.fm. The Celebrant Institute provides a membership platform for celebrants and aspiring celebrants to ask any question of me about being a celebrant. You will receive a free 12-month membership to the Celebrant Institute as part of your Certificate IV in Celebrant enrolment.

Study options

(Please note I am no longer offering face to face training for the Certificate IV in Celebrancy.)

Content and assessments

Assessment is extensive and involves everything from written assignments through to simulated interviews, rehearsals and ceremony performances (all of which must be videoed for submission); at least one ceremony must be performed in front of at least 20 people, and at least two ceremonies must be performed using PA equipment (which can be hired from audiovisual suppliers).

Time investment

• Writing: The nature of the role is that the celebrant is totally responsible for all aspects of the client interaction, from completing legal documentation to writing cohesive and grammatically correct ceremonies, and everything in between. Difficulty with writing clearly and cohesively in English may mean the celebrant is unable to appropriately communicate with their clients, accurately complete legal documentation, or create meaningful written ceremonies.
• Speaking: The celebrant is required to deliver a ceremony to audience numbers that range from five people to several hundred. Someone who has difficulty speaking English would not be appropriate for this course unless they are planning to only work with clients who speak their language.
• Listening: The celebrant is required to gather and interpret information from clients in relation to their legal status and the content of their ceremony. Someone who has hearing difficulties may find it difficult to discuss these requirements unless both the celebrant and the client/s are fluent in sign language.
• Reading: The celebrant is required to read and understand marriage law and other legislation, regulations and guidelines, and present written ceremonies. Difficulty with reading may mean that the celebrant misinterprets legal requirements or struggles with appropriately presenting ceremony inclusions.
• Numeracy: The celebrant operates a small business, providing invoices and recording details of expenses. Difficulty in this regard may mean the celebrant will not effectively be able to maintain their small business in the long term.
• Digital: The celebrant runs a small business in the 21^st century, requiring them to be able to communicate with their clients and stakeholders digitally. Difficulty working at an intermediate level of computer proficiency, with the ability to create and edit electronic documents and spreadsheets, send and receive emails, and interact with online databases and software systems, and/or lack of access to an internet-connected computer and printer, would make it extremely difficult to work as a celebrant.

You will be required to undertake a Language, Literacy, Numeracy, and Digital Literacy (LLND) test and an interview prior to enrolment, and these will assist me to assess whether you will require any training before starting or ongoing assistance during the course.

The minimum age for commencing this course is 18 years.

Listen to all the episodes at the Celebrant Talk Show online or search for “celebrant talk show” in your podcast app.

A. 6 core units

CHCCEL001: Develop sustainable celebrancy practice
CHCCEL002: Establish client celebrancy needs
CHCCEL003: Research, design and organise ceremonies
CHCCEL004: Prepare for, present and evaluate ceremonies
CHCDIV001: Work with diverse people
CHCLEG001: Work legally and ethically

B. 3 units required for registration as an authorised marriage celebrant

CHCCEL005: Establish and maintain marriage celebrancy practice
CHCCEL006: Interview clients and plan marriage ceremonies
CHCCEL007: Prepare for, present and evaluate marriage ceremonies

C. 4 elective units

BSBCMM411: Make presentations
BSBTWK401: Build and maintain business relationships
BSBESB401: Research and develop business plans
CHCCEL008: Plan, present and evaluate funeral and memorial ceremonies

Many students ask me if they MUST complete the funeral celebrancy unit. In a word, yes. I want all of my celebrancy graduates to walk out into the world fully confident and able to perform a wide range of ceremonies, including funerals. Every marriage celebrant will be asked to perform a funeral at some point during their career, and I want my graduates to be prepared so that when that phone call comes, they don’t feel the need to impose on an experienced funeral celebrant and ask if they can copy one of their scripts. It’s unprofessional and unfair, so I insist that all of my students complete this unit.

Completing this course does not guarantee that you will attain registration as a Commonwealth Registered Marriage Celebrant.

Creating a successful and sustainable celebrancy business can be difficult. It’s important that you know it may be tough to earn a full-time living from celebrancy. It is also crucial that aspiring marriage celebrants are aware they are not allowed to advertise their services or take bookings from marrying couples until after they have received their registration as a celebrant from the Attorney-General’s Department.

Please ensure you have read the information on the Attorney General’s Department’s website about Becoming a Marriage Celebrant before you enrol for this course.

Another resource is becomeacelebrant.au

Thinking about becoming a celebrant to marry a friend or family member? Read this first.

Fees, Charges, and Refunds

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to outline The Celebrant Institute RTO’s approach to the management of fees, charges, and refunds. This policy ensures transparency, fairness, and compliance with the Standards for RTOs and Australian Consumer Law.

Application

This policy applies to all prospective and current students, as well as personnel involved in the administration of fees, charges, and refunds for courses delivered by The Celebrant Institute RTO. It includes all payment types, schedules, and refund processes for courses on the organisation’s Scope of Registration.

Policy Statement

The Celebrant Institute RTO is committed to providing clear and accurate information about fees, charges, and refund conditions to students and stakeholders. The organisation will maintain a fair and transparent process for managing payments and refunds while complying with regulatory and legal requirements.

The Celebrant Institute RTO undertakes to provide course services as outlined in the Student Agreement including a statement of fees.

Rationale

Ensuring transparency and fairness in financial arrangements is fundamental to fostering trust and accessibility in education and training. Clear communication of costs, payment structures, and refund processes allows students to make informed financial decisions before committing to a course. By outlining structured payment options, eligibility for funding or subsidies, and provisions for refunds, financial arrangements remain equitable and compliant with regulatory requirements. This approach not only supports consumer rights but also aligns with ethical business practices in vocational education.

A structured financial approach also enhances organisational efficiency by reducing disputes, ensuring timely payments, and maintaining compliance with legal and funding body requirements. Providing flexibility, such as instalment plans or financial hardship provisions, improves accessibility for a diverse student cohort while maintaining financial sustainability. Additionally, setting clear policies for refunds and withdrawals ensures that students are treated fairly in circumstances where course participation changes, reinforcing accountability and student confidence in the organisation.

Fees and Charges

Prior to enrolment, The Celebrant Institute RTO notifies students of a range of fee information in the student agreement and course outline. This fee information includes:

• All fees payable to The Celebrant Institute RTO, clearly describing all costs involved with the course,
• How and when fees must be paid,
• How to request a refund,
• The conditions under which a refund would be provided, and
• The student’s rights as a consumer, including but not limited to any statutory cooling-off period, if one applies.

The Celebrant Institute RTO has implemented enrolment and charging arrangements that reflect the extent of the students’ engagement with, and progression through, their course.

Information about fees and charges

Fee Protection

The Celebrant Institute RTO protects the fees that are paid in advance by students by not requiring a student to ever pay more than $1,500 in advance for services not yet provided, either prior to course commencement or at any stage during their course. Fees will be paid off during the course in instalments according to a set payment schedule that meets these requirements

Fee information relevant to a course is outlined in detailed in the Student Agreement and summarised on the Course Outline as well as the RTO’s website. In compliance with the Standards, detailed fee information is provided prior to enrolment or commencement of training, whichever is first.

Fee information includes:

• All costs for the course including any materials fees
• Any other costs payable to the RTO including costs for recognition of prior learning if applicable
• Payment terms and conditions including deposits, refunds and payment schedules if applicable

The Student Agreement and the Student Handbook, which are provided prior to enrolment, includes this Fees, Charges, and Refunds Policy and informs the student of their consumer rights. Students are asked to sign the Student Agreement in acknowledgement of the terms and conditions of the enrolment and this policy.

No cooling-off period applies as The Celebrant Institute RTO does not use unsolicited consumer agreements (such as telemarketing, door-to-door selling or direct approach marketing in a public places).

Course Fee Inclusions

Course fees as applicable to each course are detailed on the Student Agreement and include:

• All of the training and assessment as well as basic educational support services required for students to achieve the qualification or course in which they are enrolling within the attempts allowed. Where a student fails to achieve a satisfactory outcome after three attempts at an assessment task, reassessment fees may apply.
• Issuance of one set of electronic certification documents including the testamur (certificate) and record of results and/or a Statement of Attainment (where relevant and in the case of withdrawal or partial completion).

Course fees do not include:

• Any optional books and materials that may be recommended but not required to complete a course.
• Stationery such as paper and pens or other personal use items such as computers, printers, or internet access that may be required to complete homework tasks.
• Printing costs (if required).
• Re-issuance or printing of AQF certification documents. Re-issuance or printed copies of these documents will attract a fee of $50 per document plus the cost of postage if required.

The Celebrant Institute RTO cannot guarantee that students will successfully complete the course in which they enrol regardless of whether all fees due have been paid.

Payments

Payments can be accepted by electronic transfer only.

Students who are experiencing difficulty in paying their fees are invited to call our office to make alternative arrangements for payment during their period of difficulty.

Where fees are more than 40 days past due, debts may be referred to a debt collection agency or enrolments may be cancelled.

The Celebrant Institute RTO reserves the right to suspend the provision of training and/or other services until fees are brought up to date. Students with long term outstanding accounts may have their enrolment cancelled if payments have not been received and no alternative arrangements for payment have been made

Transfer of enrolment

Fees paid are transferrable to a different online intake if the original start date is no longer suitable for the student, at no charge to the student.

Only one transfer is allowed per enrolment; additional transfers will attract an administration fee.

Deferral of enrolment

Students may defer their enrolment for up to 12 months and recommence their training program at a later date and occur no additional fees. Students wishing to defer their enrolment for more than 12 months will need to cancel their enrolment and re-enrol when they are ready to recommence the training program.

The 12 months of deferral time does not need to be taken all at once.

During the period of deferral, students will not have access to course resources.

At the end of the 12-month deferral period, The Celebrant Institute RTO will contact the student twice (once by email and once by text message) to determine whether they would like to return to their studies or withdraw from the course. If the student does not respond to either of these messages, The Celebrant Institute RTO will assume the student does not wish to return to their studies and will cancel the enrolment. Any student wishing to return to the course after this will need to re-enrol and start again. 

Withdrawal from/cancellation of enrolment

Students may withdraw from/cancel their enrolment in writing at any time, but if their training program has already commenced, they will not be entitled to a refund of any fees paid.

Students wishing to withdraw from or cancel their enrolment can do so by emailing [email protected].

Extensions

Students who are unable to complete the training and assessment program within 12 months may apply to extend their enrolment for three months at a time, at an additional cost of $600 per extension. Only two extensions are available; if the course is not finished after 18 months, the student will need to re-enrol and start again.

First extensions after the initial 12 months are only available to those students who have submitted at least Tasks 1-15 by the end of their initial enrolment period.

Second and final extensions are only available to those students who have submitted at least 7 assessment tasks during the period of their first extension.

Applications for extension must be made in writing via the Application for Extension Form, which must be emailed to [email protected] no less than two weeks before the student’s enrolment end date.

Applications for extension are the responsibility of the student. The Celebrant Institute RTO will not be responsible for following up students coming close to their enrolment end date. Students who have not completed their first submission of all tasks by their enrolment end date will have their enrolment cancelled with no notice, and they will not be entitled to a refund of any fees paid.

Refunds

All course fees include an Enrolment Fee (or non-refundable deposit) which will only be refunded where The Celebrant Institute RTO is required to cancel a course before it commences due to insufficient numbers or for other unforeseen circumstances.

A student not achieving the qualification or unit/s in which they enrolled due to exhausting their attempts at assessment does not entitle the student to a refund.

RPL application fees are non-refundable.

In the unlikely event that The Celebrant Institute RTO, or any third parties responsible for delivering training and assessment on its behalf, is unable to deliver the course or any portion of the course as promised, the student will be issued with a refund for the course or portion of course that was not provided. This includes the following situations:

• Where The Celebrant Institute RTO ceases to operate.
• Where The Celebrant Institute RTO ceases to deliver the course in which a student is enrolled, and the agreement is terminated.
• Where The Celebrant Institute RTO needs to make a change to the terms of the student agreement (such as the way the course is delivered or conditions of enrolment) and a new agreement cannot be reached with the student to account for changes.’

In any of the above situations, The Celebrant Institute RTO will automatically conduct a refund assessment of all affected students and issue the refunds due to the Fee Payer accordingly. In these cases, there is no need for a student to make an individual application for a refund. Refunds will be issued within 28 business days.

The refund assessment will be based on reviewing the services and/or materials provided to the student and the costs incurred by The Celebrant Institute RTO in the provision such as:

• Textbooks or other materials provided
• Training provided and received (i.e. amount of online content accessed)
• Individual support provided by the trainer/assessor
• Assessments marked or feedback provided (including RPL).

The outcome of the refund assessment will be provided in writing to the student’s registered email address within 28 business days, outlining the decision and reasons for the decision along with any applicable refund or adjustment note. Refund decisions can be appealed following our Complaints and Appeals Policy & Procedure.

Recording and payment of refunds

Refunds will be paid to the person or organisation that made the original payment.

Refund assessments can be appealed following our Complaints and Appeals Policy & Procedure.

Records of refund assessments and issuance of refunds will be stored securely on the student’s file and in our accounts keeping system.

Additional Fees and Charges 

The following additional charges may apply in some circumstances.

Issuing of certification documents

On completion of a course and payment of all relevant fees, The Celebrant Institute RTO will issue a qualification (testamur/certificate) and record of results within thirty (30) days. The record of results will show the units of competency achieved in the course and corresponding results.

Where a student withdraws or partially completes a course, a Statement of Attainment for the unit/s completed will be issued within thirty (30) days of withdrawal as long as all relevant fees have been paid. A record of results will only be provided with a statement of attainment where requested.

The Celebrant Institute RTO reserves the right to withhold the issuance of qualifications and Statements of Attainment until all fees related to the course or qualification have been paid, except where The Celebrant Institute RTO is not permitted to do so by law.

The Celebrant Institute RTO must have a valid USI on file for the student for a qualification or Statement to be issued.

Re-issuing Statements and Qualifications

Records of qualifications and unit achievement are kept on record for a period of at least thirty (30) years. Students can request copies of any of these statements or qualifications at any time for an additional charge. Refer to the Additional Fees and Charges section for the current fee.

Student Support Services Fees

If any specific student support options available attract an additional cost, The Celebrant Institute RTO makes this clear in pre-enrolment information and as a part of the Student Agreement. Similarly, if there are limitations to the support The Celebrant Institute RTO is able to provide to particular student cohorts, these limitations are also made clear in information provided to potential Students.

The Celebrant Institute RTO ensures support provided is reasonable and accessible, with clear and accurate information on these items included in The Celebrant Institute RTO’s Student Handbook.

Notifications and Guarantee

The Celebrant Institute RTO guarantees that no additional charges will be imposed during the period covered by the Student Agreement.

All students and employers must pay fees across multiple instalments.

Monitoring and Evaluation

The Celebrant Institute RTO monitors and evaluates financial management processes to ensure performance is effective and outcomes are met.

A process of performance monitoring, evaluation, and reporting has been established and implemented.

The organisation continually improves the effectiveness and efficiency of processes. Process performance and outcomes are regularly audited to identify and remove causes of existing and potential problems, as well as to uncover any opportunities for improvement.

Please refer to the Quality Policy for further information on the monitoring and evaluation process.

Version History

Document uncontrolled when printed

If you’re only interested in conducting funerals, there’s no need to complete the Certificate IV in Celebrancy. In fact, there’s no need to complete any training or qualification at all – anyone can be a funeral celebrant! However I strongly recommend you do consider some training, starting with my funeral professional development course. This is the same content my Certificate IV in Celebrancy students undertake in their funeral unit, but there is no assessment; you just read the information and watch the videos as often as you like. You can purchase the brief funeral course here!

How to enrol:

1. Download and read the Course Outline
2. Download and read the Student Handbook
3. If you are wishing to apply for a Credit Transfer, download and complete in full the Credit Application Form. You must download this form and complete it using Adobe (see below); do not complete it in your browser window.
4. Prepare a photo/scan of one form of photo ID, e.g. a driver’s licence or passport.
5. Choose the intake you would like to apply for from the list below, click on the button and complete the form, uploading the appropriate documents as required.
6. Full and complete applications must be received no later than 10 days before you are hoping to begin your course.
7. After completing your application, I will send you a link to complete a Language, Literacy, Numeracy, and Digital Literacy Assessment. THIS IS NOT OPTIONAL, REGARDLESS OF YOUR PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT OR EDUCATION.
8. Once you have completed the assessment, I will invite you to a pre-enrolment interview via Zoom; this must take place no later than the Wednesday before you are hoping to begin your course. Please check your spam folder for your invitation if it doesn’t land in your inbox.
9. Once your enrolment has been approved I will send you a Letter of Offer, a Student Agreement, and an invoice for your first payment.
10. Your studies will begin on the next intake start date after you return your Student Agreement and make your first payment.

If after reading all the information and documents published on this page you still have questions about the Cert IV in Celebrancy, please make a 15-minute appointment to speak to Sarah by phone.