The Truth Behind Celebrant Qualifications

Oct 31
Do Wedding & Funeral Celebrants need a qualification to practice? The quick answer is "No".

Does having a qualification increase your chances of being a successful Celebrant? Again, the quick answer is "No".

Do most successful Celebrants have a Certificate or Diploma in Civil Celebrancy? Again, you guessed it, the quick answer is "No".

So why do some Celebrant Training organisations offer the Level 3 Certificate or the Level 4 Diploma in Civil Celebrancy, and others don't?
As a secondary school teacher, senior school leader and headteacher for 23 years, I spent much of my working life espousing the benefits of academic & vocational qualifications. To become a teacher I had to personally achieve O' levels (I was in the last year before they changed to GCSEs), A' levels, a BA (Hons) degree, a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and a National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH). I have taught a wide range of GCSEs, A' levels and Vocational Qualifications in Business, Accounting, Economics, Religious Education & IT. 

I have also achieved my Level 3 Certificate in Civil Celebrancy in the UK. 

Whereas all my other qualifications were required for me to achieve the next step in my career. I can honestly say that no one has ever asked whether I have Civil Celebrancy qualification. I also felt it was a compete waste of time. 

I know many good and successful celebrants who started to complete the qualification after their initial training but then stopped. Why? They found it dull, bureaucratic and they realised that they were already becoming a successful celebrant, without it.

Other celebrants I know, completed the qualification eventually because this was their strength and they felt they had the time, and have then struggled and indeed given up on their dream of becoming a professional celebrant. 

I have written another blog all about the 5 myths about different celebrant qualifications - the biggest one being "but you may need it when marriage law changes in England and Wales". Read this blog post here.

Why do the qualification?

If good and effective practical training is all you need to be a professional celebrant, then why should you do the qualification?

Well, some people enjoy and are skilled at writing essays and have the time to do so. Perhaps they enjoy the academic challenge. Many trainee celebrants starting the certificate or diploma qualification courses think that by the end of their week of training, they will get their qualification. They would be wrong. It can take up to two years before all the assignments have been submitted, marked, internally assessed and externally verified before being awarded of the final qualification,

In the meantime, candidates have already started their new celebrant business and discover that submitting essays for marking is simply a distraction and not what they need to do to successfully grow their business.

It is perhaps unsurprising that most people who have paid to do the qualification, do not actually end up completing it. 

It is down to the individual as to whether they believe it is worth doing a Celebrant Training course that has the teaching and marking of the qualification included in the price or whether they decide to complete it separately.

The current tariff for the Level 3 Certificate is £63, whereas the tariff for the Level 4 Diplomas (there is a separate one for Funerals and one for Weddings) is £123 each.

Some Celebrant Training providers, like Celebrant Training School, choose not to offer the academic qualification as an integral part of their course. Instead, we focus on developing the practical skills, the useful knowledge & the business understanding needed to be a successful professional celebrant. The course is priced accordingly.

I do not understand how some people believe the qualification makes them a better Celebrant. How is writing an essay about the history of Celebrancy in the UK a good use of your time when you could instead be meeting Funeral Directors or Wedding Co-ordinators at venues? How is demonstrating that you can cut, paste and save a Word document a good use of time when you could instead be learning how to use TikTok?

I was never a believer in "teaching to the test", it does not make good teaching and it certainly does not feel like good learning. But it happens. A lot.

As adults we can choose how and what we are taught. We can choose if we want a "one-size fits all" course that ticks boxes on an evidence record. Or we can choose to invest in good learning, effective and constructive 1-to-1 feedback & what you need to fulfil your dream of running your own successful celebrant business. 

Feel free to get in touch if you want to discuss this topic further with me. I am a believer in choice, and some people will always choose to do the qualification. I am also a believer in informed choice and I feel that in the past this has been sadly lacking. 

Read more about the 5 myths about celebrant qualifications in the UK here. 
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