What is Celebrancy?
Celebrancy is all about being a non-religious officiant at a wide range of community events and celebrations, such as weddings, funerals and baby naming ceremonies. This increasingly popular movement began right here in Australia in 1974 and has since spread to countries all over the world, including New Zealand, Canada and the United States.
Celebrancy in Australia
Celebrancy has grown considerably since its humble beginnings more than 40 years ago; in fact, there are now over 10,000 celebrants working across Australia and New Zealand. More than one million ceremonies have now been performed by a celebrant and since 1999, the majority of Australian marriages have been overseen by civilian wedding celebrants.
Celebrants can find work all over the country, particularly in major cities such as Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, with most celebrants choose to work for themselves on a contract basis. The rate of pay varies widely depending on the type and length of ceremony; however, marriage celebrants typically earn a minimum of $500 for each wedding they conduct.
More importantly, Australian marriage celebrants are legally required to be registered with the government as an official marriage celebrant which involves the following steps;
How to Become a Marriage Celebrant
Step 1 – Complete a Certificate IV in Celebrancy offered by a Registered Training Organisation, such as TAFE.
Step 2 – After completing your marriage celebrant course, submit an online application to the appropriate Australian Government department along with a $600 application fee.
Step 3 – Next, you will be asked to successfully answer a set of legal questions regarding the laws and processes regarding marriage.
Step 4 – You will then be assessed by the Registrar of Marriage Celebrants as to whether you are a ‘fit and proper person’ to conduct ceremonies.
Step 5 – If your application is successful, you must pay an annual registration fee of $240.
Step 6 – To maintain your status as a registered marriage celebrant you will also need to meet a range of professional development benchmarks each year.
(Note: The laws regarding who can conduct a funeral service in Australia are far less strict; in fact, you don’t need any official qualifications to do so).
Celebrancy Courses
Regardless of whether you want to be a wedding celebrant, conduct funeral services or make a living by holding baby naming ceremonies; finding a celebrant course to suit your style and schedule is easy at TAFE.
Certificate
Studying a Certificate in Celebrancy offers a fantastic way to learn the basics and none will have you better prepared than a Certificate IV in Celebrancy; after all, this is the government mandated program in how to become a celebrant. These popular training programs cover everything you will need to know about being an official celebrant in all manner of ceremonies, including the relevant laws and regulations, modern trends and the art of providing a truly meaningful service. You can also choose to study in-class or online and can complete your training in as little as five days or as long as six weeks.
Best of all, TAFE marriage celebrant courses are designed according to the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), which means your credentials will be recognised nation-wide.
Career Prospects in Celebrancy
The role of celebrant has grown considerably in Australia in recent years, so much so that of the 113,595 marriages that took place in 2015, a staggering 74% were conducted by non-religious marriage celebrants.
It has also become far more common for celebrants to be called upon to conduct less traditional occasions – such as baby naming ceremonies – while Australia’s ageing population has meant that celebrants are now officiating at funerals, wakes and remembrance ceremonies in record numbers.
This undeniable trend seems set to pick up speed dramatically in future, which means plenty of opportunities for celebrants to work right across the country.
Is a Career in Celebrancy Right for You?
To thrive as a civil celebrant you need to be skilled in the art of dealing with people from a wide range of backgrounds, not to mention be passionate about helping make their special occasions memorable for all the right reasons.
If you have the following skills and talents you’ll do well as a celebrant;
- An open mind
- Clear communication
- Attention to detail
- A non-judgemental attitude
- A creative streak
Think you’ve got what it takes to play a central role in everything from weddings and funerals to naming ceremonies? If so, simply sign up for one of the many great training options here at tafecourses.com.au and get your career as a celebrant off and running today!
