Applicants will need to demonstrate a work history in the form of a CV or resume to show that they have enough experience to tackle the broad aspects of learning to counsel at-risk clients in legal and financial matters. 

To be prepared for this course, we recommend you have:

• recent employment in the community services sector and/or banking and finance sector 
• the desire to support and empower people experiencing financial difficulty 
• a high degree of time management skills to successfully support your chosen study option

For the online study option: You must be 21 years or older and working in the industry. You will need to provide evidence of your experience (letter from employer or other proof) and provide evidence of current employment to support eligibility

Entrance requirements for traineeships

This course is available as a traineeship.

You must be employed in a training contract by an appropriate organisation to study an apprenticeship or traineeship. 

In a traineeship you also gain hands-on skills and work experience, and improve your employment prospects, while earning a wage. On successful completion you will gain a nationally recognised qualification which can lead to rewarding career options. The difference between a traineeship and an apprenticeship is that a traineeship can be either a full time or part time employment based training arrangement, usually for a nominal duration of 12 months or more, generally in a non-trade related area. 

To find out how to arrange a traineeship and study at South Metropolitan TAFE, please contact the Jobs and Skills Centre closest to you.

 Please note this list should be used as a guide only as job titles and qualification requirements may vary between organisations.

To access free career planning and job search assistance, visit the Jobs and Skills Centres page.

Work placement

There is a requirement for 220 hours work placement in a suitable Financial Counselling organisation in this course. You will be assisted to find an appropriate placement if you do not have one. Please note that you are required to complete your work placement in addition to your 2 days a week study on campus.

Your work placement requires you to be available to attend during weekdays and you may need to rearrange personal or work commitments to be able to attend. 
  

Attendance in class

You will need to attend class for 2 days per week across 2 semesters when studied full-time. Students will need to bring their own devices (i.e. laptop or tablet) to class.

As well as the in-class component, you will need to complete approximately 10 hours of additional study each week outside of class hours, including private study, assignment preparation, and research. In addition, you will also need to complete your work placement hours on the days outside of class days. 

You will need to have the basic technical requirements for at-home study. If you don't have access to a computer of Wi-Fi at home, we recommend using our library computers during library hours.
  

Online study

Students completing the online study option will enrol into and complete 4-5 units at a time, with progress monitored by their lecturer. This can be done at a pace suitable to you but for each group of units you have 6 months to complete, so we recommend you use our schedule provided to you at enrolment to assist you in avoiding having to re-enrol in the unit.

Your study will use online software, with access provided to you after enrolment. You will need to have the basic technical requirements for at-home study. If you don’t have access to a computer and WiFi at home, we recommend using our library computers during library hours.

For each unit there is a requirement to demonstrate performance tasks and skills, these will need to be simulated, recorded and submitted for assessment.

The nature of online study can involve a significant investment of time and the ability to be a focused, self-motivated learner. You should consider your personal circumstances and past study history before committing to study online. Find out more in our online study info pack below.

You will complete your work placement hours in the last group of units for study that cover the financial counselling units specifically. Placement will not be required to be organised until you are ready to enrol in group 4 units. 

Online study info pack (334 KB) (PDF document - opens in a new tab)

Important COVID-19 update

Students may need to provide a COVID-19 vaccination certificate for placement and employment