Working Online

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I do my course without attending a workshop?

When you first register as a student you’ll have access to all your course materials online, meaning you can be up and running within a few minutes. All your training materials are provided to you online through our unique learning system. At the time of enrolling, you can decide whether you want to work online (Go Green option), or have printed manuals as well. If you choose the printed manuals they are sent once your payments are all completed and become part of your professional library for future reference. Each study workbook contains information on the topic, together with activities for you to work through to grasp a deeper understanding of the topic.

During your training, you’ll work with clients in order to gain experience. You’ll use these experiences to develop and practice hands-on skills that you learn about in your study workbooks. The peer group support that you receive, and the strong trainer and mentor support, will reinforce your learning. You’ll be directed to online readings and videos that give you new ideas on ways that you can support clients through pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period.

Within a few days of registering as a student, we’ll assign a trainer to you. Your trainer has direct experience with flexible learning and has developed many strategies for helping you learn the practical skills you need as a birth and lactation professional. They will be certified and experienced in the same field themselves  and can guide you through your training. In addition to your student manuals, you’ll be given access to our student discussion forums, providing you with peer group support from other students across the world. We have students in 128 countries!

At the end of your training, on successful completion of all course requirements, you’ll be a certified birth and lactation professional and receive a certificate to recognize your hard work. There is no need to pay for membership or recertify with Childbirth International – your accreditation is for life!

We encourage you to continually learn new skills, develop your own understanding of issues related to pregnancy, birth, and parenting, and to keep up-to-date with research.  You might choose to take advantage of our ongoing advanced training programs. Or, once you have established your business as a professional, you might like to expand your skills and services. For example, as a birth doula, you can train as a childbirth educator, a postpartum doula, or a lactation counselor. Our training is flexible enough to fit around your other commitments. All students and graduates receive a 15% discount on their future courses.

How do I submit an assignment?

All the assignments and evaluations that you need to submit for certification are uploaded through our student website. These are automatically passed to your trainer who provides feedback and assesses your work. You can follow your progress through your course and see how much you’ve got left to complete. Your trainer can help you with suggestions for study and organization skills if you’re new to distance learning or find it difficult to stay on top of your training. There are no time limits for completing your course. You’ll continue to have access to the student website for as long as you’re a student, and once you’ve certified you’ll still be able to access all the materials online.

Do I need to be an expert using the Internet?

Don’t worry about having to have in-depth Internet knowledge or specialized computer skills in order to complete your course. Provided you’re able to send a basic email you’ll be fine. Our student website is very easy to use and you’re guided through the course every step of the way. If you choose the printed option when you enrol your student manuals will also be posted to you (once your final payment is made) so you don’t need to have access to the Internet all the time. The website has additional materials like online readings and videos, and with just a few clicks you can find everything you need.

Can I get printed course materials?

You’ll always have online access to your course materials, but many students prefer working from a paper version of their course materials. Unless you choose the green option when you enrol, your course manuals will also be posted to you.

For the Birth Doula and Postpartum Doula courses, there are four manuals – Communication Skills, Physiology, Birth/Postpartum Doula Skills, and the Business of Birth module, comprising more than 750 pages of information. For the Childbirth Educator and Lactation Counselor courses there are four manuals – Communication Skills, Physiology, Counseling/Teaching Skills, and the Business of Birth module, comprising more than 1,000 pages of information.

When you first register for a course (if choosing the single payment option), we’ll ask for your delivery address and will calculate the shipping cost. If you choose to pay for your course in one payment, your manuals will be ordered once you register (allow about one week for delivery within the USA and Canada and 2-3 weeks for other countries). If you choose to pay by installments, you are on the Green option and have immediate access to the course materials online through the student website. If you would like paper manuals you can purchase these later. You will need to pay the additional cost for the printing and shipping of the manuals and your installments must be paid in full. You can choose to pay the balance of your account if you find that you prefer to work from paper manuals – contact our support team and they will send you a statement with the balance outstanding and the cost of the printing and shipping of the manuals. You can read our payment plan terms and conditions for more information.

We also offer a “Go Green” option for students who prefer to work online and not have the additional costs of printing and shipping.

Do I need to have a fast Internet connection?

You could complete this course without having full-time access to a computer and the Internet. One of our students completed their studies while traveling around the world on a yacht! You’ll need Internet access to submit course work and to view the online readings. If you’re paying by installments, you’ll need Internet access until your payments are completed and your printed course materials are sent to you. Some students use the local library for Internet access on an occasional basis whenever they need to submit work. Others go once a week and print off all the online readings for the section they’re covering that week. Some use a friend’s computer. You could also use a smartphone or tablet if it has word processing functionality, although it is more difficult to do a lot of reading from a smaller screen. You’ll need to have an email address in order to register and for us to generate a username and password to give you access to the student website. There is a mobile app that allows you to download the materials to your device and work offline.

If you choose the Go Green option when you enrol, you will have to have a computer to access all your course materials. Please note, the online course manuals cannot be printed off.

Do I have to have a computer to access the online version of the course?

Not at all! You can access through a tablet or a smartphone. If you are using a smartphone, there is an online app which you can download from the student website once your course is purchased and activated. The smartphone app allows you to read course materials offline. You will need to be able to create your assignments from the provided templates (in Word format) – these can be downloaded to a laptop/computer or opened in Google docs, saved and then uploaded to the student website.