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Career Calling Education
Open the checklist

Know what you are signing up for.

A plain English guide to studying in Australia: how the system works, what to check before you enrol, and what to do if something goes wrong.

Check before you enrol How education works

Start with your question

Every Australian qualification sits on one ladder

The Australian Qualifications Framework gives each type of qualification a level. Knowing the level tells you more than a course title does.

  1. Level 1: Certificate I
  2. Level 2: Certificate II
  3. Level 3: Certificate III
  4. Level 4: Certificate IV
  5. Level 5: Diploma
  6. Level 6: Advanced Diploma, Associate Degree
  7. Level 7: Bachelor Degree, Vocational Degree
  8. Level 8: Bachelor Honours Degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma
  9. Level 9: Masters Degree
  10. Level 10: Doctoral Degree
  • Usually vocational education and training
  • Either sector
  • Usually higher education

Read how it works

If you hear this, slow down

None of these prove a course is bad. Each one is a reason to check before you pay or sign.

“You are guaranteed a job at the end.”
Providers must not promise a job outcome they do not control. Ask what the promise is based on, and get it in writing.
“Everyone passes, you can't fail.”
Providers must not guarantee that you will complete a course. A qualification issued without proper assessment can be cancelled later.
“It only takes a few weeks.”
ASQA lists marketing unrealistically short courses as a known risk. Ask how many hours of study are involved and how the time is worked out.
“Sign up now and the laptop is free.”
Offers described as free can be misleading if there are conditions. Read what you are agreeing to pay first.

See the warning signs

When you would rather talk to a person

Talk to a course adviserTalk through your goals, your experience and your options with a person.For employersWorkforce programs for your team, from mapping skills to roles through to completion reporting.For international learnersOrientation and language support for people studying online from overseas.Short courses and micro-credentialsAsk what is available now, and whether each one is nationally recognised.

Career Calling Education is part of CAQA Groups, which includes CAQA RTO 45459. This guide lists and ranks no courses. Where we point to our own services we say so, and every check in it applies to us as well.