Contact Us

If our FAQs below don’t hold the answer you are looking for, please feel free to contact us!

What is the difference between doing the certificate massage course and the diploma massage course?

The certificate course in Hoffman Massage gives a very comprehensive and in depth guide to bodywork and the various facets associated with it. It lays the foundation for Hoffman Massage and even people who have been massaging professionally for years cannot miss this part of the course.

During the course of the Hoffman Massage certificate we teach you a range of natural therapy principles and practices and then teach you how to work issues out of the body with whichever method you feel appropriate. You will learn how to massage from head to toe. The course will cover topics such as, reflexology, anatomy trains, trigger point therapy, and holistic pulsing.

The certificate course focuses largely on locating and identifying tension through the Myofascial Meridians, and uses these meridians to teach you how and why to work every different part of the body using a range of techniques in order to address any issue you are presented with for each different client. You will learn how to massage the whole body including the face, head, neck, hands, feet, buttocks, abdomen, ankles, etc, and in many different ways. You will also, most importantly, learn how to use your body in the best way for yourself. In this way they way we teach YOU will be very catered to your own strengths and weaknesses.

The diploma course builds greatly on what is taught in the certificate course and covers topics such as Aromatherapy, Chinese Medicine and Meridians, Ayurvedic principles, Marma Points, energetic healing, Bowen Therapy and cross fibre techniques. The diploma course will teach you how to develop your own skills and how to do assessments to find the main source of your clients tensions.

The diploma course is also more focused on the emotional aspects of tension in the body. In the diploma course you will learn how to access and take clients through emotional release using massage.

At the end of completing the diploma course the graduate can comfortably and confidently address just about any issue that a client would ever have, including many issues or injuries that most people would ordinarily go to a Chiropractor, Physiotherapist or Osteopath for.

Can I legally work as a therapist after the course?

Yes, of course. After completing any of our courses, completing our assessment process, and receiving a physical stamped certificate/diploma from us you will be a qualified therapist, enabling you to commence work straight away.

Can I get insured as a practicing therapist after the course?

With either our Certificate or Diploma course, if you have paid for and completed the assessment package of the courses you will be assessed by us and receive your qualification once everything has been completed to a satisfactory standard.

Being a qualified therapist means that you can commence work straight away, which means that you can be insured to commence work straight away. All you need to do is to register with an insurance company and pay for their annual insurance premium depending on the course you have completed and the level of cover you wish to obtain. We would highly recommend becoming insured as soon as you intend to commence practicing as a therapist in order to protect both yourself and your clients. You do not NEED insurance to work, but it is of great benefit incase anything unforeseen happens on your premises.

Students from Australia

International Institute of Complimentary Therapies (IICT) will cover you to work all over the world except for in the USA and Canada - though these limitations may be lifted in the near future. IICT also offer therapist membership privileges to those who sign up with them. Their website is www.iict.com.au. Alternatively IH Group also offer insurance to Australian graduates. Their website is www.insurancehouse.com.au. You may wish to contact both insurers in order to ascertain which is a better and / or cheaper option for you.

Students from New Zealand

Students from UK

Students from Canada

Canadian Yoga Alliance will cover you to work anywhere within Canada. Their website is www.canadianyogicalliance.com. Alternatively the Preventative Health Services Group will also cover you to work anywhere within Canada. Their website is www.preventativehealthservices.com/application.htm. You may wish to contact both insurers in order to ascertain which is a better and / or cheaper option for you.

Other International Students

If you are from anywhere else in the world and wish to study and obtain your qualification with us you are still able to obtain insurance. All you will need to do is locate and contact a Natural Therapist insurance provider in your area that provides insurance for Bowen therapists. If you have any problems at all, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will help you as best we can.

Can I obtain credit towards other natural health studies by doing your courses?

Yes, if you are an Australian student / citizen / resident.

Due to our close affiliation with Health Schools Australia you will also be legible for Recognised Prior Learning exemptions for government accredited massage diplomas. For more information regarding recognised prior learning (RPL) towards other courses please contact Health Schools Australia to speak with them about what they can do for you.

How can I possibly become qualified and competent in Hoffman Massage with such short courses?

We don’t believe that we need to cover hours upon hours of theory material in the classroom in order to ensure that you can be a successful massage therapist. An in depth knowledge of Human Anatomy, Law, Occupational Health and safety, etc, can be a wonderful thing, however it is not the most important thing in being a successful therapist. The most important thing in our courses is that you learn the best possible techniques for you and learn how to ‘feel’ the body, how to locate tension, issues, and blockages in the body and how to successfully alleviate them. All the textbook knowledge in the world won’t help you learn how to ‘feel’ tension in the body. That comes with touch, which is what our courses are focused on.

We do feel that theory material is important but don’t agree with the requirements of how it should be delivered by governing bodies these days. Nor do we believe that it is the best way to become a great massage therapist. The way in which we teach is unlike most other schools who are conforming to Government bodies whose interest in these courses is Bureaucratic and unfortunately not aimed at healing. The focus of our courses is learning how to heal - pure and simple.

In our learning process we provide you with very comprehensive and in depth course notes and videos that we expect you to read before starting the course. This way class time can be much more hands-on than is typical in most schools and, like anything, it is not the amount of time spent learning or doing something but the ability to do it successfully. Practice does make perfect, but we try to teach you to work smarter, not harder, so as to make your practice that much more perfect and beneficial. Just because some people have completed a two-year course at a large massage school does not make them good massage therapists. Our courses cover a lot of information in a short period of time to ensure that you do not leave without being capable of beginning your own business immediately - after all it would reflect very poorly on our school if our students were not fantastic therapists upon completion of our courses!

Is this a recognised course and, if so, is it only National or International as well?

Yes our school is recognised by the International Institute of Complimentary Therapies (IICT) in Australian, NZ and UK. We are also recognised by Canadian Yoga Alliance and Preventative Health Services in Canada.

Can I obtain a Health Claim Number upon completing a course with you?

No. However you can do so with our affiliate Health Schools Australia who give our successful students RPL (Recognised Prior Learning exemptions for the massage modules of their courses).

That said, we have found for ourselves as therapists and for our practicing students that not being able to give health fund rebates is very rarely an issue. Those clients that really want to maintain their health will come to you whether they can claim the treatment back or not if you are good enough (which you will be!). We have been practicing and treating clients for over six years and our clients always come back; many have even come back every single week for years as they feel the health benefits from our treatment methods alleviate the need for medicines, hospitals, reduce likelihood of injury, etc, which are all far more expensive over time than maintaining their body’s health through regular massage, with or without a rebate.

Bronson Bertschinger, the founder of the school, does not have a health fund claim number yet has been booked for 1-3 months in advance for the last 3 years. Saving your clients $20 is not what we are here to do. We are here to help you to try and change their lives so that their extra $20 goes far further towards reducing their health-related costs in the long run. People may choose to go to another therapist who CAN offer them a $20 rebate, however if they are not getting a comprehensive and effective health-promoting treatment, then what is the point in saving the money? In such cases they are effectively wasting the whole cost of the treatment, rebated or not, if it does not benefit their health. How you get this across to your potential clients is up to you.

What is included in the course costs? Are there any additional costs on top of the fees?

No there are no additional costs as we include everything you need in the one course fee. This includes course notes, one-on-one learning and practice time with the teacher, video demonstrations of other massages, various video case studies that show a range of common and very uncommon issues resolved through regular massage, use of massage and aromatherapy oils, and ongoing contact with your teacher if you ever require assistance in future or have any questions that arise as you commence your own practice and have your own clients. We do have various wall charts available for purchase that make a great and professional addition to any treatment room, however they are not a requirement to the course.

If I am a slow learner how will I get as much out of the course as a fast learner might?

Part of the reason we give you such detailed and easy to read course notes, as well as video demonstrations and practice videos, is because of this. We understand that everyone takes in different things at different rates and there is nothing wrong with that. The way our course is structured allows you plenty of one-on-one time during class hours to ask, video or write down anything you wish whilst getting plenty of hands-on experience. This ‘intensive’ form of training really drills into you what we are teaching. The notes and videos that you take with you during / after the course allow you to go over information and refresh techniques as often as you wish at your own pace. And, given you will have already practiced all these things hands-on during class hours over and over again, they will come back to you much better than if you read and reread and reread a textbook without 'getting your hands dirty' so to speak.

Are there any exams or assessments to be completed at the end of the course?

We do not feel the necessity to put our students in a stressful and nervous ‘exam’ type situation at the end of our courses. Having a student in this mind set effectively ruins what we are trying to instill in you as a confident, intuitive, and comfortable therapist that isn’t too caught up in their mind. Instead, our ‘assessment’ takes place throughout the course in a very low pressure way. Additionally, during the course you will be / should be practicing lots and lots of massage and other natural therapies so, by the end, it is very easy to ascertain whether or not you would be a competent practitioner without needing to gruel you in an exam. Health and safety guidelines, hygiene, contraindications and other crucially important ‘official’ information will be covered in depth at the beginning of the course in order to ensure your understanding and recognition of their importance.

Instead of an exam students are required to do practical massage at home throughout the course which includes a 10 hour massage case study, completion of an assessment workbook once you have finished learning the course material, and a videoed massage demonstration. All assessment guidelines and workbooks will be provided to you at the end of your learning. The 10 hour case study requires you to perform 5 x 2 hour massages on someone (the same person each time) and report the overall results they experience at the end of the fifth treatment. As far as the massage demonstration is concerned you will be required to video yourself performing a two-hour treatment which is then sent to us for constructive criticism and assessment. Who you perform this treatment on is up to you - you can even film one of your massage case study treatments if you wish - however we do suggest that you do not film this assessment treatment until you feel completely competent in your work as it will be better for your sake if the demonstration we see is at the end of your study when you are at your best. We may ask you to complete another treatment video if we feel your practice needs more work, however we will never fail you or deny you the opportunity to become qualified – simply suggest that more practice would benefit your own work.

Whether you are completing the online training from a distance, coming to one-on-one training, or attending a group course, the assessment process is the same. Once all of this is completed to high standard you will be awarded with your qualification and sent your official certificate / diploma. Our aim through all of this is to get you to be the best practitioner you can possibly be for your sake and the sake of your future patients, so we encourage you to welcome criticism and learn from it - from us and also from those that you practice on.

We have encountered a few cases where students are so competent and natural in their treatments that no further practice is necessary after their in-person time and they can be awarded their qualification on the spot, however this is quite rare as we all have different learning speeds and natural abilities. The time it takes you to become qualified is irrelevant – the care with which you treat your clients (be they people you know or as a job) and the dedication you have towards your work and really making a difference in peoples lives is more important than anything else in this line of work. If you really care and are truly motivated to alleviate issues that you encounter, this will shine through in your practice and you will no doubt become a natural in your work in your own time.

Are there any requirements or pre-requisites to your courses?

No. We have had students of all different ages, backgrounds, and qualifications. What you have done in your life prior to coming to our course is unimportant. What you choose to do with this information is reliant simply on your intuition and understanding of what we teach you; not where you have come from prior to this.

Will I be able to keep in touch with your school to update or refresh my knowledge and practice even after having completed the course?

Yes, absolutely. After all, we are in the business of helping people and we really do love what we do. If there is any way that we can help you to be a better practitioner in order to better help people that come to you then we are more than happy to help! We also appreciate that you have taken lots of time and money to learn with us and we like to ensure that you are getting as much out of your learning experience as possible.

What payment methods are available for your courses? Is there a deposit required, instalments, etc?

When you initially book in for our course a deposit must be paid in order to secure your dates. The amount is dependent on what course you are doing. As far as the remainder of the course fee is concerned you can pay with cash, cheque, credit card, bank transfer, paypal, etc… We are happy to discount the course fees if paid in cash. If you require a payment plan or a different method of payment please feel free to discuss it with us – we are happy to try and suit each students individual needs where possible.

Are your courses done in a group class situation or one-on-one?

Our courses are mostly one-on-one these days. We have found over our history of doing both group and individual courses that the most effective way to learn is in an individual situation. Everyone’s learning abilities are different and this way we are able to cater to your needs and speed specifically. Additionally, we know from experience that everyone’s interests differ greatly. Some people are interested in Chinese Medicine or Bowen Therapy techniques, some prefer to work with aromatic oils and Trigger Points, some people want to learn deep tissue massage and emotional release techniques, whilst others are naturally gifted in the ways of energetic healing. One-on-one courses enable us to focus on what interests YOU at your own pace. It also means that everyday consists of you practicing massage rather than waiting in turn as a group, as well as receiving massage everyday yourself to be able to experience what it is that we are teaching you – which we think is a bit of a bonus ☺

Please contact us and we'll get back to you shortly.