Chris Howell’s Journey from Assistant Head Teacher to Master Celebrant

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    The call to become a celebrant is something that, once heard, becomes hard to ignore. That was certainly the case for Chris Howell, an assistant head teacher who felt the calling to become a funeral celebrant after attending the funeral of a loved one. His journey to become a celebrant has awoken his creativity and fuelled his passion for a career filled with meaning and purpose.

    Finding Purpose Beyond the Classroom

    These days, many people struggle to find a career path they truly love. Chris Howell now has two. After working as a Spanish teacher for 15 years and progressing to assistant head teacher in secondary education, Chris found himself questioning his long-term career satisfaction as he approached his 40th birthday and some deep soul searching sent him on an incredible path of discovery.

    “About 18 months ago, I was starting to consider… I think it tied in with turning 40, and I started to think, am I going to do this for the rest of my life? Will it satisfy me enough? And the answer was, well, it won’t,” Chris reflects.

    Rather than quitting his full-time secondary education job, which he loves, Chris found a more creative solution. His exploration of different career paths initially led him to consider retraining as an accountant, but fate had other plans.

    The Moment Everything Changed

    Chris’s lightbulb moment came during what should have been an ordinary day. “On a day when I was looking up training to become an accountant, I went to a funeral,” he explains. “It was exactly that—a lightbulb moment, watching the celebrant, hearing her inspire and be uplifting and positive, but at the same time being respectful and empathetic. And I thought, I think I can do that.”

    The response from his family and friends was immediate and encouraging. “I had a chat to my other half, had chat with my family, and my close friends, and they all just jumped on the idea and said, absolutely, you’re made for it.”

    That very evening, Chris began researching celebrant training, which led him to the Academy of Modern Celebrancy.

    Chris Howell AMC Celebrant Graduate Student Spotlight

    Choosing the Right Training Path

    Multipassionate individuals are often drawn to celebrancy for the diversity of skills required and the variety the role brings—for those who struggle doing the same thing day in day out, celebrancy offers a breath of fresh air, because, as any celebrant will tell you, no two days are the same.

    Chris was particularly drawn to AMC’s Master Celebrant programme. “I wanted to train in multiple areas, so I’m on the masters program. It seemed as though it was, while it’s clear that everything is split up into different sections, the fact that it came as a package… I could do all my training with the AMC just seemed to make sense.”

    His research into AMC’s reputation sealed the deal. “It had a real sense of style and kind of modernity about it. It seemed like it was not really keeping up with the times, but almost driving the times within celebrancy,” Chris notes. “I spoke to a couple of friends of friends who are celebrants—they both gave me the thumbs up when I mentioned the AMC. They said that’s kind of the organisation to be with at the moment.”

    Balancing Training with a Full-Time Career

    One of Chris’s concerns was managing the training alongside his demanding role in education and family commitments. However, AMC’s flexible approach proved ideal for his situation.

    “Having a full time job with a family, I was able to just do it in those little chunks… using a window of an hour at the weekend or an hour in the evening, even just stopping a video halfway through—just the flexibility made it really easy for me,” Chris explains.

    The course content itself exceeded his expectations. “It’s really methodical. It’s really well organised. It just makes sense. And I’ve not found myself having to ask too many questions along the way, because the answers are kind of almost there… within 30 seconds, because it’s preempted.”

    Reigniting Creativity and Passion

    For Chris, one of the most rewarding aspects of the training has been rediscovering his creative side. “I’m naturally quite a creative person, but I think I’ve been in my job that’s been restricted a little bit because I’ve been doing the same thing over and over again. So to suddenly have that reignited, and the opportunity to kind of do what I want, to a degree with some parameters, was fantastic.”

    His first live ceremony performance, conducted in his garden room with friends and neighbours as the audience, proved to be a pivotal moment. “All I wanted it to be was the real thing… My other half was in tears. It just felt like it was a real thing, and it really touched me. And I thought, if I can have that feeling every single time I perform a ceremony… I’ll be truly blessed.”

    The Power of Mentorship and Support

    Chris has been particularly impressed with the support structure at AMC, especially the mentorship programme. His funeral course mentor, Christine, provided the detailed feedback that helped elevate his skills.

    “I asked her at the beginning, I said, please don’t hold back. Don’t pull any punches, and just give me exactly what I need and what I require to improve. And she absolutely did that,” Chris recalls. “She just was really detailed, targeted and pragmatic.”

    The combination of online learning and personalised support has proven highly effective. “Through all of the online learning content and all of the feedback, through phone calls, through the email contact, I got exactly what I needed.”

    Looking Towards the Future

    Having successfully completed the funeral course, Chris is now exploring wedding celebrancy and finding it offers even more creative freedom. “With weddings, it seems like the rule books really completely… ripped up, and I’ve got that carte blanche to be able to do what I want, working with couples and what they want.”

    His vision for the future includes offering a full range of ceremonies. “As an idealist, I’m thinking I’d like to do a little bit of all of it… I also like the idea with the naming ceremonies and the vow renewals that I might plant a seed for those ideas through networking, through marketing.”

    Chris is particularly excited about introducing naming ceremonies to his local area. “I didn’t have a clue what naming ceremonies were six months ago. Never heard of them. So the idea that maybe, locally, certainly, I could be driving a bit of a new wave of naming ceremonies is brilliant.”

    Advice for Aspiring Celebrants

    For those considering a similar journey, Chris offers straightforward advice: “Rip the plaster off and do it, but with an idea of having some logic behind it, and some planning and some strategy.”

    He emphasises the importance of ensuring you have the right support system and backup plan in place. “Am I at the right time in my life to do this? Have I got the right support around me? Can I afford to do it? Have I got the backup work available as well? All of that once that all came together… gave me kind of an open pass, really, to throw myself into something.”

    The Excitement of New Beginnings

    What stands out most about Chris’s journey is his infectious enthusiasm for what lies ahead. When asked about the best thing about his current position, his response is immediate: “The feeling of excitement I’ve not felt really for years in this way, the fact that I don’t really know what’s coming, I know that I’m going to love it.”

    Chris’s story demonstrates that it’s never too late to pursue a calling that brings meaning and purpose to your life, whether as a complete career change or as a fulfilling addition to work you already love.


    Ready to Discover Your Calling?

    Could celebrancy be the career path you’ve been searching for? Like Chris, you might discover that becoming a celebrant awakens a creativity and passion you never knew you had.

    Take our fun celebrant quiz to discover if celebrancy could be the perfect fit for you. And if you’re ready to follow in Chris’s footsteps, explore our comprehensive Master Celebrant Training programme, which covers wedding, funeral, and naming celebrancy all in one industry-leading package.

    Your journey to a more meaningful career could start today.

    Team AMC

    Our team of writers and contributors at The Academy of Modern Celebrancy are dedicated to educating Celebrants and helping them build thriving Celebrant businesses. Our team is made up of Celebrants and Industry experts dedicated to sharing their expertise with you.

    The Academy of Modern Celebrancy also has a thriving community of 2.8k celebrants that we are dedicated to helping grow their businesses and taking celebrancy from a hobby to a lifestyle.

    AMC host the global celebrant summit, Celebrantopia, each year, where experts from the Celebrant world share their expertise and passion for Celebrancy.

    The Academy of Modern Celebrancy has trained over 600 celebrants, and employs award-winning Celebrant Mentors who know what it takes to make it in the industry. We train the best celebrants out there across the UK, Europe and the USA.

    Take the Quiz to find out if you have what it takes!

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