British Columbia has two options for becoming certified--there's a national program and a provincial program. The national program is run by CPSAC. The provincial program is the BCTSF curriculum in association with JIBC. The cost can vary depending on instructor, program, and so forth. I believe the JI 1 day course is around $150. I just ran a CPSAC course about two weeks ago for Lower Mainland Car-seat.org members and I ran that course at a special rate. One of the instructors in BC has typically charged $450-$500 for her courses. Admittedly, she has more experience and has generally had business contracts. I personally think that this amount is cost prohibitive for most stay at home moms--who tend to be the biggest advocates for child passenger safety.
How long:
JIBC - 1 day; CPSAC - 3 days. Both numbers including the 1/2 day clinic.
What next:
You can do advocacy in real life and online. You can check seats (the CPSAC registration comes with liability insurance) for whomever you choose, although you'll want to pair up for a while at first to get more experience. You can do parent education sessions (I have a slideshow I can provide). You can volunteer with the health unit, fire department, etc. You are required to stay current, and the CPSAC will monitor that you're staying active as a technician.
Offering checks for fee:
I know people who charge $0, $20, $25, $30, and even $40 for checks. Again, you'll want to get more experience before you're charging for checks. Most technicians who charge have at least a year or two under their belts before they're in a position to be charging for their services. Think of the profession as being similar to becoming a doctor, a teacher, etc. You don't go out and perform surgery the day you get out of med school...you don't generally get into your own classroom once you get your B.Ed....etc.
Anything else:
It's a great course and a great community, but it's also very frustrating and under-appreciated. Car crashes are the #1 cause of death among children and yet our government structures itself such that child passenger safety is grossly underfunded, if funded at all. Carseat technicians save lives, and saving lives (and reducing injuries) saves money. It actually makes me mad to hear about this childhood disease or that childhood disease on the radio, because I know that if they'd given me even a small percentage of that advertising budget to do what I do, I'd save more lives and more MSP/taxpayer dollars. It's frustrating. And thankless, much of the time.
Where I am now--I really am starting to see that people don't value a free service. I would encourage technicians, once experienced enough to go solo or in pairs, to charge for their services just like any other professional charges for their services. Value yourself, and others will value you more. Admittedly, I don't charge, however..but I find it frustrating how people will fail to show up, cancel at the last minute, expect me to drive to them (I do, if they would otherwise have to transport a child in an unsafe manner, of course), etc., because it's "free". A lot of them mistakenly think I'm somehow funded by the government or employed by BCAA, I suppose...
-Nicole.