Concessionary fees policy
Policy statement
We are committed to supporting members to maintain their membership and the payment of their annual membership fees, specifically in circumstances where a member is not working, is retired or is working but on an income less than £16,500 per annum.
This policy sets out the requirements for members who wish to move to the concessionary rate because they are:
- Temporarily not working due to unemployment, ill health, parental leave or a career sabbatical
- Retired
- On an annual income of less than £16,500
We are also committed to supporting our student members, to transition to paying membership on successful completion of their teacher training qualification. The concessionary rate will therefore be made available to all students eligible to upgrade to Associate or Member for a maximum of two years, at which time the full membership fees will apply.
Commencement date
This policy was last reviewed and updated in February 2025 and will come into effect on 1 April 2025.
Fees
The concessionary rate for members for the 25/26 membership year is £40, payable by Direct Debit, card payment or employer invoice. All membership fees, including the concessionary rate are subject to change as part of the annual membership fee review which takes place each year. Please check the website for the most up to date fees.
Eligibility requirements
All members who are temporarily unable to work, and who have been in paying membership for one full membership year, can apply to be placed on the concessionary rate, if they fall into one of the following categories:
- all forms of parental leave
- unemployed (but seeking employment)
- career break, such as a sabbatical
- long term sick leave
Members who are eligible will be placed on the concessionary rate from the date their request is agreed until the end of the current membership year. The concessionary rate will be applied for a maximum of two years, at which time the full membership fee will be reinstated. Consideration will be given to members in exceptional circumstance who may need to remain on the concessionary rate for longer than two years. Such requests will be treated on a case-by-case basis.
If you are retired or on an annual income of less than £16,500 per annum you can also take advantage of the concessionary rate. In these circumstances, there is no time limit to remain on the concessionary rate, but members are asked to contact us if anything changes i.e. annual earnings go above £16,500.
Continuous Professional Development
All members, who are not working are not expected to undertake CPD activities. However, the advantages of continuing with professional development to ensure competencies and skills are maintained is highly recommended. Retired members are not expected to undertake CPD. Please see the latest CPD policy for more information.
Membership status
Being on the concessionary rate does not affect a member’s status, rights and obligations. Please refer to our Terms and Conditions of Membership for further details. All benefits of membership will be retained including the use of post nominals as applicable. However, members on the concessionary rate will only receive a digital version of InTuition, our quarterly magazine for members.
How to apply
Members who wish to move to the concessionary rate should contact our Helpline:
- 0800 093 9111
- membership@etfoundation.co.uk
- Open Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5pm
All discussions will be in the strictest confidence and in line with our Privacy Policy. We will then advise you what evidence is needed to support your request such as:
- Maternity leave: MATB1 certificate
- Unemployment: P45
- Long-term sickness: medical certificate
- Student upgrade: confirmation of your ITE qualification i.e. certificate
We will endeavour to decide without undue delay; if the request to move to the concessionary rate is not granted, a full explanation will be given. You will have the right to appeal by contacting the Head of Membership and Accreditation in the first instance.
All information shared with us for the purposes of making the decision will be treated securely, and with integrity and we will not store any sensitive information on our database.
Change of circumstances
Once you have been placed on the concessionary rate, if your circumstances change, please contact our Helpline so that we can update our records to ensure you are on the correct membership fee.
Each year before the annual renewal notice is issued, we will also ask members to reconfirm their eligibility to remain on the concessionary rate.
If you have been on the concessionary rate for two years due to unemployment, ill-health, parental leave or a career sabbatical, then you will automatically be returned to the full rate for your grade of membership.
If you have any questions regarding this policy, please contact the Helpline on membership@etfoundation.co.uk in the first instance.
Updated: February 2025