- The dues for 2023 are $89 (plus GST)
Individuals who have taken an apprentice, professional, interpretive specialist or master interpreter certification with the IGA and want to keep that certification in good standing must pay yearly professional dues.
Affiliate Members are individuals who want to support the IGA and be part of a vibrant community of interpretive guides but are not interested in taking courses or becoming certified.
Both come with great benefits and both support this professional not-for-profit organization that is doing incredible work world wide to promote this profession.
Professional dues and memberships are good for one full year from purchase date. Renewals received after their expiry date will incur a late fee administration charge of $10 plus GST.
- To support the organization that has been established to support you, Interpretive guides and the guiding community.
- To remain a certified professional in your field while maintaining your status as a certified guide in good standing with the interpretive guide association.
- To maintain your name on the IGA's website as a certified guide.
- To continue to receive member updates, job postings, and access to the guides and members section of the website.
- To gain access to our certified guides only pro-deals with Outdoor Research, Black Diamond, The North Face, Promotive, Asolo Boots, Vipole Poles, discounts at local partnering retailers, free and discounted tours with select companies, plus other benefits.
- To continue to receive discounts on upcoming professional development sessions and other IGA products and services
- To maintain professional credibility with your employers and guests
- To continue to be represented as a professional at meetings with government, municipalities, other guide associations and tourism throughout Canada and around the world.
Please note: the IGA does not require you to re-certify every few years like many other certifying bodies. If you pay your yearly professional dues and complete 10 hours of professional development your certification will remain active and in place. If you do not pay your fees and complete your professional development you may loose your certification and have to re-take the course and any associated tests.
Click here for details about the benefits of keeping your certification in good standing or becoming a member of the IGA.
Click on the “I forgot my password” button on the log-in page and reset it. You will receive an email with a link to reset the password. Once your password has been reset proceed to the login page.
There are three payment options:
- Payment on-line by credit card. (our on-line payment system has been upgraded and is easier to use)
- Email Money Transfer. Send to accounting@interpretiveguides.org. If you choose this payment type please email us with the password you have set up for the transaction along with your name and details of what you are paying for.
- Pay by cheque. Cheque or money order: Make cheque or money order out to “Interpretive Guides Association” and mail to:
Interpretive Guides Association
PO Box 8807, 203-820 Main St
Canmore, AB
T1W 0C1
Please be aware that cheques take time to clear so your certification will not be updated until the cheque is received.
All professional dues and membership fees are non-refundable.
Paying your professional dues keeps your certification active and in good standing, which means you are certified to do the work you do. If you decide not to pay these fees we will have to change your status to “not active”- "not certified". If you are not active you will not be listed on IGA’s website as a certified guide, you will not be given access to the IGA member benefits and you should not be guiding (unless you have a certification with another organization relevant for your area). Please note that your certification could become null and void after a period of time, which means you will need to retake the courses and tests to become certified again.
The IGA does not require individuals to re-certify every few years like many other organizations. Instead, paying your yearly professional dues and completing 10 hours of professional development is what keeps your certification active and in good standing.
Please visit our reinstate your membership page to learn more about this process.
Log into the members section. and follow the appropriate links on the top navigation bar of the website.
The past year has been both busy. Here are a few highlights:
- We have a brand new website that has more capabilities and is easier to use.
- We have updated our Basic Knowledge online courses and these are now on a new, easier to use platform.
- We are working on a new Waterton Basic Knowledge course and are hoping to have it ready to launch by fall 2022.
- We are offering courses in Western Canada in interpretation and Tofino area knowledge and have partnered with various non-profit organizations on the coast to bring interpretation to more professions.
- We partnered with the Global Alliance of Interpretation, National Association of Interpretation, InterpatMx and Interpretation Canada to bring you an America’s conference in interpretation in Feb 2021.
- Our new Interpretive Specialist course has been very successful and is being taught throughout Canada year round.
- We are presently teaching many of our courses online through Zoom and have been very successful teaching on this platform, engaging people across Canada and other areas of the world.
- We are also presenting many professional development sessions over Zoom, and offer these sessions regularly throughout the year.
- We have formed many new partnerships over the past few years - with Interpretation Canada, The Outdoor Learning Store, Outdoor Council of Canada, CPAWS, The Lake Superior Conservation Association, IATDG, WFTGA, The Outdoor Learning Store, MERS, SKGABC and many more are in the works.
- We signed a new pro-deal partner – The North Face is now a company that members can order from at pro-deal discounted rates.
- We continued our efforts to profile certified guides and businesses who hire certified guides throughout Canada and other areas of the World.
- We have continued to update the members section of the website and the member resource library
- We have made revisions to our professional interpreter course as well as our Apprentice and group management courses
- We now have a 4 season group management course allowing guides to operate in all 4 seasons (winter is now included)
- We now have 3 different instruction manuals and they are all available as pdf’s
- All of our courses are available in French, Japanese and English.
- We represented certified guides and the interpretive guiding community at several conferences in Canada and the US and have worked with tourism Canada to help ensure this profession is better understood and valued.
- Our ED has presented and held workshops at conferences engaging interpreters in Canada, Mexico, the Netherlands, and the USA.