WMS Frequently Asked Questions

What is IATEFL trying to achieve through WMS?

We aim to:

• bring membership of IATEFL's international ELT community to teachers in parts of the world where it would otherwise be too expensive, and
• engage IATEFL's associate organisations in the task of promoting and supporting the scheme and further widening co-operation between teachers around the world.

How does the WMS work?

The scheme works through IATEFL's Associates; the 80+ national, regional or local professional associations for English teachers that have formal agreements with IATEFL. Members of IATEFL Associates can already take out basic IATEFL membership at much less than the normal full subscription. Under WMS, Associates whose economic circumstances qualify them for the scheme are able to offer this basic membership at even lower rates, matched to their local economic conditions. Each year a letter is sent to all Associates, inviting them to participate in WMS. Those who wish to take up this offer are able to bid for WMS memberships or alternatively donate funds for our scheme. Please take a look at the human development list of countries provided by the Bank of England.

Each qualifying Associate receives a certain number of these memberships to offer their members. Individual members pay their IATEFL subscription through the Associate at this local rate. There is then a range of possible mechanisms to help the Associate transfer the money to IATEFL. These subscription fees are then made up to the full amount for basic membership (currently £19) from a special IATEFL fund. To ensure fairness the administration of the scheme is overseen by an independent WMS Advisory Committee.

How does the Advisory Committee decide which associations to recommend for support?

The Advisory Committee bases its recommendations on economic data taken from United Nations sources, from representatives of impartial organisations working in the relevant countries and from information supplied by Associates themselves. Some aspects of these data are, of course, subject to interpretation; each case is judged on its individual merits by the Advisory Committee and this is why the independence of the committee is so important.

How do individual members pay their subscriptions?

Members pay the agreed subscription in local currency through the IATEFL Associate, usually at the same time as paying their normal subscription to the association. The Associate then transfers the total of these subscriptions to IATEFL, converted into pounds sterling.

How do Associates participate in the scheme and how can they make a donation?

All IATEFL Associates are eligible to participate in the scheme; either to bid to become a recipient of WMS memberships, or to make donations, which, of course, are always welcome. Anyone interested in becoming involved should contact the IATEFL office.

How do I know if our Association qualifies to apply for memberships under the WMS (Wider Membership Scheme)?

If you take a look at the human development list of countries, you can get some indication of whether you qualify or not. It is taken from the UN Human Development Index report for the latest available year and places countries where there are IATEFL Associates in one of four groups in order of GDP (Gross Domestic Product ) adjusted for PPP (Purchasing Power Parity). Countries in group A are very unlikely to qualify for support; countries in group B may qualify; countries in group C are likely to qualify, but each bid is looked at individually against the information supplied. It is important to stress that this list is given for guidance only. The WMS Advisory Committee will also take into account a teacher's average annual earnings in the country in question.

What if our Association is not an Associate of IATEFL?

The Wider Membership Scheme is only open to Associations who have signed an Associate agreement with IATEFL. For information on how your Association can become an Associate, see our associates page.

How do I work out what my teachers can afford to pay?

As a starting point we suggest you base your estimate on 0.1% of a typical member's (full time) annual earnings. (If most of your members have more than one source of income, this should be taken into account.) However, even this may not give a realistic view of what your members would be able and willing to pay. The Committee will appreciate any additional information you can offer about this.

How long is membership for?

WMS support runs for two years. At the end of the first year you will receive new forms for the second year, for you to distribute and return to IATEFL. It is possible to apply for additional memberships for the second year, which should comply with the deadlines for new bids - usually Associates' Day at the annual conference. Note that this kind of "top-up" bid is likely to be given lower priority by the Advisory Committee and that any additional memberships will run for one year only.

Towards the end of the second year, you will need to put in a fresh bid if you want to continue to receive WMS support. This must be filled out in full, even if some of the information may be the same.

How many memberships can we bid for?

This will depend on the number of members in your Association. To give you some idea, we envisage a proportion of between 8% and 15% of the total number of your associate members. These percentages may not hold for very large or very small associations but in general any less than this will not have enough impact; any more would be putting too much strain on the funds.

How should we get members’ fees to IATEFL?

There are several ways of transferring the money. The easiest way is to collect the agreed subscription in local currency, possibly at the same time as the members pay the normal subscription to your local association. You can then convert the amount into pounds sterling and transfer the total to IATEFL. Alternatively, to avoid any bank charges, you can settle your account by a number of other means, for example:

• carrying it as cash when someone visits the UK
• adding it to the costs of someone attending an IATEFL UK event (e.g .the annual conference) and transferring it with that sum
• using a personal credit card
• offsetting it against the costs of someone from the UK travelling to the Associate's conference
• by commercial transfer if one member has access to facilities through their work.

What happens to the application if all the required information has not been provided?

All the information serves a purpose and we need all sections completed. Questions 1 and 2 on the form are often incomplete. For administrative reasons, it is important to have the names and up-to-date contact details of at least four of the officers listed in Question 1. Also, in order to make sensible recommendations, it is also important that the Committee knows the current number of members in your Association and what the annual membership fee is. If all the required information has not been provided, your application cannot be considered.

Does it matter what the procedures are for allocation of memberships? (Question 6)

It is important that the Committee can see the details of how you would allocate memberships. Different countries opt for different procedures. These can vary between: first come first served; length of time as a member of association; whether she/he is actively involved in the Association's activities; priority to first time applicants; regional distribution; spread between more and less recently qualified teachers; etc. There is no one ‘correct' procedure but details should be given.

What happens if the application is late, through reasons beyond one’s control?

If you are aware that the application may be late, it is important to warn the IATEFL office in advance. Provided there are good reasons, you may be able to ask for a short extension.

How important is the last question on the bidding form? ( How will WMS help to strengthen your Association and its links with IATEFL?)

All the questions are important. This question rounds off the application by giving us an idea of the benefits that membership of IATEFL would bring to your members. Many Associates mention the importance of wider professional contact and opportunities for exchange of ideas and experiences.

For what reasons are applications turned down?

For a number of reasons:

• if the country is in Group D or C on the UN HDI list, even if the teachers are relatively underpaid
• if IATEFL has not got a currently valid Associate agreement with the Association (remember to check your agreement and to renew it when necessary)
• if the application is late
• if the application is made only by letter rather than by completion of the application form
• if any item on the application form has not been satisfactorily completed
• if it emerges that the memberships are not being equitably allotted
• if the Associate's track record is poor: e.g. it has previously been offered memberships but few or none have been taken up and no explanation offered.

Why did we get fewer memberships than we applied for?

IATEFL uses the advice of the independent WMS Advisory Committee to decide each year how to distribute the money available for the Scheme. This may mean giving your Association fewer memberships than you applied for. Another reason may be that in a previous cycle you applied for many more memberships than you eventually took up.