Membership Criteria and application form

In order to join ALTO, applicants must meet the entry criteria outlined below according to each membership category.

Full Membership

Full Membership of the Association shall be open to educational travel agencies and schools engaged in the activity of sending and/or receiving students on “in country” language and academic courses, and to language course providers offering “in country” foreign language courses. Each Full Member will have one vote at the Annual General Meeting. The annual membership fee is 1590 EUR.

In order to be eligible for Full Membership, the applicant must:

1. Be a language or educational travel agency, school, or course provider engaged in the business of sending and/or receiving students.
2. Be a body corporate that has traded for a minimum of three years in the language and/or educational travel business.
3. Be licensed appropriately in the country in which it operates where such licences are mandatory.
4. Have produced a minimum of 2 million USD gross sales volume in the last 12 months.
5. Have a minimum of 5 full time staff members or the equivalent in part time employment.
6. Appoint the leader of the organisation (Owner, CEO or President) as Primary Member of ALTO, and a senior member of the management team as the Secondary Member of ALTO. The Secondary Member is appointed by the Primary Member.
7. Be recommended for membership by two Full Members of ALTO, both of whom must have been Members of ALTO for at least two consecutive years.
8. Endorse the ALTO Aims and Objectives.

A waiver of clauses 2, 4 or 5 may be given following submission of a rationale statement for exemption that is approved by the Board. Due to the pandemic’s devastating effect on our industry, you can use your 2019 figures in clause 4.

An allowance to reduce the 2 million USD gross sales volume in the last 12 months to 1 million USD gross sales volume in the last 12 months will be offered to all educational travel agency applicants provided they have been a body corporate that has traded for a minimum of six years instead of the minimum three years required by clause 2 above.

Associate Trading Membership

Associate Trading Membership is open to domestic language schools, language course providers, publishers and other organisations that supply auxiliary services to language travel agencies, operators and schools. Each Trading member will have one vote at the Annual General Meeting after holding membership for at least 12 months. The annual membership fee is 1590 EUR.

In order to be eligible for Associate Trading Membership the applicant must:

1. Be an organisation that offers services to language/educational travel agencies, educational institutions or language schools such as publishers, hotels, transport companies, insurance companies, IT companies, etc.
2. Have existed as a body corporate for a minimum of three years.
3. Be recommended for membership by two Full Members of ALTO, both of whom must have been Members of ALTO for at least two consecutive years.
4. Accept the ALTO Aims and Objectives.

Associate Non-Trading Membership

Associate Non-Trading Membership is open to those organisations that do not trade, such as national associations, language teachers’ associations, trade associations, official recognition bodies and accreditation agencies. Each Associate Non-Trading Member will have one vote at the Annual General Meeting. The annual membership fee is 399 EUR.

In order to be eligible for Associate Non-Trading Membership the applicant must:

1. Be a non-trading organisation such as national association, language teachers’ association, official recognition body or an accreditation agency.
2. Be recommended for membership by two Full Members of ALTO.
3. Accept the ALTO Aims and Objectives.

Questions?

To discuss your membership application, please contact us anytime.

In order for us to work on membership drive more efficiently, we would like to know where you have heard about us. An online advert, an industry event or perhaps a colleague from the industry? Please let us know, thank you!

Membership criteria valid from Nov 2018. Covid19 update in 2022.