For non-ISTD-qualified teachers who are actively teaching dance. Affiliate Members cannot submit students for ISTD exams.
What is the eligibility criteria?
Affiliate membership is open to teachers who hold Level 4 Diploma in Teaching Community Dance (DTCD) and a wide range of dance teachers who are not ISTD-qualified but are actively teaching. Teachers who hold a teaching qualification awarded by an organisation approved by a UK regulator, or by an organisation associated with a regulated awarding body, are eligible to apply for Affiliate membership. A selected number of approved non-ISTD teaching qualifications are accepted for Full Teaching membership.
Where a teaching qualification has been awarded by a non-regulated organisation, or where a teacher has gained equivalent professional training and experience, a CV and cover letter demonstrating such experience needs to be submitted along with or instead of a teaching qualification and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Member benefits
- Receive free Digital Dance Magazine and keep up to date with the latest news, dance teaching tips, and hot topics. Issued three times a year
- Access exclusive events and a wide range of syllabus and non-syllabus training
- Get Member discounts on CPD courses
- Access a range of business and marketing tools and assets to help promote and grow your business
- Use 5% discount in the Society shop (applied automatically when logged into the member area)
- Receive discounts on advertising in Dance magazine and in the classified advertising section of the website
- Gain access to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Vetting Scheme
- Be part of a dance community through our online forums, get regular updates on genre-specific news, and build valuable networks. Wherever you are in the UK and across the world, we have representatives on hand - access our Regional and International representatives network.
- Search for dance teaching jobs and schools for sale in the classified advertising section of the website.
Membership fees
Membership rates run from 1 April to 31 March but you can join us at any time throughout the year. Please note there is a one-off enrolment fee payment of £15 per application. Renewal falls on 1 April.
| Affiliate Membership | UK | International (Including EU, excluding South Africa*) |
| Rate from 1 October 2025 – 31 March 2026 | £56 | £56 |
If you are joining from South Africa, please contact the membership team for fee details.
Concessionary rates are available in extenuating circumstances, please contact membership@istd.org for more information.
