Designed for those aspiring to become ISTD-qualified dance teachers and Full Teaching members. Provisional Membership is also open to non-ISTD-qualified candidates looking to progress their careers.
Who can become a Provisional member?
If you are working towards your ISTD Diploma in Dance Education (DDE) or Associate qualification, Provisional Membership is an important step to a career in teaching dance and towards Full Membership. Provisional Membership is also open to non-ISTD-qualified candidates looking to progress their careers. Full Membership must be achieved within five years of first attaining Provisional Membership.
What is the eligibility criteria?
Provisional membership is strongly recommended for learners taking DDE and Associate qualifications. To be eligible for Provisional Membership one of the options a–c must apply:
a) A person aged 16 or over who holds an ISTD qualification Intermediate, Advanced 1, Advanced 2 (Theatre or Dancesport), or the student teacher qualification in Dancesport.
b) Provisional Members in the UK and EU (Theatre) must be working towards their Level 4 Diploma in Dance Education (DDE). Dancesport provisional members and International (Theatre) provisional members must be working towards gaining their Associate qualification.
c) A person who has no teaching qualifications but has applied and been approved by submitting a CV and cover letter to the Dance Directorate and must be working towards an ISTD qualification.
If you are non-ISTD qualified, aged 16 years and over, please contact education@istd.org to discuss your options for pursuing dance teacher training with the Society. Once you are enrolled in a vocational programme of study, you can submit an application for Provisional Membership.
Member benefits
- Receive free Dance Magazine and keep up to date with the latest news, dance teaching tips, and hot topics. Issued three times a year (subscription worth £25 UK and EU/ International £30)
- Access exclusive events and a wide range of syllabus and non-syllabus training
- Get member discounts on CPD courses
- Use 5% discount in the Society shop (applied automatically when logged into the member area)
- Access the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Vetting Scheme
- Receive regular e-newsletters with the latest news from the Society
- Be part of a dance community through our online forums, get regular updates on genre-specific news, seek advice, 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
- Receive discounts on advertising in Dance magazine and in the classified advertising section of the website.
- 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.
| Provisional Membership | UK | International (Including EU, excluding South Africa*) |
| Rate from 1 April 2025 – 31 March 2026 | £91 | £88 |
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.
