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1. How long does it take to process my membership application?
2. How long does it take to receive my membership ID number?
3. What is my membership number? My expiration (paid through) date?
4. When are publications mailed out? How long does it take to get my publications?
5. Does basic membership include Essential Teacher and TESOL Quarterly?
6. How may I renew my membership in TESOL?
7. Why did I receive a final renewal notice, even though I sent in my renewal already?
8. May I join more than one interest section? May I add them at any time during the year or only when I renew?
9. If I'm a TESOL member, does that make me a member of my local affiliate, too?
10. What payment options are available for TESOL membership?
11. How can I change my address or contact information with TESOL?
12. If I'm moving, when should I alert TESOL so that I can continue to receive all my publications?
13. Do I have to be certified in ESOL before I can become a member?
14. How can I get in contact with other TESOL members? Is there a directory?
15. May I receive a sample of Essential Teacher or TESOL Quarterly before I join?
16. Are memberships transferable?
17. May my institution become a member of TESOL?
18. For how long is my membership valid?
19. May I subscribe to TESOL Quarterly without becoming a member?
20. Why do I get errors when using the shopping cart?
21. Can I change my membership status?
It varies. If joining or renewing online, membership is immediate. If payment is made by mail or fax, these payments are processed at SunTrust, TESOL's bank, and are returned to TESOL each day in batches. Usually, it takes 1-2 weeks to process a payment from the time you mail your application to the time TESOL confirms your payment. During the 2 months preceding and following the annual convention, it can take 3-4 weeks to process your membership because of the high number of renewals and new applications processed during this period.
If joining online, your membership ID number is provided to you immediately via an email confirming receipt of your payment. That is followed by another email, sent each Friday, advising you of both your ID number and membership expiration date along with information about how to learn more about your membership online. Members without email addresses are mailed a copy of the same information each Friday.
Please note that TESOL no longer provides printed member ID cards or membership certificates.
Your membership number, or member ID is provided to you either by email or mail upon joining, depending on whether or not you have an email address. TESOL member IDs are 5- or 6-digit numbers ranging from 00001 through 999999. Your paid through date also appears in an emailed or mailed communication to you within a week of joining and your membership is valid through that date.
Publications start once your payment has been processed. Because TESOL serials follow a varying schedule, you may not receive a publication for up to 2-3 months after paying. For example, if you subscribed to TESOL Quarterly, and your payment was processed on June 8, but the labels we send to the publisher for mailing that publication were produced on May 31, then you will miss that issue. However, you would get the following issue--although it may not be mailed for another 3 months. Generally speaking, Issue 1 of the volume year is mailed out sometime between April and June, Issue 2 June-August, Issue 3 September-November, and Issue 4 December-January. Serials are mailed at the standard nonprofit third-class rate. Interest section newsletters are not guaranteed, but most ISs mail out at least a preconvention issue before March each year. Placement E-Bulletin and TESOL Connections are each sent twice per month.
A serial publication mailing schedule is available online (see the Publications section of TESOL's Web site), and updates are also posted regularly in the TESOL Connections.
Basic TESOL membership includes a subscription to Essential Teacher (and optional electronic publications such as TESOL Connections or Placement E-Bulletin) only. You may subscribe to TESOL Quarterly for an additional $50. Subscription to TESOL Quarterly includes access to TQ online through Ingenta. See the Membership: Member Benefits section for a link to the TQ access page, if you subscribe.
You should receive two official dues invoice notices electronically or by mail, depending on which method you selected. [Note: this option may be changed by you at any time in your membership profile.] Members receive an early dues notice 2 months prior to the expiration of membership and a final notice, if dues have not already been paid, the month of the expiration of the membership.
Payment may be made online by using one of the following options:
Additional reminders are sent by e-mail to members throughout the renewal cycle
TESOL produces membership renewal notices up to 3 weeks in advance of when they are actually mailed or e-mailed. This delay, coupled with the 1-2 week lag between when the bank deposits your payment if mailed or faxed and when TESOL actually applies your membership payment, can mean that your payment and your final renewal notice cross in the mail. Please disregard any final notices if you have already paid your membership for the coming year. You may view your profile, then view your subscription information, to confirm your membership status. Or e-mail members@tesol.org to check on the status of your payment.
All members now have open access to all Interest Sections (IS) without charge. [Joint members may each select 2.] Once you have selected your primary IS, you may log in at the TESOL web site at www.tesol.org, select My Communities from the Member Toolbox and then review and select your options on the web page provided for this purpose.
No. Nor does membership in an affiliate automatically make someone a member of TESOL. TESOL membership fees only cover membership in TESOL. You may join any local organizations separately. TESOL maintains a worldwide list of affiliates online (see Communities: Affiliates), or you may contact affiliates@tesol.org to request information about a particular affiliate.
TESOL accepts checks drawn in U.S. funds on U.S. banks, Visa and MasterCard (including check cards), and American Express for dues payments. Purchase orders are not accepted. Special instructions exist for wire transfers and Western Union® payments, and you must pay appropriate fees. An application must be sent to TESOL indicating a wire transfer or Western Union® payment is forthcoming or we will be unable to process your payment. Download an application from the web site, write a note at the top of the first page of the application or on the cover sheet of the fax that you are sending a wire transfer or Western Union® payment and fax the completed application to Accounts Receivable, TESOL, at +1 703-836-6447. For complete details on all payment options, visit http://www.tesol.org.
Online, members may use the Profile tool after logging in (see My Profile) to edit mailing address or other contact information. You may also e-mail members@tesol.org with your full name, member ID, old and new addresses, and any notes about when the change should take effect. Or telephone TESOL at +1 703-836-0774, +1 240-646-7048, or toll-free 888-547-3369 and ask to speak to a membership assistant. Note: depending on when you change your address with TESOL, you may continue to receive mailings at your old address for 4-6 weeks.
TESOL produces mailing labels for publications up to 4 weeks in advance of when publications are mailed, so the earlier you can send us your address changes, the better. Change your address online, via e-mail members@tesol.org, or by calling +1 240-646-7048 (toll free 1-888-547-3369 in the United States).
You can join TESOL at any stage in your career--preferably as a student, when TESOL can help ease you into the profession--and you can remain a member even after you have retired from the profession.
TESOL offers two online directories; both available upon logging into the Web site. The Membership Directory (see Member Toolbox: Member Directory) includes only those members whose names and information they choose to provide. Your name will be included only if you have given permission to post your name in that online directory. The Leadership Directory (see Member Toolbox: Leadership Directory) contains contact information on all current leaders of TESOL including Board, Committee, Interest Section leaders and officers. You may update your membership profile at any time (see My Profile).
Another good place to network and get in touch with other members is at the annual TESOL convention. Year-round, network with your colleagues via interest section electronic discussion lists. Explore the Membership section of TESOL's Web site for more information about interest sections.
Sample publications are not available, but recent tables of contents of Essential Teacher and TESOL Quarterly and article abstracts are available online. Visit TESOL Quarterly's online site through Ingenta for recent tables of contents, or check with your local university library.
No. Memberships are individual and nontransferable even if your school or company paid for your membership. If you have any questions or concerns about this policy, contact the director of member services at members@tesol.org or +1-703-836-0774.
Institutions cannot be members of TESOL. Nor can an institution state that it is a member of TESOL if it has TESOL members on staff. A membership is individual and nontransferable. A library subscription program exists for libraries that wish to receive Essential Teacher and TESOL Quarterly, but this is in no way related to individual membership.
Your membership is valid for approximately 12 months from the time your application is processed (if you are a new member) or from the time your current membership expires (if you are a renewing member). For instance, if your application is processed on May 16, 2008, your membership will be considered paid through May 31, 2009, and you will continue receiving publications mailed on or before September 30, 2009. If you renew your membership in February 2008, your membership would then become paid through March 31, 2009, one year past your current expiration date.
Membership is required for subscription to TESOL Quarterly except in the case of institutional (library) subscriptions. Prices and details for library subscriptions may be found at this link. Library subscriptions are intended to provide institutions with copies for their archives. See Questions 5 and 17 above for more information.
There could be several reasons one might encounter an error when using the shopping cart:
Membership categories may not be changed except at time of renewal.
Please Note: When an error occurs, members will receive an alert in RED on the current page with instructions to contact TESOL for assistance.
Do you have a question you think should be listed here? Please e-mail suggestions to members@tesol.org.
