Membership Definitions

MEMBERSHIP DEFINITIONS

What are the different membership and guide options within the Polar Tourism Guides Association? 

 Member:

• Annual dues paid along with submission of current First Aid Certificate and signed Code of Conduct.
• May be working toward certified guide status, including holding a selection of foundational competency awards.
• Access to a variety of online development and industry-related informational resources.

Polar Guide:

• Achieving Polar Guide status requires a logged experience of >60 days work in the polar tourism industry.
• Annual dues paid along with submission of current First Aid Certificate and signed Code of Conduct.
• Assessed in 5 or more foundational awards.
• The Polar Guide Award represents an industry-approved level of minimal competency as a professional guide and can include guides ranging from relative newcomers to long-standing industry veterans.

Senior Polar Guide:

• Achieving Senior Polar Guide status requires a logged experience of >260 days work in the polar tourism industry.*
• Annual dues paid along with current First Aid Certificate and signed Code of Conduct.
• Senior Polar Guide status is awarded via one of two thresholds:
  • Assessed in all of the foundational qualifications PLUS 4 or more advanced qualifications and/or endorsements.
  • Assessed in 6 of the foundational awards PLUS 5 or more advanced qualifications.
• A Senior Polar Guide represents a level of advanced competency at the professional level across a broad range of skill sets and includes very experienced guides and long-standing industry veterans.
• A Senior Polar Guide is able to represent themselves across the full geographic range of the PTGA. They understand that all locations within this scope will require different specific and nuanced local knowledge which needs to be considered with regard to their operation.

* Or, at the recommendation of a review panel with all decisions outlined and approved.

Assessors:

The PTGA has 4 levels of people involved with our ISO accredited assessment system.

Any PTGA Assessor is someone who has been vetted for their skills, experience and character and trained in the delivery methodology and administrative requirements of the PTGA.

Regardless of Company they work for, if delivering PTGA assessments, Assessors are delivering to the standards and methodology required by the PTGA.

All PTGA Assessors have a register of qualifications they can assess against. They have to hold the award themselves and feel confident about their knowledge and experience to uphold the standard in an assessment setting.

1) Provisional Assessor:

Provisional Assessor status is provided to Senior Polar Guides who have attended a PTGA Assessor Training course and have a number of additional developmental requirements to achieve over a period of time. Provisional Assessors are allowed to assess candidates within their licensed scope and range.

2) Assessors: 

Once a Provisional Assessor has completed all provisional requirements they are considered full Assessors and are able to assess within their allowable scope and range.

3) Senior Assessors:

Senior Assessors have been trained and accredited to deliver/facilitate Assessor Training Courses. They are able to offer assessments anywhere in the world.

4) Assessment Advisors: 

Assessment Advisors are specialist experts who are not necessarily Guides or Assessors. They may work with PTGA Assessors or candidates and will have strategic expertise in some part of the assessment process.

All PTGA status guides and Assessors must submit a Continual Professional Development (CPD) portfolio to revalidate all awards every four years.