Frequently Asked Questions about Membership
Table of Contents
- What is the youngest age at which a person can become a member?
- How much are dues for the season?
- What if I join half way through the season?
- What is the student rate, and what are the requirements?
- What are the inactive dues and requirements?
- What is the senior dues rate, and what are the requirements?
- What is a member required to do to maintain certification?
- Will any event fulfill the educational credit requirements? Even in another discipline?
- What if my schedule did not permit, and I was unable to participate in an event in the season I was "due?"
- What if I had a medical reason as to why I was unable to participate in an event in the season I was "due?"
- What is the Reinstatement Process?
- I am moving, or I have moved. How do I transfer my Eastern membership and certification to another division of PSIA/AASI?
- I have moved to the East. How do I transfer from another division to the Eastern Division?
- I am a certified ski or snowboard instructor from another country. How can I become certified with PSIA-E/AASI?
- I just got my Level III Certification. How can I sign up for the ISIA Passport Program?
- I just passed an exam, but I don't see my new certification level reflected on my membership record when I access the National Website. Why is that?
- I should be getting my 20, 30 or 40 year pin this year. How and when will that be shipped to me?
- How often and approximately when should I receive The Professional Skier and The Professional Rider publications?
- When does the new Accessories Catalog ship?
- How often and approximately when should I receive the Eastern division newsletter, The Snow Pro?
- How do I order educational materials and books?
Answers
What is the youngest age at which a person can become a member?
You can become a member when you are 16 years old. Click here to find out how to join.
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How much are dues for the 08/09 season?
Dues are invoiced annually in May, and must be paid by June 30th to avoid a late fee. The dues rate will vary based on your membership type. If you become a Registered or Certified member, you must pay both divisional and national dues in order to participate in all of the programs and benefits of both organizations. For the 08/09 season; $50 of your dues goes to the National PSIA/AASI organization, while $59 goes to support our Eastern office and programs.
08/09 Registered or Certified member dues - $109
We also have student, inactive and senior discounts available.
[Back to the top] What if I join half way through the season?
Our current system does not allow us to prorate dues on a daily basis, but we do our best to accommodate our members by discounting dues for any member joining us after a certain date each season (noted on the current New Member Application). 08/09 Registered member reduced year dues are $74.
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What is the student rate, and what are the requirements?
By providing proof of current full-time student status with the dues payment, any Eastern Division full-time student member age 16-23 can take advantage of a discount of $20 off of the Eastern portion of dues and $10 off the National portion of dues.
08/09 Student Registered or Certified Member dues - $79
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What are the Inactive dues and requirements?
A member who is under 75 years of age who would like to move to inactive status must sign an affidavit that they are not actively teaching snowsports for the entire season. Inactive members are exempt from attending clinic updates, although it is recommended to continue to attend clinics to make it easier to return to active status. Any member who qualifies for the senior dues rate is also eligible for the inactive dues status, if not teaching. See FAQ #6 for senior dues rate requirements.
08/09 Inactive dues - $99
08/09 Senior Inactive dues - $69
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What is the senior dues rate, and what are the requirements?
Any member age 75 or older, with at least ten consecutive years of membership, can take advantage of a discount of $20 off of the Eastern portion of dues and $10 off the National portion of dues. These deductions will automatically be made on your dues bill.
08/09 Senior Active Certified dues - $79
08/09 Senior Inactive Certified dues - $69
[Back to the top] What is a member required to do to maintain certification?
To maintain their level of certification a member must pay dues every season and attend an educational clinic (Unsuccessful attempts at exams do not count as updates.) as outlined below based on status:
* Registered, Level I, II, and III members who are under 65 years old must attend an educational update every 2 seasons to maintain active status.
* Members between ages 65-74 must attend an educational update every 3 seasons to maintain active status.
* Members 75 years of age or older must attend an educational update every 4 seasons to maintain active status.
* Members with student status must attend an educational update every 4 seasons, while a student.
If you fail to maintain these requirements and wish to reinstate at a later date, you would need to go through the reinstatement process.
[Back to the top]Will any event fulfill the educational credit requirements? Even in another discipline?
Yes, any two day (minimum) clinic will fulfill the education credit requirement, even a clinic into another discipline. Actually, that's a fun way to try something new and get your credits in as well!
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What if my schedule did not permit, and I was unable to participate in an event in the season I was "due" to attend a clinic?
If you could not attend an event during your "due" season, you will be charged an event waiver fee in the next PSIA-E/AASI billing cycle. Payment of the dues and waiver fee maintains your active status for the following year. During that year you must attend an educational update.
[Back to the top] What if I had a medical reason as to why I was unable to participate in an event in the season I was "due?"
By providing proof of your medical issue to the office for our audit purposes, we will gladly waive the $25 waiver fee. Please keep in mind that this only waives the fee. It is still important that you participate in an educational event to maintain your certification.
[Back to the top]What is the Reinstatement Process?
The reinstatement process was set up to provide PSIA-E/AASI former members a path to return to active membership without loss of their prior certification level. If you were a member of PSIA-E/AASI in the past, and are interested in reinstating with us, please fill out the Reinstatement Request Form or fax or e-mail that information to the PSIA-E/AASI office.
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I am moving, or I have moved. How do I transfer my Eastern membership and certification to another division of PSIA/AASI?
If you are planning to relocate, you can transfer your membership to another division or you can actually maintain a dual-membership and continue to be an Eastern member as well. By retaining your Eastern membership, you will continue to receive our Snow Pro divisional newsletter and keep up-to-date on events and happenings here. To begin the transfer or dual-membership process, complete the Transfer Form or fax or e-mail that information to the PSIA-E/AASI office. You can always call the office, if it is easiest.Please keep in mind if you want to transfer and not remain a dual-member, it is best to transfer in the spring (before June 30th) to avoid paying extra fees. If you transfer mid season, you will have to pay the other division's dues, as well as what you have paid to the east, for the current season. You would not be required to pay additional national dues. Only members in good standing are eligible to transfer.
We do our best to process transfer requests to the other division within approximately two weeks. If your request is made during the off-season, we can accommodate you more quickly. Thank you for understanding.
Feel free to check with us on the status of your transfer. If you have not been contacted by the other division within a reasonable amount of time, we suggest you contact them by phone to complete your transfer. There is a listing of the contact information for the PSIA/AASI divisional offices on the national Member Services site.
[Back to the top] I have moved to the East. How do I transfer from another division to the Eastern Division?
It would be great to have you on board here at PSIA-E/AASI. The process of transferring actually begins from where you are currently a member. Then, we handle it from our end after that. Please contact your division by phone or e-mail, as you prefer. In the meantime, glance at our schedule. If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to call us in the office.
[Back to the top]I am a certified ski or snowboard instructor from another country. How can I become certified with PSIA-E/AASI?
International reciprocity or transfer is based on the premise that when you apply here to PSIA-E/AASI, we compare your current level in your country to our PSIA/AASI levels. You must take your equivalent level exam here. If you pass, you will be certified with PSIA/AASI at that level. Once certified, you can continue to apply for higher certifications in your discipline as outlined by each PSIA/AASI division. It is important to note that this process is only applicable if the candidate is a current member in good-standing with their primary country organization. For more information and all of the details about how to participate in this program, please click here.
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I just got my Level III Certification. How can I sign up for the ISIA Passport Program?
Congratulations on achieving your Level III Certification! The ISIA Passport Program is managed through the National PSIA office. For general information about the Passport Program, go to Frequently Asked Questions on the national website, www.psia.org. If your questions are not answered there, please send the national office an e-mail or call (303) 987-9390.
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I just passed an exam, but I don't see my new certification level reflected on my membership record when I access the national website. Why is that?
We do process exam events ASAP when we have received all of the information from the event back in the office. Sometimes that can take a week or two. Your record should reflect your new status once we process the exam paperwork. If you still do not see your new certification within a reasonable time, or if there is some urgency to access a program and this delay is causing difficulty, please call us in the PSIA-E/AASI office and we will try to assist.
[Back to the top] I should be getting my 20, 30 or 40 year pin this year. How and when will that be shipped to me?
The PSIA/AASI Anniversary Pins (20, 30, 40 years) are awarded based on years of uninterrupted membership, and are shipped from the PSIA/AASI National office during the summer after you complete your anniversary season. If for some reason, you do not receive your expected pin, please call the PSIA-E/AASI office at (518) 452-6095.
[Back to the top]How often and approximately when should I receive The Professional Skier and The Professional Rider publications?
The Professional Skier is published three times each year. It tends to mail as follows: Fall in end of September, Winter in end of December, and Spring in end of February. The Professional Rider is published once each year, and tends to ship late November/early December. All registered and certified national members get both magazines.Both publications are mailed from PSIA/AASI National Headquarters. If you need further assistance regarding these mailings, you should contact the national office at:
PSIA/AASI National Office
133 S Van Gordon St, Suite 101
Lakewood, CO 80228
(303) 987-9390
admin(at)psia.org
[Back to the top]When does the new Accessories Catalog ship?
The Accessories Catalog ships once a year in late September/early October. It is shipped from the PSIA/AASI National Headquarters.
[Back to the top]How often and approximately when should I receive the Eastern division newsletter, The Snow Pro?
The Snow Pro newsletteris published 5 times a year and ships from Albany, NY, approximately as follows each year:
Spring – May
Summer – July
Early Fall – September
Fall – November
Winter – February
[Back to the top]How do I order educational materials and books?
You can obtain certification pins and educational materials through the PSIA-E/AASI office in Albany, NY. We ask you to fax or mail us an order form with your request and your credit card payment information. If you cannot access the form, you can fax us your request or e-mail Trish at the eastern office.
Educational materials are also available through the Accessories Catalog, from the national PSIA/AASI office.
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Note: All e-mail addresses work as links but you will need to replace the (at) with an @ sign in your e-mail program. This is a small step to try to reduce unwanted messages to our e-mails that we make public for our membership, so we appreciate your understanding in this matter. Thank you!
We hope this helps answer some of your basic questions about PSIA-E/AASI Membership. If you have any questions that are not answered here, please contact the office at (518) 452-6095, or e-mail us at psia-e(at)psia-e.org.
Note: All e-mail addresses work as links but you will need to replace the (at) with an @ sign in your e-mail program. This is a small step to try to reduce unwanted messages to our e-mails that we make public for our membership, so we appreciate your understanding in this matter. Thank you!
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