Benefits of membership

IfL members are able to access a range of benefits that focus on enhancing your professionalism as an individual and as part of the wider further education (FE) and skills community.

Boost your career through enhanced professional status

As an IfL member, you can access a range of resources in support of your continuing professional development including:

• REfLECT, IfL’s personal learning space and eportfolio, currently used by over 107,00 members to plan, record and share their CPD
• the conferral of the professional status of Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) and Associate Teacher Learning and Skills (ATLS) through IfL’s supportive system of professional formation
• access to IfL’s network of Regional Advisers, who provide information, advice and guidance for IfL members at regional level, especially for CPD
• the protection afforded to the profession, learners, employers and the public interest through IfL’s Code of Professional Practice and the systems for administering disciplinary procedures
• regular electronic news and policy updates and InTuition, IfL’s professional journal for members focused on CPD, practice-based case studies and analysis of trends and developments in the further education and skills sector
• impact studies, the annual review of CPD and other reviews, showcasing excellent teaching and training. 

Influence your sector

The voice of the IfL member community is gaining momentum as an influential force on the national political stage. As an IfL member you are invited to take part in consultations and your views are fed back to key government departments and partner organisations. This ensures that your voice makes a difference at a national level.

You can also influence the strategy and governance of IfL as your professional body through the IfL Advisory Council. Whether you vote or stand as a representative yourself, your participation will help ensure that the member voice is at the centre of all IfL’s work.

Be part of the community

IfL members work across a range of education and training environments; in any context where young people and adults develop the skills and knowledge required to lead successful and rewarding lives in employment, through self entrepreneurship and in their communities. Through IfL, members can interact and share with peers locally or nationally and therefore:

• join the IfL Volunteer Connections programme, a growing network of some 700 IfL members who support the CPD of teachers and trainers at a local level
• take part in consultations influencing national policy and the future of the sector
• seek election to the IfL Advisory Council to shape the future direction of your professional body. 

Stay informed

IfL members can access a range of regular updates to keep up to date with your professional body and the broader FE and skills sector

• Sign up to receive member resources via email. 

Gain from discounts and special offers

IfL offers benefits, including discounts for some products and services, that relate to supporting teaching and training practice for the benefit of learners, eg to promote the use of new technologies in teaching.

Download your member handbook here (PDF, 1.32 MB)