II. Sponsors
ATI Sponsors are ATI Certified Teaching Members in good standing who are responsible for assessing a candidate who wants to become a certified teaching member.
ATI Sponsors meet together and make a report to members at the Annual Conference. (1994 Policy)
A. Guidelines for ATI Sponsors
Requirements for applying as an ATI sponsor:
The qualitative nature and inclusivity of the application process places trust in the good judgment of the candidate’s nominators, the CCC and the membership.
- Members applying for an ATI Sponsor position must find three ATI members in good standing to nominate the applicant, at least one of whom is an ATI Sponsor. Nominators must have first-hand knowledge of the applicant as a teacher and have experienced the applicant's Alexander Technique teaching.
- The applicant holds an ATI teaching certificate.
- The applicant has currently been a member of ATI for several years and during that time has served on a committee or board of directors for more than one year and has attended the business meetings at more than one annual conference.
- The applicant has been teaching the Alexander Technique professionally for at least 7 years.
B. Procedure for becoming an ATI Sponsor
1. The guidelines and application form to become an ATI Sponsor are on the website. ATI Sponsor applicants use the online fillable application and gather nominations from three members in good standing. A paper version is available from the office upon request.
- The signature sheet, along with a copy of the nominee’s application, is emailed to each nominator by the applicant.
- Each nominator signs a separate nomination sheet.
- The nominator signs the signature sheet and returns it to the applicant.
- The applicant sends the application with their original signature and the three nominations with original signatures to the office in one packet.
- The deadline to submit applications for the Annual Conference election is August 1. Applications received after that date are voted on the following year.
2. Certification Coordinating Committee (CCC) and Office Procedure
- The office receives the complete application package from the applicant.
- All materials are scanned and sent to the CCC and the Ethics Advisory Committee (EAC).
- The EAC checks if the applicant has any outstanding ethics violations. If any are found, the EAC notifies the applicant and then instructs the office and the CCC to suspend the process. No further information is shared.
- CCC then assures the application is complete and the applicant has fulfilled all requirements found on the website in Guidelines for ATI Sponsors.
- The CCC contacts the applicant to assist them with the application requirements. The CCC can recommend waiving some requirements.
- The CCC informs the office and the applicant when the process is complete.
- The office adds the applicant’s name to the ATI Sponsor mail-in or electronic ballot and puts the scanned applications on Member Pages for membership review. The list of ATI Sponsor applicants to be voted on that year is sent to all members six weeks before the Annual Conference and General Meeting (ACGM).
- After the election, the office records all results and files all applications.
- The CCC Chair contacts all candidates with the results within two weeks of the ACGM, and the office publishes the results on Member Pages. CCC sends new ATI Sponsors an orientation packet and alerts the office to update the ATI Sponsor contact list.
C. ATI Sponsor Elections
1. Election as an ATI Sponsor for the first time:
- ATI Sponsors are elected at an ATI Annual Conference and General Meeting (ACGM).
- Ballots for the election are sent out to all ATI members at least six weeks before the ACGM. This date is set by the office and Certification Coordinating Committee (CCC) Chair.
- Members who cannot attend the ACGM can vote by sending in their ballots to the office, postmarked at least three weeks before the Annual Conference, or may vote electronically up to the voting deadline. The office and CCC Chair set this date.
- Members attending the ACGM have the option of voting there.
- ATI Sponsors are elected by receiving votes totaling 60% of the members voting at that ACGM plus the returned ballots (e.g., If there were 60 members voting at the conference and 30 returned ballots, the candidate needs 54 “yes” votes).
- ATI Sponsors serve a five-year term, which begins at the ACGM when they are elected and ends five years later on December 31st.
- ATI Sponsors do not have to attend an ACGM to be elected, but it is recommended they do attend one either before or the year they apply to be an ATI Sponsor. If possible, they observe current ATI Sponsors meeting with candidates, which take place during the conference. (2007 & 2008 Policy)
2. Re-election of ATI Sponsors:
ATI Sponsors:
- are elected for a five-year term by a simple majority;
- attend at least one ACGM within the five-year period before being re-elected;
- pay annual membership dues according to ATI deadlines;
- submit CCC’s required re-election documents by the published deadline;
- sign the ATI Sponsor commitment form for election and re-election.
For Non-English speaking ATI Sponsors: Translators are provided when needed to help ATI Sponsors meet these requirements. (2019 Policy)
3. ATI Sponsor Re-election Procedures
- ATI Sponsors up for re-election must complete the re-election questionnaire and return it to the office no later than August 1. Questionnaires received after the deadline are placed on the mail-in or electronic ballot the following year. The ATI Sponsor may remain active during this time.
- All materials are scanned and sent to the Certification Coordinating Committee (CCC) and the Ethics Advisory Committee (EAC).
- The EAC checks if the applicant has any outstanding ethics violations. If any are found, the EAC notifies the applicant and then instructs the office and the CCC to suspend the application. No further information is shared.
- ATI Sponsors who do not complete their re-election questionnaire or communicate with the office and/or CCC Chair are not placed on the ballot for re-election. They are removed from the active ATI Sponsors list on December 31.
- ATI Sponsors can resign at the end of their five-year term by marking the box on the re-election questionnaire indicating this decision.
- ATI Sponsors who wish to resign during their five-year term notify in writing the office and the CCC Chair.
- Dues must be current to be elected or re-elected as an ATI Sponsor.
- ATI Sponsors are notified of their re-election outcome by the CCC Chair following the ATI Annual Conference and General Meeting (ACGM).
- Those who lack enough votes for re-election have their names removed from the active ATI Sponsor list.
- Anyone who has been removed from the active ATI Sponsor list and wants to be reinstated must follow the procedure for first-time ATI Sponsor elections outlined in section one.
- ATI Sponsors can take a sabbatical from their role for up to one year and need to contact in writing the CCC Chair. When they want to be reinstated, they write the CCC Chair. The ATI Sponsor’s name remains on the list with the date of the sabbatical.
D. Conduct as an ATI Sponsor
It is required that an ATI Sponsor:
- acts independently when reviewing teaching candidates;
- submits an ATI Sponsor annual report;
- adheres to the ATI Sponsor session fee established by ATI;
- stays informed about the current work of the Certification Coordinating Committee (CCC) and ATI;
- maintains ongoing consistent involvement in ATI (examples: serves on a committee, submits an article to the Exchange, offers a workshop for ATI members);
- participates annually in at least one ATI Sponsor meeting either in person or via video conferencing;
- attends at least one ATI Annual Conference and General Meeting (ACGM) within the five-year period before being re-elected.
ATI Sponsors experiencing hardship or unexpected circumstances may petition CCC for an extension.
Activities (the last four bullet points) are reported on the ATI Sponsor annual report. (2019 Policy)
Virtual attendance is regarded the same as in person attendance.
E. Fee determination for ATI Sponsors
All ATI trainee members and teachers pay a determined fee for ATI Teaching Certification.
- The board decides the fee after consultation with ATI Sponsors.
- The exchange rate and cost of living indices of different countries are taken into consideration.
The fee is set in the currency of the applicant’s country and paid to the chosen ATI Sponsor at the time of the session.
- If the applicant takes advantage of the Annual Conference and General Meeting (ACGM) pre-day to be evaluated by one or more ATI Sponsors, they must book the process in advance and pay in US dollars. This money is credited to the ATI Sponsors in US dollars towards annual conference fees or dues.
- These ATI Sponsor fees for each country are displayed on the website and in the teacher’s application package. Instructions on how to apply and the timeline involved are defined.
- If the ATI Sponsor is the candidate’s trainer, they need to be explicit if their fee is included in the training fee.
- If a candidate fails to meet the criteria, ATI Sponsors agree to a time frame and appropriate fee (or not) for certification re-application.
- The board reviews ATI Sponsor fees every two years except if there is an extenuating circumstance.
- New ATI Sponsors must agree to adhere to the set fees in the process of becoming an ATI Sponsor. (2016 Policy)
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