Membership is open to all – whether you are interested or involved in technical communication of any kind.
There are five steps to joining the ISTC:
1) Choose a type of membership
- Fellow – This grade recognises those with substantial experience in senior roles.
Note: You cannot join the ISTC directly as a Fellow. You must have 2 years as a Member (MISTC) first. - Member – For experienced technical communicators.
- Entry-level (was Junior) – For professionals starting out in the field.
- Student – An introductory membership for those studying technical communication.
- Associate – For people interested in technical communication, but not directly involved as their main profession.
We even have a membership grade guide to help you choose.
If you’re still not sure which type of membership is right for you, you can read more about membership grades or contact us.
2) Tell us about yourself (complete the application form)
Complete the ISTC Membership Form.
3) Send us supporting evidence
Remember to send us:
- A current CV giving details of your education, qualifications and experience. We use this to confirm your membership grade.
- Supporting evidence if you are applying for student or retired membership.
Note: we may contact you and ask for further information to help assess your application.
4) Pay your application fee
At this stage, you only need to pay the application fee.
You can pay online or make a bank transfer (contact the ISTC for bank details).
5) Pay your membership fee
After your application has been reviewed and accepted, you will then be asked to pay your membership fee.
This will be a pro rata rate from the time of your acceptance to the end of the calendar year. The ISTC will calculate this and inform you of the amount you’ll need to pay, and how you can pay it.
Fees
Fees are updated on 1 December for the following year.
Note: An optional fee of £20 (yearly) may apply, depending on your choices for receiving our professional journal, Communicator.
Membership fees for 2025
| Membership Type | Yearly | Quarterly | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Associate/Entry-level | £116.00 | £29.00 | £9.66 |
| Member/Fellow | £134.00 | £33.50 | £11.16 |
| Student (1st year) | £40.00 | £10.00 | £3.33 |
| Student | £58.00 | £14.50 | £4.83 |
| Retired Associate | £58.00 | £14.50 | £4.83 |
| Retired Member/Fellow | £67.00 | £16.75 | £5.58 |
Business Affiliate – See current rates on our Business Affiliates pages.
Students must be on a recognised course in technical communications.
Retired Memberships require supporting evidence the member is of UK State Pension age (66 as of 2021).
Code of Professional Practice
Remember that by applying for membership of the ISTC, you are agreeing to adhere to our Code of Professional Practice, and other policies and regulations of the Institute. These can all be accessed from the Governance page.