Consultant Membership

Consultant Membership of LDA is available to teachers who have specialised training in special education or areas relevant to the teaching of students with learning difficulties.  Consultant Membership is usually taken up by LDA members who provide private tuition to students with learning difficulties. In Victoria, LDA Consultants are eligible to register for the Victorian Tutor Referral Service, which matches students seeking private tuition to consultants whose areas of expertise match the needs of the student seeking help.  

Applicants for Consultant Membership must be members of LDA, and must have Special Education qualifications (minimum one full year with practicum), and have taught in the learning difficulties or special education field in an institution (not solely private practice) for a minimum of three years. Download a Consultant Application form.

Applications for Consultant Membership are examined by a Panel. Successful applicants may then register with the Victorian Tutor Referral Service as tutors, and are also eligible to participate in the LDA Group Insurance scheme for Registered Consultants.

To register with the Victorian Tutor Referral Service, it is necessary to complete a Registration for the Tutor Referral Service form, and to provide details of areas of specialisation to assist the Referral Officer in matching Consultants to the particular needs of clients with learning difficulties.

Consultants receiving referrals are required to forward a referral fee, equivalent to the cost of one lesson, after three sessions with a client. No fee is required for assessments or lesser periods of tuition.

For further information relating to registration with the Tutor Referral Service contact the Victorian Referral Officer, Elaine McLeish, on (03) 9482 1031.

Consultants pay a higher LDA membership fee to cover the costs associated with Consultant Membership, and are required to show evidence of ongoing professional development activities throughout each year of Consultant Membership. In Victoria, the Consultants' group organises professional development activities, and has also set up a network of zones designed to provide opportunities for professional networking and communication between Consultant Members located in different areas of Melbourne as well as in regional centres.  

Consultants receive all membership benefits, including two issues of the LDA Journal, the Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties, and four issues of the LDA Bulletin annually, as well as reduced rates for LDA workshops, seminars and conferences.

For enquiries on Consultant issues or Consultant Membership, contact the Convenor of the Consultants' Committee, Jan Roberts, at learningpathway@optusnet.com.au
JAN ROBERTS
Convenor, Consultants Committee