Please read our Cancellation & Refund Policy if you are planning to sign up for a course and make sure you are 100% confident that you can and will attend before registering.
Please understand that we cannot transfer funds paid for one course or program to another.
If you are planning to register for a course with an outdoor component, please also read our waiver requirements and the Waiver, and make sure you are 100% confident you are willing to agree to the IGA Waiver as a condition of participating in the course.
Only proceed with registering if you agree with the Cancellation & Refund Policy, the waiver requirement, and the Waiver.
If you cancel three weeks or more prior to the course start date, you will receive a full refund, less a $30 administration fee and a $45 digital handbook fee.
If you cancel between two and three weeks prior to the course start date, you will receive a 50% refund.
If you cancel with less than 2 weeks' notice, no refund or transfer will be issued, regardless of the reason.
Please note that once purchased, membership fees are non-refundable. Please ensure you are committed to joining the association and/or taking a course before proceeding with the payment of these fees.
For those registering for an online Basic Knowledge Course, once you have registered and paid, the course is entirely non-refundable. Please do not register until you are 100% confident that you want to take this course and can complete it within the allotted timeframe.
Each course handbook costs $45 for members and is sent out digitally. Once it is sent, we cannot refund the cost.
It is essential and your responsibility to keep yourself safe, healthy and injury-free before a course. Refunds are not given if you fall ill or have an accident that does not allow you to participate. If you are sick on one or more days of the course and have a valid doctor’s note, be sure to get in touch with the instructor or IGA representative immediately. We may be able to place you in an alternate course, although this is not always possible. If it is possible, it will be subject to a $45 administration fee. To move you into another course, we need to have a space available.
Please be aware that we run our courses with small margins to keep prices low. Courses require a minimum number of participants to run, involve numerous logistics, including trail permits for specific dates, detailed scheduling, and the travel and accommodation of course staff. Confirmations are made two weeks prior to the start date. It is for these reasons that this refund-injury policy exists to ensure the not-for-profit IGA and its course participants do not suffer from last-minute cancellations; so if a space is not available, you will need to re-register and pay.
If the Interpretive Guides Association has to cancel a course, you will be given the choice of a full refund or transferring your registration for another course.
The refund policy includes, but is not limited to:
- illness
- work changes
- injury
- level of interest
- feeling unprepared
- transportation challenges
- internet challenges
- you slept in
- incorrect scheduling
- your partner or family member falls ill or hurts themselves
- you could not find child care
- death in the family
- you have purchased the course for someone else who does not attend (including staff)
- you chose not to take the test
- you do not want to be certified
- etc.
Please keep all these reasons in mind when registering and paying for a course. We can offer and run these courses at these rates based on the number of registrants we receive. We work hard to keep costs as low as possible. Knowing our participation numbers in advance and guaranteeing them are essential to how we run this member-based, not-for-profit organization. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out before signing up.
Waiver Requirement: Please note that for any IGA course, workshop, guided program, activity or event that takes place outdoors (collectively an “IGA Course”), the participant will be required to read and agree to the IGA Release of Liability, Waiver of Claims, Assumption of Risk and Indemnity Agreement in order to participate. In order to register and pay for any of these programs, you need to agree to the waiver by checking a box indicating that you understand it and are comfortable signing it at the start of the outdoor component of the program. The individual will not be permitted to participate without it, so do not register until you have read it and fully understand it.