Joining High Ideals

Who Can Become a Member?

Types of Membership

Student Membership

Student membership is for any student who stands out from the crowd in their attitude towards their studies, fellow students and teachers. Although we will not discriminate by age, the student will need to provide evidence of having an exceptional record of collegiate impact.

Benefits of Membership

We aim to make membership in High Ideals the most rewarding, supportive and enjoyable experience possible. In return for their commitment to have a positive impact on the business and broader world through their consistent acts of positivity and integrity, our members receive the following benefits:

For Student Accredited Members

• Student accredited membership can be proudly displayed on your résumé and job application forms. Technical qualifications are important in the current job market, but it will be attitude and character that mark you out from the crowd, win you the job offer, and gain you entrance into the best organisations. Your High Ideals membership is a stellar testament to your attitude and character and will set you above the rest in the recruitment process.
• Students will be encouraged to attend the regular gatherings, networking and special speaker events which will be held in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane. These are excellent opportunities for you to mingle with experienced professionals, who — because they are committed to have a positive impact on others — will be happy to share their knowledge, experience and strength with you and help you become connected with the right people for you to be meeting at this point in your career.
• Many of our members are coaches and mentors, who will provide extra special offers to our student members to help them reach their full potential.
• You will learn important and relevant information about how to get the most out of your experience in business by reading the regular articles posted on the website and published in High Ideals' newsletters, magazine and other special publications.
• Through your HI membership, you will be eligible for nomination for additional HI recognition for excellence in the prestigious High Ideals Youth Awards.

For Professional Accredited Members

• Most importantly, Professional Accredited Members can proudly use their membership as a sign of the high standards they set in business practice. Membership is not given to 'just anyone'; the qualification process is thorough and precise in the standards required, so by gaining membership you will be highly regarded and sought after as an employee, supplier and business partner. (Read below about how we assess members).
• As a Professional Member you will be able to take advantage of exclusive special offers made by fellow members.
• Your professional membership will set you apart as an 'employee of distinction' giving you a competitive edge within companies and when looking for change of employment.
• Articles, templates and other resources offering important and relevant information about getting the most from yourself and others will be available exclusively to you, as a member via the website, newsletters and through other High Ideals' publications.
• Member events, which will be held regularly, will provide you with important networking opportunities with like-minded professionals, who may be potential suppliers, business partners and other important business contacts.
• You will have the ability to submit articles for publication within High Ideals resources (newsletter, website, magazine and special interest publications).
• You will have the ability to be nominated for additional recognition for excellence in the prestigious High Ideals' Awards in the 'Individual or Business' categories.
• You will be provided with your own URL listing on the High Ideals Directory, which will allow both members and non-member website visitors a quick and easy way to find you.
• You will have the ability to link your URL listing to your own website(s), giving you added power in your SEO ('search engine optimisation') strategies.
• You will have the ability to list special offers and rates exclusively to members on the Directory.
• As a Professional Accredited Member you will enjoy periods of being highlighted as the "Featured Member" on the home page of the site. The featured member will be randomly selected and changed regularly to ensure all professional  accredited members have equivalent periods of promotional exposure.
   

How We Assess Members

1. Applicants for membership are asked to submit their expression of interest through this site and pay their membership fee.  For those who wish to become an Accredited Member they must also complete and submit the expression of interest form.  Then the applicant downloads the Application Form, completes all the fields and provides supporting documentation including references as outlined in the form. Applications are expected be completed within 2 weeks.  If you require longer to complete this process please contact the National Membership Manager.
2. Upon receipt of the application a High Ideals Assessor will review the application materials provided and arrange for a 30 minute phone interview with the applicant.
3. Once satisfied that the applicant fully understands and is committed to the conditions of membership, the Assessor then prepares an Evaluation Report providing constructive feedback for the applicant.
4. If satisfied that the applicant meets the acceptance criteria, their name is circulated, in a list of all new applicants under consideration, in the next newsletter that is sent on a fortnightly basis to our entire membership. Any existing member can lodge a formal objection to a new member being accepted if they have had first hand business interaction with that party that did not demonstrate the applicant’s commitment to positivity, integrity and having a positive impact. Objections need to be submitted in writing by email (or through the post, with an advance phone call notifying the objection has been sent) within three days of the newsletter.
5. Providing there is no objection lodged, the National Membership Manager will recommend membership status be granted and the successful applicant will be sent a certificate and welcome pack. They will also be emailed a jpeg of the Membership Emblem that they are entitled to use on their business cards, CV and/or other materials on which they wish to display their High Ideals membership.
6. If membership is declined, whenever possible HI will give constructive feedback on improvement areas if the applicant wishes to use this as a developmental opportunity. If the assessor, in consultation with the National Manager and quality assurance management, believes that there are aspects of the application that means High Ideals is highly unlikely to ever grant membership, this will be respectfully communicated to the applicant. However, if it is believed future membership might be granted under demonstrated improvement in certain criteria, guidance will be given on how and when to reapply.

Membership Fees

All members who wish to be accredited will be required to pay a one-off, non-refundable assessment fee of $195.

Annual membership rates are:

Student Members: $25 (GST Incl) per annum
Professional Members: $45 (GST Incl) per annum

The Application Process

Applying for High Ideals membership is a very simple process. Here are the key steps (See side panel for basic overview):

• Go to http://www.high-ideals.com/ and click on the “Become a Member” link.
• On that page you'll find important information about membership. When you're ready, click the “Apply for Membership” button.
• Then simply enter in your information into the fields provided in order to submit your Expression of Interest in becoming a High Ideals member.
• When you've completed the  Expression of Interest online form, download the Application Form to your computer and follow the instructions outlined in the document. When completed and you have collected your references, please email the form, references and any other supporting documentation such as your CV, client testimonials, awards etc to our Administration Manager at info@high-ideals.com. Please read the information in the  Application Form regarding references very carefully as there are a couple of options for you.
• Once we have your application materials, one of our accredited High Ideals Assessors will contact you and make arrangements to conduct your application interview.
• The interview lasts for about 30 minutes and is simply a discussion about you, your professional standards and behaviours and how they align with our 30 High Ideals assessment criteria.
• Once all these steps are completed, the Assessor contacts you back with the outcome and provides you also with a High Ideals Evaluation Report which identifies your strengths and in some cases some areas where further development could also be considered.
• If successful in your application up to this stage, we allow up to 7 days for the whole of the High Ideals membership to comment on your proposed membership. As long as there are no objections raised, we welcome you formally to High Ideals. If there are any objections, we contact you to discuss them and together discuss options to move forward.
• All successful applicants will also be contacted by the National Membership Manager who will be the main point of contact for all your High Ideals needs.
• You also receive a Welcome Pack from our Founder and Vice Chair, Karina Butera, via email and she welcomes you to make contact with her if you wish to discuss any overall matters to do with the High Ideals business.
• At the same time, you'll also be able to build your profile on the High Ideals website and will begin to receive our fortnightly newsletter with lots of useful and relevant information about raising the bar in business, including how to access supporting information in online member Resource Library.

If you would like to review the Application Form without yet completing out online Expression of Interest form, you can download and view the Application Form here.

If you have any questions at all regarding this process, please email us at info@high-ideals.com.