To qualify for full membership, Provisional members are required to complete 30 teaching hours, and additionally receive a minimum of eight hours supervision from a mentor who is a registered MA teacher. The eight hours of supervision should be spread over the time it takes to accumulate 30 hours of teaching. (The school that you trained with may provide this service.)
Additionally, the eight hours of supervision by a mentor needs to be a reflection on your actual teaching experience, and not be discussions based on simulations or role-plays.
Why do we ask you to have mentor support during your first years of teaching meditation?
Just like a counsellor, getting out in the field and teaching meditation can be both exciting and challenging. You are finally doing what you have been working towards with your studies. We want to see our members succeed and bring their best to their students and community. We also know that all kinds of unforeseen challenges can arise in your first year or two of teaching, and that it’s beneficial to have support and guidance as you navigate these.
Your mentor will:
- Help you navigate obstacles and challenges in your first important year or two of teaching
- Offer guidance on issues such as how to support people with unexpected reactions
- Give guidance and support with developing your teaching material and class/course formats
- Give valuable information and support based on their years of teaching experience. (They will have come across situations very much like what you are experiencing now.)
Choosing your mentor
Your mentor should be a meditation teacher accredited by Meditation Australia. Ideally, they should also be from the same membership category that you are training for (Personal Development, Therapeutic or Spiritual).
We highly recommend seeking out a full member of MA with a minimum of 5 years teaching experience.
You can search through the list of accredited MA teachers here, or you may also seek a teacher informally through established meditation groups.
Structuring your mentoring agreement
We recommend that you develop a formal mentoring agreement and have provided this template as a guide. Your meditation school may also have their own form for you to follow. (MA is indebted to Debbie Rossi for allowing us to use her agreement as the basis for this template.)
Record keeping
To ensure your supervision discussions are conducted in a meaningful and detailed way, and to provide evidence that you have completed the minimum requirement of 30 hours of teaching, you should keep a record of the teaching sessions you conducted.
Your records should include:
- The date and time of each teaching session.
- The duration of each teaching session
- A general description of each teaching session (e.g. it’s form, subject matter)
- Your specific notes on the experience including any key issues or questions you may have.
- Your records must cover a total of at least 30 hours of teaching.
- You will need to include this with your application.
Certification
At the end of your supervision period, your mentor should provide you with a certificate or document that:
- Confirms you have met the threshold of 30 hours of meditation teaching
- Confirms you have completed eight hours of supervision under their guidance
- You are recommended by the mentor to be considered for Full Membership of MA.
(You will need to include this with your application.)