About PEG Membership
Anyone with an interest in the fields of language, the written word or communications is welcome to join PEG – even if you are not currently practising as a copy-editor, translator, proofreader or in any profession.
Applicants who are returning PEG members (that is, those who were previously members but have not been a member for longer than a year), will be given immediate Associate Member status. If there is a request for their previous membership status to be renewed to another category of membership, such applications will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.Â
To join, click the link below to fill out PEG’s online membership form. You can read about the benefits of membership and an explanation of member categories below.
Some of the benefits of membership are:
- Email: Regular email communications informing members of future events and activities as well as job opportunities. Click here for more on our e-guides.
- PEGforum: Participation in an electronic discussion group, which is a useful resource for requesting advice, discussing problems and sharing information invaluable to copy editors, proofreaders and related practitioners. Ian Webling treats us with Friday Funnies!
- PEGboard: A regular e-publication, PEGboard, covers news, trends and events relating to editing and publishing in South Africa and elsewhere and carries reports of PEG events and activities.
- Directory: After being a member for at least a calendar year, an entry in the web-based Directory of Members’ Services, which members can update as necessary (it requires an additional subscription fee or proof of having earned 20 CPD hours. Student Members cannot have entries). Prospective clients or employers can consult the Directory. Click here to find a member.
- Regions: Regular regional branch meetings and nationally convened workshops take place, outside of COVID-19 restrictions. Since the pandemic, we have been hosting frequent webinars.
- Networking: Many networking opportunities are possible among members.
- Status: Confirmation of your professional status to potential clients as someone who is in touch with others in the profession and with trends and is serious about their profession. To request a letter confirming your membership with PEG, contact Administration here.
- Signature: Members are eligible to apply for a standard PEG email signature in their second year of membership.
- Accreditation: The opportunity to become an Accredited Text Editor (English) through writing PEG’s annual Accreditation Test.
- Dictionary: Free access to the Oxford University Press Dictionaries website.
- Consistency: 30% discount on your annual subscription to the PerfectIt consistency checker.
The Professional Editors’ Guild currently has four membership categories: Student Member, Associate Member, Full Member and Accredited Text Editor (ATE).
Members in all membership categories are entitled to all the benefits of PEG membership, including preferential prices, and they receive regular PEG communications about workshops, events and work opportunities through PEG’s egroup. Individuals wishing to become members of the Guild must complete and submit an application form and pay the requisite fees. Members agree to be bound by the Guild’s Code of Conduct.
Student Member:
Students registered at a tertiary institution can join PEG as Student Members. Student Members are not permitted to have an entry in the Directory of Members’ Services.
Associate Member:
This entry-level membership category is the home of first-time members and members who have limited experience. Upon the completion of the online application form and the receipt of the membership fee, applicants are automatically registered as Associate Members. Associate Members are permitted to have an entry in the Directory of Members’ Services after they have been members for at least a year.
Full Member:
Members in this category have a competitive edge when marketing themselves and their services.
To qualify for this membership category, candidates have to have been a PEG member for a minimum of six months and must comply with at least four of the following requirements in addition to supplying a recently updated CV:
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- Proof of having successfully completed an appropriate academic course (six months or longer) that contains editing and/or proofreading and/or revision as a substantial component.
- Proof of having successfully completed an appropriate editing and/or proofreading and/or revision short course.
- Proof of having attended at least six PEG editing or language-related workshops, within a two-year period.
- Proof of extensive experience (four years or more) as an editor and/or proofreader and/or reviser.
- Proof of having successfully completed a PEG mentorship.
- References from at least three corporate clients (i.e. publishers and/or institutions) that attest to relevant work experience, satisfactory quality of output and an ability to meet deadlines.
Applications for Full Membership can be sent to administrator@editors.org.za.
Please note: The process of assessing eligibility for Full Membership takes several months as all the work is done by volunteers. To make the process more transparent, applications for Full Membership are assessed by a subcommittee. The subcommittee’s recommendations are presented for approval to the executive committee.
Accredited Text Editor
This category is open to any member who has demonstrated experience and a level of competence as an editor, proofreader or reviser in accordance with such procedures as instituted by the Guild, including having successfully sat an accreditation examination for editors, proofreaders or revisers. Accredited Text Editors (ATEs) may take an entry in the PEG Directory of Members’ Services after paying the applicable fee and they may apply for jobs advertised through PEG.
The PEG Accreditation Scheme requires all members to attend a minimum of 20 hours’ worth of continuing professional development (CPD) during a membership year, from 1 March to the end of February of the following year. From the 2021 AGM, this requirement has been obligatory for Accredited Text Editors and recommended for all other members. From the membership year beginning 1 March 2024, the accumulation of 20 CPD hours per year becomes obligatory for all members.
These 20 hours must comprise:
- a minimum of 14 hours of participation in formal CPD, of which at least 10 hours must be part of PEG’s CPD while the other four hours (minimum) may be gained from formal professional development at other recognised institutions;
- a further six hours, which may be allocated to formal or discretionary editing-related CPD activities, such as reading, research, the writing of relevant articles and voluntary services offered to PEG.
Taken together, the minima of 10 + 4 + 6 hours for these activities will total at least 20 hours of CPD activities per membership year.
Half-Year Only: 1 September 2024 to 28 February 2025
Individuals: R345
Couples (residing at the same address): R262.50 each
Students: R150
- Confirm the membership fees applicable to your application and make payment through the online payment portal, or use the banking details below to make a direct transfer. Please see the instructions about proof of payment under the Proof of payment heading just above the Online Membership Payments button at the bottom of the page.
- Click on the Apply for Membership button below and complete the application.
- Once payment is confirmed, your membership application will be confirmed.
PEG banking details
For those who do not wish to make Online Payments using PayFast options, here are the bank details for a direct internet payment
ABSA Bank
Account name: Professional Editors’ Guild
Savings account no: 9045286642
Branch code: 632005
SWIFT code: ABSAZAJJ
Bank's street address: ABSA Bank Limited, Absa Towers West, 15 Troye Street, Johannesburg, 2000, South Africa
Reference: Your membership number and surname (If you do not have a membership number yet or an Order ID, please give your surname and initials)
Proof of payment​
For new member applications via direct transfer, please keep your proof of payment and upload it where the application form requires it. For other payments, please email proof of payment to treasurer@editors.org.za.