Joining STEP Canada
Thinking of becoming a TEP, or want to know more about how to grow your trust and estate knowledge and expertise? This page will outline everything you need to know about how to get started.
What is STEP?
Representing 22,000 members worldwide, the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) is the leading international organization for trust and estate professionals who specialize in family inheritance and succession planning. STEP members are highly knowledgeable in offering domestic and international advice on trusts and estates, including planning, administration, and related tax issues.
STEP Canada was founded in 1998 and has over 3,600 members with branches in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, the Atlantic Provinces; and chapters in Southwestern Ontario, the Okanagan Valley, and Saskatchewan.
The TEP Designation
STEP administers the Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) designation, an internationally recognized hallmark of professional expertise in the area of trusts and estates. The TEP designation is granted to practitioners who successfully complete one of STEP’s three routes to membership: the Exam Route, the Essay Program, or the Expertise Route.
The TEP designation formally distinguishes qualified practitioners from non-specialists, while offering a competitive advantage to develop clientele during this exceptional age of inter-generational wealth transfer. A TEP stands out from the competition, ensuring clients they are in the right hands when it matters most.
STEP Canada Membership Types
Full Member
This is the top level of STEP membership. Full Members are qualified practitioners with proven qualifications and experience. Full members have exclusive use of the TEP designation and STEP logo, and must adhere to STEP’s Code of Professional Conduct and undertake continuing professional development. Full members have the exclusive right to vote, join STEP Canada national committees or board, and to stand for STEP Worldwide council or board.
Full Academic (TEP)
This membership type is granted only on a case-by-case basis. Full Academic members are professors who hold full-time academic or teaching appointments for trust and estate related courses. Full Academic members have use of the prestigious TEP designation.
Associate Member
This is STEP’s mid-level membership category of members that have obtained between 120-240 education or experience points under the Qualifications and Membership Framework. Associates are working towards gaining the requisite qualifications and/or experience required to become a TEP. Associates must adhere to STEP’s Code of Professional Conduct and undertake continuing professional development.
Affiliate Member
This is STEP’s entry-level membership category. Affiliates have obtained 60-120 education or experience points under the Qualifications and Membership Framework, and are working towards gaining the requisite qualifications and/or experience required to upgrade to Associate or Full Membership. Affiliates must adhere to STEP’s Code of Professional Conduct and undertake continuing professional development.
Student Status
Student status is granted to those studying an entry-level STEP qualification. Students are eligible to become Affiliate Members only once they have accumulated at least 60 education or experience points under the Qualification and Membership Framework.
Educational Offerings & Routes to Membership
STEP membership and the route taken is based on education and experience. There are different levels of membership designed to match the progression of your career, culminating in full membership and the TEP designation.
Certificate in Estate and Trust Administration (CETA)
Education Path to CETA Certificate
The online self-study CETA program is designed to enhance the knowledge and performance of Canadian estate administrators, trust officers, junior trust officers, retail bankers, law clerks, junior associates, paralegals, wealth management sales representatives, and administrative assistants working in the area of trusts and estates. The program consists of three online self-study courses and one final cumulative certification exam. Candidates who have a successful post-secondary education and/or one-year of wealth industry work experience are eligible to enroll.
For more detailed information, please click here.
STEP Canada Diploma in Trusts and Estates (Exam Route)
Educational path to the TEP designation
The Exam Route is the best choice for practitioners who want to establish themselves as specialists in the trusts and estates industry. Students with prior industry experience tend to be the most successful, although it is not a prerequisite. There are four online self-study courses with a blend of asynchronous and synchronous learning that includes opportunities for both peer and instructor-led learning and an online proctored exam completing each. Exemptions for courses may be available depending on an applicant’s previous qualifications. Graduates of this route are eligible to apply for the TEP designation and full STEP membership once the experience requirements have been met.
For more detailed information, please click here.
Essay Program
Educational path to the TEP designation
Practitioners with a recognized professional designation who have a minimum of five years current, post-qualification experience in the area of trusts and/or estates are eligible to enroll in this program. Practitioners accepted into this route are required to complete three master’s level essays on pre-determined topics of 2,500 to 3,000 words in length within four years of enrollment. Graduates of this route are eligible to apply for the TEP designation and full STEP membership once the experience requirements have been met.
For more detailed information, please click here.
Expertise Route
Experience path to the TEP designation
This application-based route to membership is reserved for the most senior trust and estate practitioners in Canada. Candidates must have a minimum of ten years appropriate and relevant experience in the area of trusts and/or estates and hold a recognized professional designation in good standing. The experience of all potential candidates is compared and examined against the relevant sections of the STEP Canada Diploma in Trusts and Estates. A thorough application including a detailed resume, four referee evaluation statements, and a self-authored personal statement are required for this route. Applications are subject to approval by STEP Canada and STEP Worldwide. Successful applicants are granted the TEP designation and full TEP membership.
For more detailed information, please click here.
Which Path is Right for You?
Still need help? Please email memberservices@step.ca.