Does Outside Agents hire people with a criminal record?

Does the VTA certification program give a good solid foundation for starting out as a travel agent are there any others similar to this?

Are OA agents recognized as members also of ACTA, ASTA, ASTA-SBN, PATH just by being hosted by OA to receive discounted VTA certification?

Do you allow US-based travel advisors to accept non-US based clients as long as the vendor accept international credit cards? Not flights; just stays.

Can your agents use suppliers who aren't in your preferred list?