Full Membership Frequently Asked Questions
- Do I need to attend a Full Membership Workshop?
- When should I submit my application?
- How should I compile my short paper?
- How long should the full CV be?
- Who do you ask to sign your witness statement and what do they sign for?
- If you do not have an example of experience for a specific area of the criteria, e.g. 1.2 A, would you fail the assessment?
- How can I prepare myself for the telephone assessment?
- How many questions will I be asked during the assessment?
- Can I phone from abroad?
- Can I phone using my mobile?
- How long after submitting my application will the interview take place?
- What happens if the Candidate knows one of the Assessors?
- For the direct route to Full Membership, does academic qualifications count as training?
- How are the Assessors selected?
- How long will I have to wait for my results?
- What is the fee for Full Membership?
- Are there some example short papers or example questions which may be asked in the assessment which are available to look at?
- What is the pass rate for Full Membership (for the short paper and the telephone assessment)?
- What do I do if I am unwell or can not undertake the assessment on the day?
- What feedback do I get if I am unsuccessful?
- What is the main reason for unsuccessfully achieving Full Membership?
- When I looked at the standard route to full membership, it requires a minimum of three years full time experience in environmental management and/or experience. I was working in the environmental areas for a number of years.Do you count experience for environmental technology, engineering and environmental related working experience in addition to Env. management and/or assessment?
- Does experience of industrially-sponsored subject related PhDs count towards the required experience for Full Membership?
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Are Do I need to attend a Full Membership Workshop?
If you feel confident regarding writing your short paper and undertaking the telephone assessment you do not have to attend a workshop, however you may find it useful for tips and guidance from the assessors, and the IEMA would strongly recommend that you do attend. Also, it is beneficial to meet others within the same profession and level as yourself.
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When should I submit my application?
You can submit your application at any time of the year. There is now a rolling process in place whereby, assessments are carried out throughout the year. Your application will be reviewed internally by the technical staff. You may be requested to send in additional information if required.
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How should I compile my short paper?
The short paper should be a clear and concise demonstration on how you meet the Standards of Competence Criteria for Full Membership. This can be compiled by an essay format or structured in a table depending on the candidates preference. It should not be a repetition of your CV and should include examples of experience. Bear in mind that the format of your short paper should be in a logical sequence.
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How long should the full CV be?
As long as required to provide all the relevant information on previous jobs and experience. If in doubt include the information. The Assessors would prefer to receive more information than less information, however be careful when sending in any additional long documents which may not be relevant.
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Who do you ask to sign your witness statement and what do they sign for?
We ask for the contact details of two witnesses, which must place their signature on the registration form. The witness must be someone senior to the candidate, a client or previous supervisor. They must sign to the accuracy of the candidates job description and that the short paper is a fair and representative account of the candidates experience in relation to the Criteria for Full Membership.
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If you do not have an example of experience for a specific area of the criteria, e.g. 1.2 A, would you fail the assessment?
No, however you would have to demonstrate how you would meet that area of criteria if you were in a job situation. The Competence Criteria states that ‘a Full Member is expected to have the ability to’, not necessarily had the practical experience. Beware though, experience must be demonstrated for Full Membership!
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How can I prepare myself for the telephone assessment?
If you are not used to using telephone conferencing then it is advised that you practice before-hand so you feel confident using this method during the assessment. It may also be useful to set up a hands free phone. We suggest that applicants read their application prior to the assessment as it would have been a couple of months ago when it was submitted. We also suggest that applicants read up on current legislation and environmental issues.
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How many questions will I be asked during the assessment?
There is no definitive number of questions asked. The assessors will ask some standard questions (at least two for every module) in order to standardise the questions. The Assessors will then ask questions on the basis of the experience shown by the candidate’s short paper and CV etc. The assessment should be a ‘discussion’ rather than a question and answer session.
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Can I phone from abroad?
Yes, the Institute can arrange a telephone assessment whilst you are overseas, the Candidate will incur the cost of the phone call.
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Can I phone using my mobile?
The IEMA strongly recommend that mobile phones are not used.
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How long after submitting my application will the interview take place?
We will ask for the availability of the assessors and candidates over a two or three week period approximately six to eight weeks prior to the next available round of assessments.
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What happens if the Candidate knows one of the Assessors?
If the Candidate knows the Assessor (details are provided prior to the assessment) please notify the IEMA because we can rearrange the assessment. The Assessor would also notify the IEMA if there was any conflict of interest.
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For the direct route to Full Membership, does academic qualifications count as training?
This is normally considered on a case by case basis depending on the content and duration of the course. The qualification has to be relevant to environmental management and assessment. Some training however should have been conducted within the 7 years full time (or equivalent) experience period.
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How are the Assessors selected?
If an applicant is exceptional during their assessment, the Assessors will inform us whether we should invite them onto the Assessment Panel. We then notify the individual and if they except, they attend a Full Panel Meeting in which they learn more about the process from the existing Assessors and are trained to become assessors themselves. They also conduct their first assessments with a highly experienced Assessor.
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How long will I have to wait for my results?
We state that you will receive your results within 25 working days (5 weeks) after your assessment, however you will probably receive your results within 3 weeks of the assessment.
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What is the fee for Full Membership?
To undertake a Full Membership Assessment the fee is £158 for existing Affiliate and Associate members. For non-members the fee is £252 which includes an £94 Affiliate fee. If a candidate fails they are entitled to appeal which is £58 plus VAT. Once a Full Member, the yearly renewal fee is £126.
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Are there some example short papers or example questions which may be asked in the assessment which are available to look at?
No. We do not provide example short papers because it is up to the individual candidate to demonstrate their experience in relation to the criteria. We do not have any questions available because the questions will relate to the individuals experience and because the individuals may get a wrong sense of what will be asked in the assessment. The applicant should be in a position where they can communicate clearly both on paper and verbally.
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What is the pass rate for Full Membership (for the short paper and the telephone assessment?
Candidates will not pass or fail on the short paper. The short paper is intended for the Assessors to review prior to the assessment – to gain an understanding of the candidates’ knowledge, understanding and experience. The Assessors’ can reject the short paper, if it is not deemed at an acceptable standard. The pass rate for Full Membership is approximately 66%.
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What do I do if I am unwell or can not undertake the assessment on the day?
Contact the Institute immediately so we can inform the Assessors and the telecommunications company. You will have to send us a doctors note if you are unwell. If you do not you may incur a cost.
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What feedback do I get if I am unsuccessful?
If you fail, we provide you with your results for each of the three modules (pass, fail or border-line). We also provide comments from the Assessors (the reasons why you failed and any strength?s demonstrated during the assessment). We also provide some recommendations for consideration before reapplying and a suggested time-scale for reapplying.
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What is the main reason for unsuccessfully achieving Full Membership?
Candidates on the whole fail on either module 1, 2 or both (knowledge and understanding and application of knowledge and understanding). The main reasons for this is because the candidate does not demonstrate breadth or wider strategic thinking, especially in terms of sustainability (you need to show an awareness of the three components, environmental, economic and social). A common reason for failing is also when a candidate does not demonstrate a proactive approach, rather a reactive approach to the environment (they are legislatively driven).
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When I looked at the standard route to full membership, it requires a minimum of three years full time experience in environmental management and/or experience. I was working in the environmental areas for a number of years.Do you count experience for environmental technology, engineering and environmental related working experience in addition to Env. management and/or assessment?
In this instance when the experience requirement may not be clearly met we recommend that applicants send a full CV to Professional Standards to review prior to an application being made.
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Does experience of industrially-sponsored subject related PhDs count towards the required experience for Full Membership?
To apply for Full Membership you need to demonstrate three years full time experience in environmental management and assessment. If this experience includes research / PhD work you need to be able to demonstrate that you have applied your knowledge and understanding (and can therefore demonstrate experience) and that you have sufficient broad knowledge to be a Full Member (refer to the criteria).
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