Engineers - institutions! Worth being a member?
Discussion
As the title really, is being part of a recognised engineering institution i.e. a recognisable professional body overseen by the engineering council, really worth the salt you pay to them every year?
Ive got the option to go with either the institute of Mechanical Engineers, Society of Engineers or the Institute of Engineering and Technology, nearly all require a £80 a year payment to be a member. Is it worth it though?
Is having Eng Tech iMechE LCGI at the end my name worth anymore to an employer than them just seeing my experience in my cv if you know I mean?!
Ive got the option to go with either the institute of Mechanical Engineers, Society of Engineers or the Institute of Engineering and Technology, nearly all require a £80 a year payment to be a member. Is it worth it though?
Is having Eng Tech iMechE LCGI at the end my name worth anymore to an employer than them just seeing my experience in my cv if you know I mean?!
I should add, I'm in the RAF with 10yrs left.
Is it worth getting the award/membership now therefore being a member for 10yrs which potentially could look good to an employer when I'm due out, or just leave it until a few years until my out date and save myself £600 odd quid over 8ish years?
Is it worth getting the award/membership now therefore being a member for 10yrs which potentially could look good to an employer when I'm due out, or just leave it until a few years until my out date and save myself £600 odd quid over 8ish years?
escargot said:
Depends on the company. A lot of engineering consultancies will require it at the more senior end of the scale.
It is sadly very variable. My last company didn't give a stuff even in directly related roles. Others won't look at you unless you have it. I'm currently job hunting following redundancy and wished I'd sorted my CEng much sooner!
Will the RAF pay your fees? If not you can offset them against tax.
As has already been said, it is variable. I have just decided to give up on mine as it is costing me £190 per year and has been of no benefit whatsoever since I got it. Several companies I have worked for wouldn't pay the subscriptions because they didn't see the value in it & one would not let me use it professionally at all. Added to the sad fact that anyone can call themselves an 'Engineer' and I personally feel it hard to justify.
One other factor is if the push to raise the profile of Eng Tech will help you in the future.
Crystal ball time - but worth watching!
Crystal ball time - but worth watching!
It's worth noting that if membership of whatever institution you decide on also carries membership of The Engineering Council then you have some limited (very) form of professionally indemnity so long as you have behaved in accordance with the The Engineering Councils code of conduct. This probably isn't of much use for TEng but for IEng and CEng, depending on your responsibilities, could be useful.
I am a member of the IET as an Incorporated Engineer and pay £192 a year which is outrageously expensive for what I get out of it, but then like car clubs it's up to each member to make the most of what's available. I don't use any letters after my name on business cards, e-mail signature etc and only attach any importance to membership for the limited cover and when looking for new work.
OP good luck with whatever you decide, if I were you I'd swallow the £90 a year you reckon it will cost and join up.
I am a member of the IET as an Incorporated Engineer and pay £192 a year which is outrageously expensive for what I get out of it, but then like car clubs it's up to each member to make the most of what's available. I don't use any letters after my name on business cards, e-mail signature etc and only attach any importance to membership for the limited cover and when looking for new work.
OP good luck with whatever you decide, if I were you I'd swallow the £90 a year you reckon it will cost and join up.
Seen as a cost, it may seem like little value. Seen as an opportunity to gain knowledge, network, study for further qualifications and maybe one day represent your profession as a member of your institution's council, then it may be ridiculously cheap. As touched on above, maybe when viewed as what can I put in rather than what can I get out may change the value.
As to your CV; I always warm to those have made additional effort to improve themselves. Where appropriate, I view it as a negative if a candidate is not a member of a relevant body.
Also worth remembering one can claim income tax relief on professional membership subscriptions; you can claim back up to 6 years I seem to recall if you've not yet claimed.
As to your CV; I always warm to those have made additional effort to improve themselves. Where appropriate, I view it as a negative if a candidate is not a member of a relevant body.
Also worth remembering one can claim income tax relief on professional membership subscriptions; you can claim back up to 6 years I seem to recall if you've not yet claimed.
I am a member of the IMechE and find the membership useful. During a couple of interviews I've been asked whether I am a member of a professional body and both times the interviewing panel seemed impressed that I was a member.
Also, the monthly magazines and information are useful for keeping abreast of industry news and can also be useful for job hunting!!!
Finally you'll need to become a member if you want to work towards being chartered which in my opinion is a must for career progression.
Of all the bodies you mentioned, IMechE is the one I'd go for......but I would say that.
Also, the monthly magazines and information are useful for keeping abreast of industry news and can also be useful for job hunting!!!
Finally you'll need to become a member if you want to work towards being chartered which in my opinion is a must for career progression.
Of all the bodies you mentioned, IMechE is the one I'd go for......but I would say that.
Cheers for the info guys.
The person giving the presentation about it did the old 'I can't recommend or not recommend that you go out and join a professional body, I can only give you the information and it's upto you to decide whether paying out every year while your still in the RAF is worth it to you or not.'
Like I've said, I'm not looking to leave the RAF until my 22yr engagement is up which is another 10yrs away but for circa £80 a year, it does interest me in signing up now rather than wait another 4-5yrs when i'm knocking on for Sgt rank and then join.
I'm doing a HND in Aeronautical Systems at the moment, after that who knows. I would like to aim for IEng though.
There doesn't seem to be much difference between the different bodies (with the Eng Council being the overarching governing body) but I'm looking at the IMechE and the IET.
The person giving the presentation about it did the old 'I can't recommend or not recommend that you go out and join a professional body, I can only give you the information and it's upto you to decide whether paying out every year while your still in the RAF is worth it to you or not.'
Like I've said, I'm not looking to leave the RAF until my 22yr engagement is up which is another 10yrs away but for circa £80 a year, it does interest me in signing up now rather than wait another 4-5yrs when i'm knocking on for Sgt rank and then join.
I'm doing a HND in Aeronautical Systems at the moment, after that who knows. I would like to aim for IEng though.
There doesn't seem to be much difference between the different bodies (with the Eng Council being the overarching governing body) but I'm looking at the IMechE and the IET.
On balance I would say - yes its worth becoming a member.
I can only speak for the I Mech E, but like many similar you only get out of it what you put in.
It’s not cheap - £240 per annum for me, although your company normally pays, if you are self-employed, it’s offset-able against tax.
I could have got chartered years ago 2003 for certain. But I left it until 2011. One of my biggest regrets in life. It makes a real difference in the job market – it shouldn’t – but it does. Some companies don’t like having chartered engineers, for their own reasons. If any recruitment agencies don’t know what a chartered engineer is, then it’s really very simple, don’t deal with them.
When I turn up at a local I Mech E talk, I am always stunned at the sheer quantity of old blokes that turn up to these things, and I mean OLD. People under 40 are in short supply. In terms of salaries, and speaking selfishly, this can only be a good thing!
The I Mech E is held in high regard as our European/US/Middle East/Far East… etc… colleagues do recognise it. Don’t bother with Eur Ing, that’s hardly worth the paper it’s written on, 90% of the people who hold that are in the UK. I heard a German customer (big expert on gas turbines) ask what it was, as he had never heard of it. I thought why bother…?
I can only speak for the I Mech E, but like many similar you only get out of it what you put in.
It’s not cheap - £240 per annum for me, although your company normally pays, if you are self-employed, it’s offset-able against tax.
I could have got chartered years ago 2003 for certain. But I left it until 2011. One of my biggest regrets in life. It makes a real difference in the job market – it shouldn’t – but it does. Some companies don’t like having chartered engineers, for their own reasons. If any recruitment agencies don’t know what a chartered engineer is, then it’s really very simple, don’t deal with them.
When I turn up at a local I Mech E talk, I am always stunned at the sheer quantity of old blokes that turn up to these things, and I mean OLD. People under 40 are in short supply. In terms of salaries, and speaking selfishly, this can only be a good thing!
The I Mech E is held in high regard as our European/US/Middle East/Far East… etc… colleagues do recognise it. Don’t bother with Eur Ing, that’s hardly worth the paper it’s written on, 90% of the people who hold that are in the UK. I heard a German customer (big expert on gas turbines) ask what it was, as he had never heard of it. I thought why bother…?
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