Im getting “Royally” f*****-*** with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Over the last 15years Ive been a member they’ve rocketed membership fees up to a ridiculous £506 pa, for which, as far as I can tell, I get SFA.

A bloated, self-serving bureaucracy, they now turn to enforcing compulsory training and then charging a ***load for it to make even more money to spend on god-knows-****ing-what. I really dont know what they spend it all on.

I keep getting nagging emails saying my Compulsory Professional Development for the year isnt complete. Email padded out with bleaty “oh, go to our website and find where you can do free CPD” – all one hour it out of 10hrs required. And that one hour is the most patronising twaddle about Good Practice I’ve had to endure – written for either 16 year olds or psychopaths on their first trip outside their padded cell. Everything else they want to charge £20-50ph for. And then it’s all generalist claptrap in irrelevant fields. I dont care about Compulsory Purchase bolleaux, or how the house building market is going.

I thought Id have a look at what other professions get gouged for:
CIPD; 165
CIMA; 259
ACCA; 211
RIBA; 259
SRA; 252
BMA; 329
BDA; 365
RICS; 506

So ****’em. Im quitting RICS. I definitely don’t need you as much as you seem to need my money.

Zero as it makes no difference whether I’m Chartered or not (IET was IEE), so I don’t bother.

RIBA is only £259 for the first year, then its £400+ from then on, notwithstanding the mandatory registration with ARB which is £105.
Both are self serving organisations.

£334/year for Chartered status and £80 for HCPC registration.

I think IChemE is about £250, but work have always paid it which is pretty typical in most places I’ve worked.

but work have always paid it which is pretty typical in most places I’ve worked.

and often the institution leadership come from the big cos. They know that a 1,000 surveyor employer will stump up the £500k, the Co. get the kind of institution THEY want not one that suits the members. The self-employed or small practices can go whistle.

RIBA is only £259 for the first year, then its £400+ from then on, notwithstanding the mandatory registration with ARB which is £105.
Both are self serving organisations.

Who seem incapable of speaking constructively to each other. Throw the AABC into the mix (who I am informed by the HMRC is a none deductible expense even though I need membership to work on government/HLF schemes in my field) you have quite a bill at the end of the year

Stoner – there’s probably an element of truth in that for the engineering institutions but even if you have to pay it’s probably worth £250. Membership is useful professionally, and you get access to member’s group events, special interest groups, online data and resource library, preferential conference / training course rates, networking opportunities.

£500 sounds a bit much, if you don’t get anything back.

footflaps +1. Company would pay my IMechE membership, but I refuse to give the the self-serving and professionally/publically invisible shower of sh!tes anything….. promotes a good office ‘debate’ each year….

About £250 for IMarEST but if work didn’t pay I’d probably let my chartered status lapse. I’m not sure it’s ever benefited me.

I’m a Chartered Engineer with the IMechE.

It costs me £200 per year.

For that I get a fortnightly magazine and some events and stuff….

My company won’t pay it either 🙁

Dentists can pay the 365 to the BDA but that”s optional. You have to pay 890 to the GDC who are responsible for CPD, disciplinary controls and as many other aspects as they can get their hands on. Was £11 when I qualified.
Pretty sure medics pay at least the same if not more.

You should try Canada. It’s normally ~$350 but because I’m a pesky foreigner it’s closer to $500.

At the risk of getting shot down, these institutions are members organisations, mostly run by volunteers. If it’s not to your liking get involved and change it.

It costs me £200 per year.

For that I get a fortnightly magazine and some events and stuff….

My company won’t pay it either

If your company won’t pay it, you can claim the tax back to at least minimise the cost to you.

tomd – i thought Id pop into the website and see if there were any technical papers of interest.

For £500 a year I would want:

PI cover up to £200k turnover. FREE. If they think membership is fundamental to good practice, they should back it and provide the PI cover that we have to pay for anyway.

online CPD/videos, course materials, assessment. FREE (They want £50 for an hour, or £200 for 10hrs worth in a year, or £500 a year unlimited) And this is “affordable”. I dont care if its the sale of the ******** century, if they are making you take the damn things they should be covered by the subscription cost.

A decent online library of technical papers. We get access to a few bits and pieces of mainly irrelevant dross and all the useful stuff is missing.

JAG – Member
I’m a Chartered Engineer with the IMechE.

It costs me £200 per year.

For that I get a fortnightly magazine and some events and stuff….

My company won’t pay it either

That seems cheap for chartered.

I pay more than that for AMIMechE.
Last time I looked, once you moved up to Chartered it was over £400.

And yeah – not sure what you really get for your money….
A boring magazine that wonders why people aren’t ‘into’ engineering but the report in a very boring way about mainly boring subjects and talks that are always miles away from home and/or work and start way too early for me to get to.
Ooooh, you do get offers for training – but again, it all seems at massively over-inflated prices.

MrsMC is a social worker. £80 per year or she is immediately unemployed. And £280 to reregister after that.

Before HPCP or whatever it is called it was £15.

Richie_B – Member
Who seem incapable of speaking constructively to each other. Throw the AABC into the mix (who I am informed by the HMRC is a none deductible expense even though I need membership to work on government/HLF schemes in my field) you have quite a bill at the end of the year

Yes, painful isn’t it?
[coughs] How is Camilla today?

£384* for a practising certificate from the Law Society which, as a representative body, has distinct chocolate fireguard status. However, for private practice lawyers, it’s a compulsory requirement (not for those who work in house other than in specific circumstances).

Me? I’m just about to stop working as a lawyer, so not sure I’ll need it any more….

*I’m employed, so don’t pay for it myself

[coughs] How is Camilla today?

On leave I think.

Slightly freaked out by that you will have to give me a clue

HCPC is £80 for 2 years.

IStructE is £299 which I’m generally happy to pay as I do get genuine benefits from membership. And it’s tax deductible if you pay it yourself.
What annoys me though is having to pay an extra £30 or so to the Engineering Council every year to use the term ‘Chartered Engineer’ which I am already qualified and entitled to use through my Institution membership. I assume this applies to all the engineering institutions.

Law Society of England & Wales = £350
Law Society of Scotland = £550

I get a crap magazine that I only check the disciplinary section of (both for a laugh and to see if anyone I know has been booted). Separate payment is required into compensation funds.

Richie_B – Member

Sorry. Chiswick. 😉

IOP (physics) is about £120 a year. The monthly mag is the main reason I pay it.

about 190 CEng MBCS CITP
For employees it’s a tax deductible expense (stick it on your tax form)

aP – Member

Sorry. Chiswick.

My mind is befuddled by an EH deadline. For a minute I thought you were referring to a job I did in Chiswick 6 years ago, which really did freak me out.

I’ve been here for five years but still haven’t made it to one of the group get togethers.

CEng MIMechE is £245.70 for 2015

IOP (physics) is about £120 a year

£100 for MInstP, for £120 you must be FInstP. I also pay mainly for the magazine, plus I think they do a lot of good in physics education amongst other things.

IISP want £100 for associate membership and £200 for full membership so I gave up on them despite having helped found it.

so far then it’s Scottish Lawyers and Dentists are the only ones who have to pay more than us glorified estate agents for our accreditation?

Well I think that’s me made my mind up.

£122 for MRSC, thinking of re-joining but only to get the 10% off a course I want to do…

Haven’t missed the 13 years or so out of it as it’s not a big thing over here and I don’t recall ever seeing CChem ever required for a job.

I don’t recall ever seeing CChem ever required for a job.

Likewise I’ve never heard of “CEng” being required or even mentioned….

The GMC and RCGP seem to ask for loads of money.
All they do is snoop on you and your so called ‘unorthodox treatments and practice rituals’.

I’m not a member of either now – suits me and my subjects, I mean patients, perfectly…

DrP

(this may or may not be true…)

I looked into becoming chartered engineer and could see no reason for my job as I did not legally need it. It seemed like for many people it was a back slapping exercise to put on letter heads and look smart, part of the culture of prestige. If you need to have registration for legal reasons its different matter. The institute also seems to become self appointed spokespeople for the field / industry.

Likewise I’ve never heard of “CEng” being required or even mentioned….

Pretty common in my industry, things like “10 yrs experience and CEng” or a “Million years experience and approved by God” so very much worth having

Pretty common in my industry,

Which is?

I’m in Telecoms and very few people bother with the IET (less than 10% I’d say).

No health and safety training? 😆

Chartered biologist at Fellowship level, £165 pa – not essential for my job but useful.

about £380 for the association of photographers. i like the professionalism and exclusivity but it’s a double edged sword as the low membership means higher member fee’s. they do a lot for copyright/orphan works campaigning and legal advice. i wouldn’t bother if they lowered the standards for entry and became like the RPS or BIPP and full of sunset/cat pic taking retired opticians.

obviously you dont have to be a member but i have gained financially from being a member and its good to share info with fellow professionals that you otherwise wouldn’t cross paths with.
clients wouldn’t know i was a member or even ask so it’ not an essential.