This section of the website has been together to cover the most common queries we receive at HQ. If you have a membership or training question that is not covered here, please do not hesitate to get in touch with Paul Brown on (t) 0161 972 3114 or (e) [email protected]

If you are an ICES member and have a technical query, please contact the admin department on (t) 0161 972 3100 or (e) [email protected] who will then be able to direct your query to the appropriate person.

If your query relates to the Institution's journal, Civil Engineering Surveyor, you can contact Darrell Smart, the editor, on (t) 0161 972 3117 or (e) [email protected] For advertising enquiries, please contact Alan Lees on (t) 0161 972 3110 or (e) [email protected]

APPLICATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP

Q. How many copies of my application documents do I need to send to Head Office?
A. Applicants for Corporate Member or Fellow should send in three copies of their applications documents.

Applicants for Technical Member should send in two copies of their applications documents.

Applicants for all other grades need only send in one copy of their application documents. For further guidance on how to apply, visit the membership section.

Q. Who can I approach to sponsor my application?
A. Student Members should have their application form (ICES103) signed by the course tutor.

Graduate Members should have their application form (ICES101) or upgrade form (ICES102) signed by an ICES Corporate Member or Fellow.

Technical Members should have their application form (ICES101) or upgrade form (ICES102) signed by two full members or fellows of ICES, ICE or RICS.

Corporate Members should have their application form (ICES101) or upgrade form (ICES102) signed by two ICES Corporate Members or Fellows, or one ICES Corporate Member or Fellow and one full member or fellow of ICE or RICS.

Fellows should have their upgrade form (ICES102) signed by three ICES Fellows, together with a letter of recommendation from the principal sponsor. Please note that sponsors from other professional bodies are not permitted at this grade.

Q. What does a sponsor need to do before signing your application form?
A. A sponsor(s) must read the candidate's application documents to check that they are eligible to apply. They must also check that all the necessary paperwork has been completed in accordance with the Institution's application requirements before the application form is signed and sent to Head Office. For guidance on the application requirements for each grade of membership, read the application guidelines in the membership section .

A candidate must check that the sponsor(s) is eligible to approve their application. For guidance on sponsors for membership applications, read the application guidelines in the membership section.

Q. What should I do if I do not know any ICES members to sponsor my application?
A. Find out when your next ICES regional committee meeting or event is taking place and arrange to go along, taking with you your application documents. Details of forthcoming events being organised in your region are posted on the region pages or in the journal, together with contact details for the regional committee chair and secretary. This is an excellent opportunity to meet other ICES members and to discuss your application with them before asking them to sign your form.

FEES

Q. Can I pay my membership application and annual subscription fees in euros?
A. Yes. Anyone who is resident in a country with the euro as its currency can pay these fees by cheque in euros.

Q. How do I find out the current exchange rate from Euros to Sterling?
A. Visit www.xe.com to find out the conversion rate from euros to sterling. We accept the rate of exchange on the day that the cheque is signed.

Q. Can I pay any of my fees by credit card?
A. For existing members who reside outside of the UK, you can pay your annual subscription fees by credit card online. Unfortunately, we cannot accept credit card payments for annual subscription fees from existing UK members.

Q. Is there an additional charge if payments are made by credit card?
A. No surcharge will be made by the Institution for payment of membership application or annual subscription fees paid by credit card.

Q. Do I have to pay my annual subscription fee as well as the membership application fee when I send in my application?
A. No, you need only pay your annual subscription fee after the Education, Training and Membership Committee has approved your application. We will write to you to request the amount outstanding for the remainder of the financial year.

Annual subscription fees are paid on a pro-rata basis from the start of the subscription year, which is 1 March each year.

MEMBERSHIP INTERVIEWS

Q. How often do the Technical, Corporate and Fellow review interviews take place?
A. The review interviews are held quarterly for applications received from candidates in England and Wales. These normally take place the first and second week in January, April, July and October. Interviews in Scotland, Ireland, Hong Kong, Dubai and Cyprus are organised on an ad-hoc basis.

Q. When are the closing dates for the Technical, Corporate and Fellow review interviews?
A. The closing dates for the review interviews are:

• Mid December for January review interviews
• Mid March for the April review interviews
• Mid June for the July review interviews
• Mid September for the October interviews
  

Q. Where do the review interviews take place?
A. For candidates in England and Wales, review interviews are held at ICES HQ in Sale, Cheshire and at ICE HQ in London.

For candidates in Scotland, review interviews are held at a venue in Stirling.

For candidates in Ireland and Northern Ireland, review interviews are held at venue in Dublin and Belfast.

For candidates overseas, review interviews are held in Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai (CM candidates only) and Cyprus (CM candidates only).

RETIREMENT

Q. Can I retain my membership when I retire?
A. Yes, when you are 60 and no longer working as a civil engineering surveyor, you can apply for retired status.

Retired status means that you retain your designatory letters whilst receiving a considerable reduction in your annual subscription fee (which is currently £40 for all grades of membership). The word ‘non-practising' must be used in conjunction with the designatory letters once retired status has been agreed e.g. MInstCES (non-practising).

Non practising members continue to enjoy all the benefits of membership, including access to regional events and receipt of the Institution journal, Civil Engineering Surveyor.

To apply for non-practising status, contact the membership department at Head Office.

CAREER BREAK

Q. Can I maintain my membership during a career break?
A. Yes, non-practising status can be applied to anyone taking a career break (e.g. whilst bringing up children).