The Road to Chartership
Long-standing IMarEST Fellow Tim Chesher highlights the competencies required and the stumbling blocks to avoid when applying for Chartered status through IMarEST.
When Tim Chesher first joined the IMarEST, he was keen to take an active role. After spending some time with the Technical Leadership Board, Chesher moved on to the Membership Committee. “I used to go into London, and we’d review some of the applications for Chartered status,” Chesher says.
Over time, Chesher’s interest in the process grew, and involvement changed. Today, if you apply to become a Chartered Scientist or Engineer through the IMarEST, you may very well meet Chesher in his role as a professional review interview (PRI) assessor.
Meeting recognised standards
Chesher decided to apply for Chartered status after a prompt from a manager at a company he used to work for. “There were people at the company who were Chartered Engineers (CEng). I went for Chartered Scientist (CSci/CMarSci),” says Chesher, who later also gained Chartered Engineer status. “What I liked about the IMarEST was that it’s about science and technology as well as engineering.” Chesher, who is also chair of the IMarEST’s Coastal Science and Engineering Special Interest Group (SIG) says, that at the time, this “was very modern in its thinking.”
Alongside a sense of personal achievement, obtaining Chartered status “means something to other people in that field,” says Chesher. “You become Chartered Engineer and Chartered Scientist under the auspices of the Engineering Council and Science Council, respectively, but the status is hosted through the IMarEST,” Chesher explains. The Chartered Marine Technologist title, on the other hand, is governed entirely through the IMarEST. The only body that can award Chartered Marine Scientist and Chartered Marine Engineer is the IMarEST, as these are not offered through the Engineering or Science Councils.
Regardless of which Chartered status an applicant is applying for, they must demonstrate certain competencies. “If you want to be Chartered, you fill in paperwork [which asks questions about your competencies] that goes to the Membership Committee for review. If they say ‘yes,’ then the application goes forward into the interview stage – a final check and recommendation back to the Committee by two PRI assessors,” says Chesher.
“The reason we interview applicants is that we want to check that they have the expertise and experience they say they have,” Chesher explains. For Chartered Engineer and Chartered Scientist status, applicants need at least seven years of experience covering technical and managerial attributes. “Do you manage teams? Do you manage budgets? Do you set budgets? Are you financially accountable? [Applicants] don’t have to tick all these boxes, but we want to make sure [the applicant] has sufficient experience to become Chartered.”
If at first, you don’t succeed
Even though by the time the applicants reach the interview stage, their dossier is already pretty solid, not every applicant gains Chartered status on their first try.
“So often we get candidates saying, ‘we did this, we did that in my company,’ so we stress to them even though your day job contributes towards your experience, it’s not about your day job,” says Chesher. “Chartered status is about the individual. It’s about you, the applicant.”
The most common stumbling block Chesher sees is “not enough experience. It’s as simple as that.” When experience is lacking, more often than not, it’s on the managerial side. The applicant “might be technically very good, but they haven’t yet managed people or managed big projects, things like that,” Chesher explains.
Those who don’t get their Chartered status aren’t left in the dark as to why. After the interview, Chesher and the other interviewers provide a written explanation of why they rejected an application, with some guidance as to what the applicant can do to succeed if they want to try again. “The IMarEST is good in that respect. It is very nurturing,” says Chesher. Indeed, many applicants try again – and more often than not, with success.
The IMarEST is always looking for volunteers to conduct Professional Review Interviews. If you are interested, please email[email protected]”
Dr Sam Andrews is a marine ecologist and science writer