Applying for the interview

One document containing the experience report and ten report forms, a fee paid at the point of application, and a supporter who is a Fellow or Member of the Institution.

The supporter is misunderstood more than any other part

Candidates approach potential supporters apologetically, as though asking someone to vouch for their engineering. That is not what is being asked, and saying so plainly makes the conversation much easier.

A supporter confirms that you are a fit and proper person to become a Member. Your competence is assessed by the reviewers, on the evidence you submit. The supporter is not signing off your technical ability, and cannot be blamed if the review does not go your way.

The guidance is also candid that members respond differently: some are happy to be named straight away, some will want to meet you and look at your work first, and some decline. None of those is a judgement on you.

Where to look, when you do not have one

The Institution's own suggestions, in order of how well they tend to work:

1. 01Previous employers and colleagues. Even where they are not Chartered themselves, they usually know someone who is.
2. 02Your university. Departments often keep contact with Members and Fellows among their alumni and visiting staff.
3. 03Your Regional Group. Contact the group or its representatives through the Institution's website — noting that members there are under no obligation to act.
4. 04The online members' directory, for members in your area.

Start this early. It is the one part of the application that depends on somebody else's calendar.

The deadline is not the date you should be working to

The portfolio must be ready for submission at the time you apply, and reviewers contact you around six weeks after the application deadline has passed. So the real deadline for a finished portfolio is the application, not the interview — several months earlier than most candidates plan for.