pros and cons of becoming a member of Engineers Ireland

Seldon

Hi Boardies,

Forgive my ignorance but I’m wondering what are the benefits of becoming a member of Engineers Ireland.

In this day and age I am facing the prospect of leaving the green shores and trying to seek greener(ish) shores, I’m currently looking for advice and any opinions that may be out there.

I get ahead of myself so let me fill in some details.

I’m currently working in a company that has given me the self appointed title of component analysis engineer where in actuality I have a general science degree. Now I have been working in the company for the last 9-10 years so I’ve gained a fair amount experience in what I do (a bit of electronics, a bit of mechanical and a bit of manufacturing) but I have no formal qualifications in any field.

Now faced with an ever decreasing economy I feel its time to leave. What I’m looking for is advice on how to formalise the experiences I’ve gained and make them more solid and in turn sellable to future employers.

Thanks in advance .

dan_d

Hmm.

Contact EI. But I should point out that they may not allow you to become a member without an engineering qualification.(I'm not sure, so ask them)

I find them useful for the jobs section, and they have a number of initiatives for unemployed people (though you're not quite that!), like networking meetings, free/discounted CPD, discounted membership fees etc. They also have links to other engineering bodies in other countries. Having said that, their full fees are not cheap, and their CPD courses (which I don't think would be of benefit to you) are also very expensive.

I'm open to correction on this, but other countries regulate the use of the title "engineer" far more strictly than we do. You cannot call yourself an engineer without having a minimum of an engineering degree in most other countries. Therefore, applying for jobs abroad with the title "engineer" may not work for you, as you are not strictly an engineer even though you have experience. They may title the jobs differently, and possibly you might be better off looking at jobs that are named as "scientist" or something similar, to find work in your field.

I think your best bet right now would be to contact engineers ireland with your queries.Following that, depending on where you're looking, why don't you try contacting the engineering bodies in the other countries to see how they view your qualifications/experience??You can usually find them on the web handy enough. Half the battle is knowing where you fit into the system in another country, makes job hunting that bit easier.

Turbulent Bill

If you're leaving the country, the only reason to join EI is to get the Member title and use the reciprocal agreements it has with other engineering organisations abroad. I don't know how useful or broad these agreements actually are, EI themselves can advise. Foreign companies (that value your educational background) might insist on this 3rd-party certification, e.g., a Canadian company probably won't have a clue about the Irish educational system.

As for becoming a member, the usual route is through accredited engineering (not science) courses, but they might be flexible on that. All the engineering experience will help.

TBH, even abroad I think employers will put a much greater weight on your work experience than your degree type.

godtabh

Membership to engineers ireland is now more open so that cognates working in the engineering field can become members. The routes to titles is less clear but becoming a member is a lot more simple

EngIreland

Hey Seldon,

Happy to let Boardies give you the pros and cons on becoming a member.

If you have any specific questions about Engineers Ireland and how we can help you, drop me a DM.

Cheers