Chartered Engineer 2016

kierc2014 · 21-04-2015 5:21pm

Hi, I am thinking about applying to become chartered in the next while, I was talking to EI and I need to get my CPD hours up first, so it will be next year before I apply. But besides that I see the criterion 1 Design........ that may be a slight problem for me as I am a site based engineer with a civil company. Is there a way around this or anyone else in the same position?

Also thinking about doing courses to improve my further learning besides CPD, has anyone done this?

Any advice / opinions would be great.

godtabh · 22-04-2015 3:47pm

You don't have to be a designer to be come a chartered engineering.

kierc2014 · 22-04-2015 6:29pm

I know that but I honestly dont know what I could write for that. I can make up something but I really dont want to cos if i get quizzed and caught out that will be that.

Alkers · 24-04-2015 1:52pm

godtabh wrote: »

You don't have to be a designer to be come a chartered engineering.

The new guidelines (even for phase 1) are very much written in that way.

godtabh · 26-04-2015 8:53pm

Simona1986 wrote: »

The new guidelines (even for phase 1) are very much written in that way.

It maybe written that way but its the demonstration of competences that counts

Ascii · 27-04-2015 4:38pm

Just a question to the whiz kids out here...I have an accredited level 7 and 10 years good solid experience. In the past I was an AMIEI for about 3 years before I let it lapse. If I joined up again, do you think I will get approved by the MQB to progress to Phase 1. Talking to different people and getting different opinions.
One person in the IEI says I should get it with 10 years, another tells me I would be wasting my time without 15 years. Has anyone gone this route and if so how many years experience did you have when you applied to the MQB with your 1400 word career summary/CV/Application fee?
Don't want to pay €255 to join and another €50 to apply only to be told I don't have enough experience.
Thanks

godtabh · 28-04-2015 9:50am

Ascii wrote: »

Just a question to the whiz kids out here...I have an accredited level 7 and 10 years good solid experience. In the past I was an AMIEI for about 3 years before I let it lapse. If I joined up again, do you think I will get approved by the MQB to progress to Phase 1. Talking to different people and getting different opinions.
One person in the IEI says I should get it with 10 years, another tells me I would be wasting my time without 15 years. Has anyone gone this route and if so how many years experience did you have when you applied to the MQB with your 1400 word career summary/CV/Application fee?
Don't want to pay €255 to join and another €50 to apply only to be told I don't have enough experience.
Thanks

Ring them. It would be difficult to give you an answer with the information you supplied.

Ascii · 28-04-2015 10:45am

godtabh wrote: »

Ring them. It would be difficult to give you an answer with the information you supplied.

That's the problem. I have got conflicting information from them. Just wondering from anyone on here who has gone from an IEI approved level 7 course and been successfully chartered, how many years experience did you have when you applied?

Obviously the roles you have had in you work career will dictate but an indication would be good?
Thanks

ianwalsh2 · 01-05-2015 1:30pm

Ascii wrote: »

That's the problem. I have got conflicting information from them. Just wondering from anyone on here who has gone from an IEI approved level 7 course and been successfully chartered, how many years experience did you have when you applied?

Obviously the roles you have had in you work career will dictate but an indication would be good?
Thanks

I assume you've had a good read through the Chartered Engineer Regulations (Link)

Looks like it's 15 years only if you have no formal qualifications, according to paragraph 2.2.1 (g):

(g) You have not completed an accredited master’s or
bachelor of engineering (honours) degree but you have
completed learning and development in your career
that is equivalent to the learning required for a
master’s degree (if not please continue to (h)).
If you have successfully completed an Engineers
Ireland accredited qualification for the registered
professional title of Associate Engineer; or you have
completed a qualification in a cognate subject area to
engineering; or you have no formal qualifications but
have an equivalent educational formation to that of a
Chartered Engineer through experiential learning over
a period of at least 15 years, you may apply for
assessment under the experiential learning route. Full
details of the eligibility criteria and submission
requirements for the route may be seen in Section 5 of
these regulations.

If you then go on to look at section 5.1.1 it looks like you're good to go with 10 years experience:

■ qualified from an engineering programme accredited
by Engineers Ireland as meeting the educational
standard required of an Associate Engineer and have
over 10 years’ engineering work experience. This is
normally, but not always, at Level 7 on the Irish NFQ.

OR

■ the registered professional title of Associate Engineer
and have seven years’ work experience post
achievement of the title.

I think e-mailing them for confirmation is the best bet - at least you'll have their response in writing. I've recently become chartered and found that they are generally quite quick and helpful when responding to e-mail.

Eternal Shotokan Student · 20-05-2015 8:50am

Hi Folks, just wondering if anyone has any tips for the phase 1 interview, I am due to have mine soon. What kind of questions will they ask etc?

Alkers · 20-05-2015 8:41pm

What assessment route are you applying under?

Eternal Shotokan Student · 20-05-2015 11:40pm

Simona1986 wrote: »

What assessment route are you applying under?

Phase 1 educational standard towards Chartered Engineer. I graduated in 2009 and I have worked as a site engineer since.

Alkers · 21-05-2015 10:44am

Have you clarified your position with iei? If you have an accredited level 8 from 2009 you have already met the educational requirement of phase 1 and there shouldn't be any interview required?

Eternal Shotokan Student · 21-05-2015 10:57am

Yes I have I forwarded all my details to the membership team. I done my Level 8 at Napier in Edinburgh after having studied for my Level 7 here.

acerspader · 14-06-2015 9:59am

Hi,

I was planning to submit an application this June but it looks like I won't get the report finished in time for the 26th June 2015.

The next deadline is last friday in January 2016, the only problem is that I maybe talking 6 months off work starting from Jan 2016.

So if I submitted my application say end of December 2015 and Engineers Ireland accepted my report and was called for and interview in say summer 2016 when I had just returned to work. Would not working for 6 months affect my chance of achieving chartership status?

Thanks.

godtabh · 14-06-2015 9:32pm

acerspader wrote: »

Hi,

I was planning to submit an application this June but it looks like I won't get the report finished in time for the 26th June 2015.

The next deadline is last friday in January 2016, the only problem is that I maybe talking 6 months off work starting from Jan 2016.

So if I submitted my application say end of December 2015 and Engineers Ireland accepted my report and was called for and interview in say summer 2016 when I had just returned to work. Would not working for 6 months affect my chance of achieving chartership status?

Thanks.

I wouldnt have thought so

MOTM · 14-06-2015 9:45pm

acerspader wrote: »

Hi,

I was planning to submit an application this June but it looks like I won't get the report finished in time for the 26th June 2015.

The next deadline is last friday in January 2016, the only problem is that I maybe talking 6 months off work starting from Jan 2016.

So if I submitted my application say end of December 2015 and Engineers Ireland accepted my report and was called for and interview in say summer 2016 when I had just returned to work. Would not working for 6 months affect my chance of achieving chartership status?

Thanks.

Take the guesswork out of it. Ask engineers Ireland.

MOTM · 20-07-2015 1:17pm

Anybody know how long it takes EI to revert after you've submitted the chartership application? Do they give you much notice and information to prepare for the interview stage?

alias no.9 · 22-07-2015 10:01am

MOTM wrote: »

Anybody know how long it takes EI to revert after you've submitted the chartership application? Do they give you much notice and information to prepare for the interview stage?

June 2015 applications are currently being reviewed, some will be complete by now but probably not all. Assessors are asked to return a decision to proceed or not within two weeks of receiving the report. I expect it will be another few weeks for the candidate to be informed of a decision.

I know two applicants who wen't through the process at the same time last year and they were notified about progression to interview a couple of weeks apart. If you hear of somebody else who's got a call but you haven't, there is not necessarily any significance to that other than the review is a voluntary effort and it takes time to get all candidates reviewed.

ianwalsh2 · 26-07-2015 7:25pm

MOTM wrote: »

Anybody know how long it takes EI to revert after you've submitted the chartership application? Do they give you much notice and information to prepare for the interview stage?

I think everyone's timeline is going to be slightly different, the interviews are spread out over a number of weeks and depend on the availability of the interviewers relevant to your application.

Just to give you an idea of how it went for me: I submitted my application on the 26th September 2014 and was informed 1-2 months later that I had been approved to proceed to interview and that they would be back in touch to organise in December/ January. I received an email on the 15th January informing me of a number of available dates in late January asking me about my availability and I then got a confirmation on 21st Jan that my interview was to be on the 26th Jan. It wasn't much notice but I had started preparing after getting the email on the 15th. Nonetheless it was a busy few days organising flights to get home and carrying out final preparations.

In relation to the interview itself, there are some good posts earlier in this thread which were helpful to me. Basically all you can do is prepare your 10 minute presentation and know your application and essays inside out. It is all about your experience so make sure you've got plenty of examples of where you've met the required competencies! Some of the senior engineers in my place were good enough to do a mock interview which was helpful. Be prepared for some typical job interview questions and make sure you've got a question or two to ask at the end also.

After the interview, the panel give their recommendations and it is discussed and verified at the next sitting of the board (generally held towards the end of each month). So in my case I had the nervous wait until the end of Feb, but luckily got the nod!

MOTM · 27-07-2015 6:55am

Thanks Ian and Alias. Both very useful posts. I got a positive response to the application and am due to interview at some stage. Will put together a presentation fairly soon to get the ball rolling.

ianwalsh2 · 27-07-2015 1:37pm

In relation to the 10 minute presentation, it is good to go in with some form of slides. There were three of us in the waiting room waiting to be seen and two of us had slides with us, the other guy didn't and you could see the blood drain from his face! It's not a requirement and everybody's different, but I personally found it useful and I think it's a chance to show part of your presentation skills. I also brought in a few blank pieces of paper in case I needed to sketch anything - I didn't need to in the end, but sometimes I find it easier to explain certain things with a sketch!

I prepared slides on Powerpoint with a few bullet points and plenty of images; printed them out in A3, laminated them and borrowed a table top presenter from work. They don't provide any electronic presentation equipment (laptop/projector) so the hard copy is probably your best bet. I thought about using an ipad, but felt it was probably too small. It was also good to have some of the images on the slides to refer to during the interview, there were some questions asked where I was able to refer to certain projects that I had included in the presentation. Again, this is purely my opinion and somebody else may tell you something totally different. I suppose it's up to you to think how best you can present it and what you're most comfortable with.

Michael D Not Higgins · 27-07-2015 1:43pm

ianwalsh2 wrote: »

In relation to the 10 minute presentation, it is good to go in with some form of slides. There were three of us in the waiting room waiting to be seen and two of us had slides with us, the other guy didn't and you could see the blood drain from his face! It's not a requirement and everybody's different, but I personally found it useful and I think it's a chance to show part of your presentation skills. I also brought in a few blank pieces of paper in case I needed to sketch anything - I didn't need to in the end, but sometimes I find it easier to explain certain things with a sketch!

I prepared slides on Powerpoint with a few bullet points and plenty of images; printed them out in A3, laminated them and borrowed a table top presenter from work. They don't provide any electronic presentation equipment (laptop/projector) so the hard copy is probably your best bet. I thought about using an ipad, but felt it was probably too small. It was also good to have some of the images on the slides to refer to during the interview, there were some questions asked where I was able to refer to certain projects that I had included in the presentation. Again, this is purely my opinion and somebody else may tell you something totally different. I suppose it's up to you to think how best you can present it and what you're most comfortable with.

That's strange since the guidance notes say.

"You may use hand notes or drawings. No other visual aids are permitted so you will be relying on your own presentation and articulation skills."

That seems to preclude Powerpoint type slides.

ianwalsh2 · 27-07-2015 1:52pm

Michael D Not Higgins wrote: »

That's strange since the guidance notes say.

"You may use hand notes or drawings. No other visual aids are permitted so you will be relying on your own presentation and articulation skills."

That seems to preclude Powerpoint type slides.

I think you're looking at the old version of the guidance notes. Latest ones say:

"You may use visual aids, up to A3 size, as appropriate for use across a table. You may choose to bring a laptop or tablet to present information. However, no
presentation equipment will be provided and you will not be permitted entry to the room in advance of the interview. If you choose to use a laptop to present
particular information to the panel, you should have it open and ready to present when you meet the panel."

Michael D Not Higgins · 27-07-2015 1:53pm

ianwalsh2 wrote: »

I think you're looking at the old version of the guidance notes. Latest ones say:

"You may use visual aids, up to A3 size, as appropriate for use across a table. You may choose to bring a laptop or tablet to present information. However, no
presentation equipment will be provided and you will not be permitted entry to the room in advance of the interview. If you choose to use a laptop to present
particular information to the panel, you should have it open and ready to present when you meet the panel."

Thanks, good to know. I should go get the latest guidance notes so.

ianwalsh2 · 27-07-2015 2:05pm

Michael D Not Higgins wrote: »

Thanks, good to know. I should go get the latest guidance notes so.

I think my round last September was either the first or second group using the new process and guidelines. Looking at their website, it was changed in Feb 2014. It was quite a straightforward application process and was all carried out online, including the supporters approval.

Link to website
Guidance Notes Link
Regulations Link

27-07-2015 2:24pm

I brought in a folder for my second interview (nothing for my first one) which had some weekly reports that I have for my projects, plus info on other projects I worked on. Props help the interviewer as well as you. I spent the 10 minute presentation going through parts of the folder which corresponded to the competencies, but questions on the projects later were helped by referring to the folder.

Shy Ted · 28-07-2015 6:17am

I would agree with the previous statements about bringing a portfolio with you.
Whilst you may be discussing a topic that seems generic to yourself, it may be completely unknown to the interviewer.
I assist on professional review interviews myself (although not for Engineers Ireland), and its one thing to read about a project or design and another to actually see the end result (We're engineers, we like to see and learn about interesting stuff).

However, I would strongly advise that you only use the slides to facilitate you and don't rely on them too much.
Remember, the interview will be an assessment of your interpersonal skills.
You must carry the conversation providing evidence of your competencies and not following the slides like a powerpoint presentation.

On a side note, you may have completed some projects since submitting your application.
When you get the opportunity, don't be afraid to bring them up too. They'll help reinforce you eligibility for chartership status.

Finally, just relax and enjoy the experience. No body is looking to catch you out.
Its just a meeting amongst peers. Good luck.

Gumbo · 29-07-2015 3:32pm

Guys, hopefully this is in the correct thread, but if not, i will start another no problem.
While i am not applying for Chartership

I am trying to upgrade my membership from BEng Tech MIEI to Associate Engineer (AEng AMIE).

I was just wondering if the IPD for Associate membership is in any way similar to the IPD for Chartership?

Main qualification background (leaving out all the minor FETAC certs and NUI Certs etc)

2005 : National Certificate in Civil Engineering from DIT Bolton Street, NFQ Level 6.
2007 : Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering (Structural Option) from DIT Bolton Street, NFQ Level 7.
2015 : Post Graduate Diploma in Fire Safety Engineering from TCD, NFQ Level 9.

Basically i am looking for advice on IPD creation if possible.

"Submission of a 2500 - 3000 word engineering practice report. The report should describe training and significant engineering work carried out by the candidate. It should summarise the Initial Professional Development (IPD) activities that the candidate has undertaken. The report must be verified by 2 supporters. "

Thanks,
Keith.

MOTM · 08-10-2015 5:10pm

So, I'm called for the interview. Presentation almost complete. Thinking of bringing in a copy in booklet form for each interviewer and a laptop to display it (has a fairly large screen).

Will see how it goes, but if I do get it, then I've found the posts on this thread really useful.

Dats_rite · 09-10-2015 11:59am

MOTM wrote: »

So, I'm called for the interview. Presentation almost complete. Thinking of bringing in a copy in booklet form for each interviewer and a laptop to display it (has a fairly large screen).

Will see how it goes, but if I do get it, then I've found the posts on this thread really useful.

All the best!

godtabh · 09-10-2015 12:58pm

MOTM wrote: »

So, I'm called for the interview. Presentation almost complete. Thinking of bringing in a copy in booklet form for each interviewer and a laptop to display it (has a fairly large screen).

Will see how it goes, but if I do get it, then I've found the posts on this thread really useful.

check about the laptop. I dont think you can use it

MOTM · 09-10-2015 10:42pm

godtabh wrote: »

check about the laptop. I dont think you can use it

They don't supply one but you can bring one according to 9.3.3 of their regulations

MOTM · 23-10-2015 10:31am

Just got word back - completed the interview last week and am now chartered with EI. Happy days.

MOTM CEng MIEI

Dats_rite · 23-10-2015 10:39am

Well done!

23-10-2015 7:25pm

Congrats!

Dunphus · 27-10-2015 2:39pm

MOTM wrote: »

Just got word back - completed the interview last week and am now chartered with EI. Happy days.

MOTM CEng MIEI

Congrats! How much experience did you have before you went for it? I'm planning to submit for the next deadline but have been working out of country with no formal CPD programme for the past few years so the doubts are kicking in!

Michael D Not Higgins · 27-10-2015 2:43pm

Dunphus wrote: »

Congrats! How much experience did you have before you went for it? I'm planning to submit for the next deadline but have been working out of country with no formal CPD programme for the past few years so the doubts are kicking in!

I'm in a similar position. Can't really make up the training courses requirement, but have plenty of other things to bulk up the CPD however the training courses minimum won't be met. I may need to call IEI to see what their take on it is...

godtabh · 27-10-2015 3:22pm

Lads training courses only make up a small but of the CPD spectrum. The more varied the better

Dunphus · 27-10-2015 4:46pm

godtabh wrote: »

Lads training courses only make up a small but of the CPD spectrum. The more varied the better

Yeah, I understand that alright. It's more the lack of mentor and programme of hitting the competencies that I'm more concerned about.

godtabh · 27-10-2015 9:13pm

Dunphus wrote: »

Yeah, I understand that alright. It's more the lack of mentor and programme of hitting the competencies that I'm more concerned about.

That should come evident from your report. As your start preparing it you should be looking at the competency list and knocking them off as you write. Competency isnt based on attending CPD. Competency is based on applying what you have learned in different situations. That learning can happen in many many different ways which is important to get across.

MOTM · 28-10-2015 8:03am

Dunphus wrote: »

Congrats! How much experience did you have before you went for it? I'm planning to submit for the next deadline but have been working out of country with no formal CPD programme for the past few years so the doubts are kicking in!

I should've gone for it years ago. Have 15 yrs experience but I'm not in EI that long. I have been attending webinars, a couple of conferences and self study that totted up CPD. I'd say contact EI if in doubt.

godtabh · 17-11-2015 10:41am

The Engineers Ireland Young Engineers Society are hosting this event

Maybe of interest to many here

https://www.facebook.com/events/1648471758758341/

godtabh · 17-11-2015 10:42am

Thread title updated as next intake is in 2016

podgemonster · 19-11-2015 6:16pm

Podgemonster BEng CEng MIEI

GET IN!

godtabh · 19-11-2015 9:16pm

podgemonster wrote: »

Podgemonster BEng CEng MIEI

GET IN!

Engineers love writing their letters. Half tempted to post mine!

Congrats.

Gumbo · 21-11-2015 10:19pm

podgemonster wrote: »

Podgemonster BEng CEng MIEI

GET IN!

Just as a matter of interest, doesn't the CEng trump the BEng, so you can drop the BEng now

Well done by the way.

godtabh · 22-11-2015 5:40pm

kceire wrote: »

Just as a matter of interest, doesn't the CEng trump the BEng, so you can drop the BEng now

Well done by the way.

You dont drop it.

It would go

BEng MIEI CEng

DrChristianTroy · 28-03-2016 10:40pm

Lads and ladies, I intend to apply for chartership this June with EI. Can someone give me an idea on how long it takes to get all the documentation in order? I have no issue meeting the experience/competency but just want to know whether targeting the June deadline is realistic as quite busy in work.

podgemonster · 29-03-2016 10:33am

DrChristianTroy wrote: »

Lads and ladies, I intend to apply for chartership this June with EI. Can someone give me an idea on how long it takes to get all the documentation in order? I have no issue meeting the experience/competency but just want to know whether targeting the June deadline is realistic as quite busy in work.

From what I remember there were about 10 essays from Competencies to Career Summaries to Articles. I spent an evening on each essay. Then after my supporters tore into my application I then spent another 10 evenings on each essays re-editing. I could have spent an entire Saturday doing all of it but I broke it up to keep my writing and mind fresh.

IMO you have plenty of time

Chartered Engineer 2016

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