Test Chartership Assessors

Once you have received the application pack, you usually have four to six weeks to complete the pre-interview form. During this time, there will be an interim deadline for requesting any additional information from the candidate if needed, to determine whether candidate is ready for interview stage.

During this time, we identify a provisional interview schedule within the interview window, which is usually three weeks. At the end of the window, the Chartership Officer collates the recommendations to present to the Professional & Chartership Committee.

Overall, assessors have approximately two months from receiving the application pack to completing the interview and reporting.

It is important that assessors adhere to the advertised review schedule when they commit to undertaking a review, in order to complete all reviews/interviews on time, and so candidates can be provided with sufficient notice of their interview slot.

The total time inputs by assessors for carrying out a documentation review and interview (one to two hours), as well as completing the pre-interview and post interview forms is estimated at eight to ten hours in most cases.

In your pre-interview form, following the review of the documents, you should be reasonably confident that the candidate is likely to be recommended for Chartership, scoring 'C' for each of the criteria.

If you think there are any gaps that might be readily addressed by the candidate, please ask the Chartership Office to provide a clear request to the candidate for them to provide additional information.

In the pre-interview form, you can list the information you are requesting in the relevant section, and the Chartership Office will pass it on to the candidate. Alternatively, you can email us, and we will pass this on.

We do not share the identities of the assessors with the candidate until the interview is arranged, for assessor safeguarding. Therefore, all communications with the candidate are undertaken via the Chartership Office.

You will be contacted by the Chartership Office to provide your availability during the interview window. A provisional (placeholder) time/date will be arranged whilst you are still completing your review so that everyone can plan ahead. If you decide to proceed to interview, the Chartership Office will set up the interview. If you decide to Postpone the application, we will advise the candidate and cancel the placeholder appointments.

Our interviews are now primarily conducted online via Zoom or Teams. If any candidate or assessor requires an in-person interview in relation to EDIA needs, please let us know at the earliest opportunity so that we can help facilitate this.

We aim to accommodate everyone's availability. If an interview has been scheduled and you can no longer make it, please contact us immediately so we can make new arrangements.

The Supporting Documents are the portfolio by which the candidate demonstrates their evidence for meeting the Chartership competency criteria.

The MLER is for those candidates who have not completed a Master's level qualification (UK QAA Level 7), and it aims to demonstrate that they have gained the same level of technical knowledge difficulty through their experience in their professional career.

Retrospective applications are those made by candidates within two years of being awarded a Geolsoc professional qualification i.e. CGeol candidate who previously gained CSci or vice versa.

These candidates do not need a further interview, and their competencies are assessed based on only their submitted information, some of which is updated material from the initial application.

Following the interview the Assessors will complete a post-interview report.

The report provides comments on the candidate's performance with respect to each of the Chartership competency criteria. As an Assessor, you will use your experience and training - including your professional judgement - to determine whether the candidate has adequately fulfilled the Chartership criteria. In your report, you will provide feedback for the candidate's continued future professional development.

The recommendation

The report will have one of three recommendations:

• Accept' - the candidate will be elected to CGeol or CSci
• 'Defer' - the candidate is unsuccessful at this stage but can re-apply
• 'Accept subject to' further information - the application is missing some information and the candidate has 4 weeks to produce the information required