Your 2024 'to-do' list

The IES Team

3 January 2024

Your 2024 'to-do' list

The new year is a great time to evaluate your own professional development needs and those of your team, and make sure you are getting the most out of your membership. Here are some suggestions for things to do at the start of the year.

Review your grade & qualifications

1. Are you in the right grade?
Do you hold the IES membership grade that reflects your experience and skills? If you have recently reached one of our work experience thresholds, or have achieved an academic qualification since your initial application, you may now qualify for a different grade. Click on one of the descriptions that best describes you to see your next steps.

I'm a Student Member who has graduated

If you graduated from an IES accredited programme (see full list) since 2021, you can join the Institution of Environmental Sciences for a reduced fee of £54.50. We work hard with our graduates to help you find your dream job in the environmental sector and support you in the early stages of your career. For graduates, we offer a dedicated CV Clinic, Mentoring Scheme and employability events, all provided free of charge to members.

Please complete the Graduate Application (pdf) to join as a professional member today.

I'm an Associate Member

If you have stayed working within the environmental sciences since you first joined us, you may now have gained enough ‘points’ on our Application Grading System to qualify for Full Member. Re-grading to Full Member demonstrates to both your current network and any potential employers that you have achieved a standard of excellence in your environmental career. In 2018 we changed how we score PhDs, and last year we made changes to include points for technical qualifications, so you may qualify earlier than expected.

Visit Join Us to calculate whether you qualify for a re-grade.

I'm a Full Member

Could this be the year you achieve the highest IES accolade, Fellowship? Fellowship is for members who are recognised by their peers as an exceptional individual in the field of environmental science.

Visit our Fellowship page to see examples of the attributes that we seek in our Fellows.

I'm a member who recently retired

Log into the Members' Area, and click on the Membership icon. If under 'Your Memberships' it still says 'Associate', 'Member' or 'Fellow', we don't know you have retired. Let us know by email or phone so we can convert your membership to 'Retired' and you will then pay reduced fees. If you are semi-retired, there is an income threshold of £20,250 to qualify. If you are earning over this, you should remain a professional member until you fully retire.

2. Is it time to apply for Chartership?
The IES is firmly established as the place for environmental professionals to become Chartered, with over 700 candidates successfully gaining Chartership through our CEnv in a Day and CSci in a Day workshops. With our unique 'Support-Speed-Rigour' approach to Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) and Chartered Scientist (CSci), you can confidently and quickly achieve a higher level of professional standing in 2024. Our 2023 salary survey showed on average that members holding CSci and CEnv status relates to a higher median salary (24% higher) than members without. These results, as well as the continued positive feedback we receive from candidates, have strengthened our determination in 2024 to support as many members as possible to become Chartered. Learn more about the workshops and mentoring schemes we offer for our Charterships.

Reviewing your learning & the learning of your team

1. Create a plan for this year's Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
Forward planning is an essential part of the IES CPD cycle. Having reviewed last year's learning, it is time to create an action plan for the coming year to ensure that you continue to develop as a professional.

The IES CPD cycle

2. Book your place on an IES event
2023 was a great year for IES events. We ran a record number of hours of online events and we saw a growth in attendance at our in-person conferences. The Routes to Clean Air conference, held in Manchester, returned to being a two-day conference with the introduction of abstract submissions and poster presentations. The event sold out so please look out for the details for the next conference later in the year. We plan to grow on the success of this by offering more online events in 2024 and delivering even more in-person conferences, such as our new Dialogue Between Disciplines conference, which will be taking place in May.

Our next in-person conferences is the DMUG (Dispersion Modelling User Group) 2024 conference, taking place in London on the 25th April. There is currently a Call for Abstracts for this conference. Later in the year will see the return of the Routes to Clean Air conference as well as the Land Condition symposium. Visit our events page to sign up for our events and keep up to date with our 2024 calendar. View forthcoming events and book your place.

Deepening your relationship with the IES

1. Join one of our Communities
Come together with other IES members through a shared environmental specialism or challenge that you're working towards addressing. By joining one of our specialist Communities you will not only have the space to discuss pertinent issues in your sector, but you can also gain leadership experience and contribute your expertise to help steer the activities of the IES within your chosen field.

Our Communities offer a platform to network and collaborate with other like-minded professionals. Currently we have 7 Communities including: Land Condition, Climate Action, Environmental Policy Implementation (EPIC), Environmental Impact Assessment, Marine & Coastal Science, Water via the Foundation for Water Research (FWR) Community and Air Quality via the Institute of Air Quality Management (IAQM), the professional body for air quality professionals in the UK (and our sister organisation). The IAQM and Land Condition Communities also offer dedicated support for professionals in the first ten years of their career through our Early Careers Networks. We deliver targeted events for members to gain professional development and opportunities to network with peers, so do join in or encourage those you know to get involved!

We welcome your input in developing the work of our communities further, from assisting with conference programmes, presenting at our Early Careers Network meetings, attending community meetings to develop and discuss new ideas and contributing to publications and guidance pieces. As members we need your support to keep these communities and subsequent activities moving forward. Join one of our communities now to take your professional development to the next level and take a leading role in steering the IES's activities.

2. Become a mentor
Do you want to develop your coaching and leadership skills? Could your expertise or career experience help change the life of a recent graduate or someone working towards Chartership? Becoming a mentor with the IES will give you this opportunity.

Our mentoring platform allows users to build bespoke profiles outlining mentors' expertise. These profiles are then used to algorithmically match mentors and mentees, ensuring that you are matched with the right mentee.

We welcome volunteers who could share their experience of gaining Chartership and those in their early career who can support graduates looking for their first role within the sector.

Volunteers need to be Full Members or Fellows, and be able to give a small amount of their time to help develop the skills of aspiring environmental scientists while they prepare for the workplace. Tempted? Learn more about the scheme on our careers page.

"It was deeply satisfying to support an IES member to become a Chartered Scientist. I would encourage those seeking to become chartered to use the platform to find a mentor, as well as those recently chartered to support their peers." (IES Member)

3. Advertise your jobs with the IES
The IES jobs page is frequently checked by our members and, with our website receiving thousands of unique visitors each month, we can ensure that vacancies posted here will be seen by some of the most experienced and qualified environmental professionals in the field. Next time there is a recruitment need in your office, why not advertise with the IES?

4. Hold your meetings at IES HQ
Our new office hosts two stunning meeting rooms: The Fjord and The Fjell, which can be booked out by the hour or the day. Professional members of the IES are eligible for 50% off booking fees.

5. Tell a colleague, friend or client about the IES
We know that our members gain a lot from being part of the Institution. A larger Institution can provide more membership services and have a stronger voice within society, government and education.

Ask yourself this New Year: would some of your team members benefit from the support and resources that come with IES membership? Do you have a colleague that has had their application on their to-do list for a long time and needs a little encouragement? If so, now is the time to spread the word!

6. Stay connected
You can follow the IES on Twitter and LinkedIn to get the latest news about the IES. Make sure to interact with us on these channels, as each like, retweet or comment helps introduce our work to new audiences. Subscribe to our Youtube channel to be alerted when new webinars are added each month. When you achieve a new milestone with the IES, such as moving up the membership grades or becoming Chartered, why not post about it on social media? Your network should know about your fantastic achievements and it spreads the word about opportunities with the IES.

7. Contribute your knowledge
Could your expertise and writing skills be hosted on the IES blog? We are looking to increase the output of our analysis and opinion pieces across the field of environmental science for the attention of our members and beyond. Our blog will give you the platform to showcase your research and writing skills! For more information please contact publications@the-ies.org.

Finally...

Don't forget to renew your membership promptly through the Members' Area. By renewing on time, you free up our administrative team, enabling them to concentrate on delivering our membership services to you.

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