Admissions Criteria for Membership of the Chartered Institute of Linguists
Introduction
Professional membership is open to all those who use their language skills in a professional context, whether employed, contract or freelance. This includes translators and interpreters, language teachers, academics and lecturers as well as linguists who work in public services, business, the professions and international organisations.
Member Grades
There are seven grades of CIOL membership, which fall into one of two categories:
Professional (with designatory letters)
- Associate (ACIL)
- Member (MCIL)
- Fellow (FCIL)
Affiliate
- Career Affiliate
- Student Affiliate
- Study Affiliate
- Affiliate Linguist
CIOL is committed to the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion. We welcome applications from all linguists, whoever they are, wherever they live and work and however they use their languages.
Professional grades
Achieving professional membership of CIOL demonstrates that you have excellent language skills (see our CIOL Language Level Frameworks, but typically C1 in the CEFR in either reading and writing and/or speaking and listening) and meet the requirements and standards for good practice in the professional use of your language skills in the context in which you use them.
Admittance to CIOL as an Associate, Member or Fellow is based on:
• Language qualifications in your non-native language
• Your experience and use of your languages in a professional context (where applicable)
• References (where necessary)
• For Fellowship applicants, your contribution to the languages profession or to other linguists
Associate member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists – ACIL
To become a CIOL Associate member (ACIL), you will typically hold one or more relevant language qualifications:
Directly eligible
- CIOL: Holders of DipTrans, CertTrans, or DPSI, as well as Language Level Assessments and Certified English demonstrating C1 CEFR or higher language skills.
- University: Graduates with language based BA/MAs, Translation & Interpreting degrees, or those taken in a non-native language, e.g. English Medium of Instruction BA/MAs.
- Language skills: Proof of CEFR C1or higher language skills from the main Cultural Institutes or, for English, from UCAS or SELT approved providers.
- Professional Bodies: ITI Assessed, ATA Certified, or interim registration with the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI).
Please note that if you hold a qualification from a university that is neither in the QS 1,500 rankings, nor from the UK or a previously approved university, we may request an Ecctis statement of comparability.
Special Consideration
If you do not meet the qualifications criteria for Associate above, but you can evidence at least three years’ work experience (minimum of 120 days per year) using your language skills to a professional level then we can treat your application for Special Consideration. References will be required to assist with the assessment of your application.
Member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists – MCIL
Applicants for the full Member grade will normally be linguists with relevant work experience and at least one of the following:
- CIOL: Holders of DipTrans, CertTrans, or DPSI, as well as Language Level Assessments and Certified English demonstrating C1 CEFR or higher language skills.
- University: Graduates with language based BA/MAs, Translation & Interpreting degrees, or those taken in a non-native language, e.g. English Medium of Instruction BA/MAs.
- Language skills: Proof of CEFR C1 or higher language skills from the main Cultural Institutes or, for English, from UCAS or SELT approved providers.
- Professional Bodies: ITI Assessed, ATA Certified, or full registration with the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI).
Referee details and copies of your qualifications are required when you apply.
Applicants who hold the DipTrans, relevant MAs or above, or who are ITI Assessed or ATA Certified, need 2 years' of relevant work experience to be considered for the full Member grade. Those with other relevant qualifications need 3 years' of relevant work experience.
Please note that if you hold a qualification from a university that is neither in the QS 1,500 rankings, nor from the UK or a previously approved university, we may request an Ecctis statement of comparability.
If you do not meet the qualifications criteria for Associate above, but you can evidence at least five years’ work experience (minimum of 120 days per year) using your language skills to a professional level then we can treat your application for Special Consideration. References will be required to assist with the assessment of your application.
Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Linguists – FCIL
Fellowship is CIOL’s highest level of professional membership and may be awarded to a member with a high level of linguistic competence and distinguished service to languages, who will then be expected to become a role model and ambassador for CIOL and the language profession. The purpose of the Fellowship award is to recognise and encourage ongoing service to the profession, languages and other linguists, rather than to confer status or recognise time as a member. A Fellow embraces languages, leads within the profession, pushes new boundaries in their work and activities and seeks opportunities to share their knowledge and expertise.
Advice to Applicants for Fellowship
To be considered for Fellowship (FCIL), you will be a full Member of CIOL (MCIL) for a minimum of 12 months. In addition, you will have made a sustained and significant contribution to languages and the language profession over-and-above the ordinary performance or professional contribution/output expected as part of your work. This should include a significant contribution to the growth and development of others. Applicants for Fellowship will normally have a minimum of 10 years' experience in the languages profession as a translator, interpreter, an educator, academic or professional linguist.
• For non-members, a successful application for CIOL membership and 12 months at MCIL is required before an application for Fellowship may be considered.
All applications for Fellowship will be considered by the CIOL Membership Committee which meets quarterly. When considering an award of Fellowship, the Membership Committee will attach particular importance to an applicant’s personal statement looking at their career progression, their contributions to the profession and to others and their standing as a linguist. They will then consider the application, informed by the criteria of ample evidence of a sustained service/contribution to the personal growth and success of others, the wider language profession and/or the promotion of the study and wider use of languages, through one or more of the following endeavours:
- Academic research and publication
- Teaching and scholarship
- Contribution to the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) of others
- Mentoring
- Advocacy
- Supporting the Societies, Divisions and governance Committees of CIOL
- Other contributions clearly demonstrating that the applicant meets the criteria of service to languages and to others
Chartership
Full CIOL Members (MCIL) and Fellows (FCIL) are also often eligible for chartership. For more information on becoming a Chartered Linguist see the CIOL website.
Affiliate Grades
Career Affiliate
Career Affiliate is open to anyone using their language skills extensively in a professional context, or to language practitioners who do not yet meet the qualifications or experience criteria to be admitted as an Associate. We normally expect Career Affiliates to be able to evidence spoken language skills of at least B2 in the CEFR in line with our CIOL Language Level Frameworks. You can apply to become a Career Affiliate if you meet one of the following criteria:
- Hold a language qualification (including a Level 3 Community Interpreting) demonstrating at least B2 level in spoken skills in the CEFR.
- Do not hold a degree or post-graduate qualification in a language but have least one year’s work experience (an average of 120 days professional practice per year) using your non-native language(s) in work.
As a Career Affiliate applicant, you will need to provide a CV or LinkedIn profile that demonstrates that you match the above criteria.
Student Affiliate
Applications are welcome from language students worldwide. To join as a Student Affiliate, you will normally be over 18 years of age and enrolled in a Higher Education Institution working towards achieving one of the following:
- Degree in a language
- Joint honours degree which includes a language i.e. interdisciplinary programmes with a language component
- Postgraduate programme in a language or specialism such as translation or interpreting
- Language related vocational or professional qualification
- A degree taken in a non-native language i.e. English medium of instruction
Study Affiliate
Study Affiliate is designed to welcome those people studying for a CIOL Qualifications (CIOLQ) professional qualification in translation or interpreting as below:
- CIOLQ Diploma in Translation (Level 7)
- CIOLQ Certificate in Translation (Level 6)
- CIOLQ Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (Level 6)
To join as a Study Affiliate, you should be actively studying for a CIOLQ exam. If you achieve the full CIOLQ qualification you will be eligible to join as an Associate member (ACIL).
Affiliate Linguist
Affiliate Linguist is for those who are passionate about languages and for everyone who considers themselves a linguist in their work or lives. Affiliate Linguists come from all backgrounds, including people who:
- Studied languages at school or university
- Use or have used languages in their daily work
- Have lived in other countries and used languages working internationally
- Are learning a language - via a formal course or through self-study
- Are developing or maintaining their languages - this could be via Apps and online courses, self study or formal classes
Joining as an Affiliate Linguist not only helps CIOL to support and promote languages and linguists all over the world, it also helps you as a language lover to stay connected with the world of languages.
Please note Affiliate members do not have AGM voting rights and are not entitled to use CIOL designatory ‘letters’ after their name.
General notes
- The conditions for admission are laid down in the Rules, which are agreed at the CIOL Annual General Meeting. Any changes to the Rules will be published on www.ciol.org.uk.
- Applications for admission should be made online. If this is not possible, or for additional support, please contact the membership team at membershipteam@ciol.org.uk
- All applications (with the exception of Student Affiliate, Study Affiliate and Affiliate Linguist) must be accompanied by an assessment fee which is non-refundable.
- The Membership team will assess your membership application within 20 working days.
- Special consideration cases and all fellowship applications are automatically referred to the CIOL’s Membership Committee which meets quarterly throughout the year.
- CIOL reserves the right to offer you a grade of membership that may be higher or lower than the grade applied for based on your application.
- Non-UK awarded qualifications that are not listed in the QS 1,500 international rankings will be considered on based on comparability to UK awarded qualifications.
- CIOL will treat all applications equally, fairly and with impartiality. Please refer to the full Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy available from https://www.ciol.org.uk/equality-diversity-and-inclusion for further information.
- CIOL’s decision is final; however you have the right to appeal. See https://www.ciol.org.uk/membership-appeals
Other Terms and Conditions of Membership
- You will be admitted into Membership under the conditions for admission as laid down in the Rules, which are agreed at the CIOL Annual General Meeting. Any changes to the Rules will be published on www.ciol.org.uk.
- The term of membership for Student Affiliates is determined by the length of the course being studied.
- Applications for membership are accepted at any time of the year. Membership is on a rolling 12- month basis from the date your application is confirmed and on receipt of: the required information, the specified membership subscription fee, satisfactory references where needed
- By joining CIOL you agree to observe the provisions of the Charter and By-laws, the Rules and the Code of Professional Conduct and other such regulations as may be made from time to time. The code is available at www.ciol.org.uk/code.
- You agree to provide CIOL with a personal email address and to receiving emails and other communications in relation to your CIOL membership. You will be given the opportunity to manage your own mailing preferences and to select which information you wish to receive from us via your online My CIOL account page.
- You also agree to your personal data being held by the CIOL. For full details on how we will use and protect your personal data please read CIOL’s Privacy Notice available from www.ciol.org.uk/privacy
- For the Professional Grades you also agree to be listed in the CIOL Member Check, which will be accessible to the general public. In addition, if you are awarded chartership, you further agree to be listed as a Chartered Linguist on the Chartered Linguist Register.
- As a professional member, you can add and update your profiles via My CIOL including Find-a-Linguist in accordance with the Professional Code of Conduct. CIOL will not be liable to you in respect of any losses or potential losses arising from the Directory or your listing being off-line or inaccurate.
- CIOL reserves the right to add/delete and amend benefits and services. Membership fees will not be refunded either fully or partially if a benefit or service is amended or removed.
- Assessment and membership fees are non-refundable.
