CIOB Response to COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

Membership

What is happening to the CIOB membership subscriptions for 2022?

CIOB is freezing subscription fees for the second year in a row – the Institute has confirmed there will be no increase in fees for individual chartered members (those holding MCIOB or FCIOB post-nominals) or company members for 2022.

CIOB has also confirmed that the Covid-19 support fund, set up specifically for members facing financial difficulties as a result of the pandemic, will be available to those who may need a concession on 2022 subscriptions.

I am experiencing financial difficulty in paying my fees – what support is available to me?

We have introduced concessionary rates of membership to help those who are experiencing financial difficulty due to the impact of COVID-19.

The support available to you will depend on your current grade of membership:

• FCIOB, MCIOB, ACIOB, ICIOB: If you are experiencing financial difficulty due to redundancy, furlough, pay reduction or loss of income as a result of Coronavirus, you can apply for the COVID-19 Support Fund. Please download the application form above.
•  Applicant or Student member: If you are a current or previous member of the CIOB, you can apply for help from CIOB Assist. You can contact CIOB Assist on [email protected] or www.assist.ciob.org.

Does the CIOB offer any standard membership concessionary rates?

Yes, we have several reduced subscription rates specifically for members who meet the qualifying criteria – all application forms can be found in the membership portal.

•  Chartered Concessionary Membership:

  £61 per subscription year – Available to MCIOB and FCIOB grades with a minimum of 12 months in your Chartered Grade, and less than 6 previous concessionary applications within your membership lifetime, and if you are currently unemployed or on a low income due to reasons not related to coronavirus.

•  Academic Concessionary Rate:

  50% – Available to all grades of membership except ACIOB, ICIOB and students who work within the field of Academia or teaching of construction-related courses at FHEQ Level 4 or above.

•  Expatriate Concessionary:

  30% – Available to all grades of membership except ACIOB, ICIOB and students who are nationals of South-East Asia* who are working in the Middle East.

  *South East Asia countries are classified as Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, The Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka

• Maternity/Paternity Concessionary Rate:

  £61 per subscription year – Available to FCIOB, MCIOB, ACIOB, ICIOB members who are on Parental, Adoption leave or equivalent.

•  Retired Membership:

  £68 per subscription year or free if aged over 75 – Available to FCIOB, MCIOB, ACIOB, ICIOB members who have no paid income, and hold no company directorships, and do not provide advice on building or construction matters.

Are you offering support for candidates who are in the process of becoming a member?

We are offering those who want to become members support with their fees by introducing a COVID-19 Waiver Fee Application to waive one of two fees:

• Professional Review Fee
• Fellowship Workshop and Assessment Fee

Candidates can apply for one of the above to be waived via the application form below. Please note that you will need to meet the criteria shown on the application form, as well as being able to supply evidence to support your claim before it can be approved.

Please note that the waiver application form is applicable to direct entry members only and cannot be applied to studies being undertaken by a provider. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, we encourage you to contact your provider to discuss your options with them.

All other application fees have been frozen at 2020 levels with no increase for 2021.

How can I pay my membership fees?

If you have a UK bank account, you can set up a direct debit to pay for your subscription either on an annual basis, or in monthly instalments over 6 months from January to June.

Fees can be paid instantly with a debit or credit card through the membership portal here - once logged in, navigate to Membership > Pay Renewal. You will need your username and password to log in. Alternatively, you can pay over the phone by calling our Customer Service team on +44 (0) 1344 630 700.

You can also pay by cheque - please make payable to The Chartered Institute of Building, ensuring that your membership number and surname are written on the reverse, and posting it to:

The Chartered Institute of Building

1 Arlington Square

Bracknell

Berkshire

RG12 1WA

United Kingdom

Member support and progression to Chartered

If you are experiencing financial hardship due to Covid-19 and are on the membership track, a Chartered Building Company or Consultancy or an existing member (MCIOB or FCIOB), please get in touch with our Customer Services team as we may be able to provide some flexibility on fees and membership payments. We aim to provide the most appropriate support on a case-by-case basis, so please bear with us while we respond to your enquiry.

We have also adjusted our arrangements to support prospective members and members looking to upgrade to Chartered Member or Fellow, with assessments, interviews and workshop events moved to online platforms or web-based meetings. The CIOB’s teams can still provide the support you need – please contact Customer Services if you have a question. 

Membership and Fellowship candidates

For people who are on the membership track and working towards MCIOB, those required to interview as part of their application will be contacted about alternative arrangements.

For those on the Fellowship track needing to make arrangements for their peer review, we will be working with candidates and assessors to move these to an online platform or postpone until later this year. The CIOB exams programme is delivered online, so students will not be affected with regard to accessing the material necessary to progress to membership.

Events and meetings

Our local hub events and meetings will be postponed or run virtually until further notice. We will continue to adapt our local events so that they can be run online where possible. Delegates and potential delegates should contact their local CIOB event organiser for further details.

Online resources

Our advice to members, and others, who were attending our courses and events is to encourage the use of our online resources. This includes the CIOB Academy CPD portal that hosts a wide range of online learning as well as the CIOB Library.

The CIOB is mindful that this is an unprecedented situation but hopefully our actions will be, along with those of many other organisations and businesses, practical and useful steps needed to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.