Felix.

Does anyone pay into such things at work. Such as nurses and accountants i believe pay into a professional body each month/year to enable them to work

What benefits do you get from these (if any). I think they are talking about something similar for us.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

My wife was forced for YEARS to pay into the Quango that was The General Teaching Council.

It was a piece of Blair's nastiness, designed to oversee teachers. It cost each teacher about £50 for the year and you were obliged to pay in.

All it seemed to do was ensure that teachers who broke the rules were punished by THEM as well as by the system......two punishments, if you like. Nothing else, no support etc etc.

When it was abolished, the people who ran it tried to take the government to the High Court to stop it being abolished, to protect their very-well-paid jobs and large pensions.

I would advise you and anyone else to resist this, through the courts if you have to.

Graz

My wife is an Occupational Therapist for the NHS, I'm fairly sure she has to pay two memberships one of which is to the British Association of Occupational Therapists can't remember the other and without which she wouldn't be allowed to work.

In my business I pay an annual membership to the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) however the company pays our membership. Even if they didn't it's not mandatory to join. Does mean I can put the letters MIET after my name and if I could be arsed I could pursue becoming a chartered engineer which is more widely recognised worldwide. Aside from that get a monthly magazine, access to their library (online and physical), can have a coffee in Savoy Place if I'm ever in London, and few other things.

Graz B.Eng AUS MIET

Midlife......

iTrader: (2)

I pay for the General Dental Council, British Dental Association, Royal College of Surgeons and my Medical defence organisation......... all in all about 2 grands worth of utter hopelessness

Shaun

thenewgalaxy

Ditto... though I found the DDU extremely supportive with a malicious complaint.

Turbohot

HCPC?

taylor85

iTrader: (5)

Yep RIBA and ciob get a few hundred off me every year and never used anything from them

cster

Well you should add the CQC to that list mate.
Another grands worth of utter uselessness in one go.

neil-h

Same here, as someone who's still building there profile in the engineering profession I reckon it's well worth doing.

Turbohot

All 3 of mine are quite good. I don't think it's a waste of money tbh.

David Lock

Yeah quite a few in the family and useful for advice and if you run into litigation.

Missus had dental stuff like Midlife, daughter has Speech & Language Association Memberships and son in Musicians Union! Tax relief on the professional ones. I joined the Campaign for Real Ale

dl

john banks

£3583 for GMC and MDDUS which are compulsory. I could volunteer to pay BMA and RCGP.

ritchie21

This year £1,000 for my practising certificate. Oh and if I don't pay that I am guilty of committing a criminal offence! That doesn't include any costs I have to pay for CPD which is compulsory.

zip106

I pay a few hundred a year for a voluntary one, but Mrs Zip pays for a compulsory one each year (CIPD or something)

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Is it?

I spent years paying to be in the IEE (now IET) after graduation, and nothing beneficial came my way from it.

Waste of money as far as I'm concerned.

Ellie*

I had to pay £120 a year to be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council.
And what did I get for that little gem? A suspension which means I can't work in a pharmacy.
Bit of a problem there.

cster

You have got the idea.
You pay these people to f*** your life up.
Saves the government the expense, which of course means that more people can be employed to do this.
And it is all for the common good.
Very Gordon Brown IMO.

neil-h

Did you actually go through the professional development side or just become a member?

andyyam750

I'm a fully fledged member of the CIPS, usual professional magazine and access to PD stuff well as their knowledge network...

PS I take it you guys are claiming your tax back on your professional body memberships???

Ellie*

Also got Harold Shipman to thank.
Pretty sure it was that that made the GPhC **** themselves and make even us mere technicians be registered.
You even have to report yourself for getting a speeding fine or any other warning/caution, and if they don't think you're a decent representation of the profession, you get your **** hauled through investigations.

ScoobyWon't

My missus pays about £360 in professional subscriptions a year to be a Physio. I've told her to ask HMRC to off-set it against her tax.

Graz

Yeah, think that's it.