Price comparison of UK Professional Engineering Institutions (PEIs)
A few years ago, in the spirit of those price comparison websites which we all know and love, I wrote an article comparing the membership fees and offerings of the various UK Professional Engineering Institutions (PEIs). Having recently received my own 2024 renewal invoices, it made me wonder if the situation had changed much in the intervening period, so I put together this update.
The first thing to be aware of is that the admin side of switching isn’t supposed to be tremendously difficult. You do not (as many people fear) have to reapply from scratch to be a Chartered Engineer in a different institution. Thanks to the system of mutual recognition between all Engineering Council registered institutions, it should really be just a bit of simple form-filling and CV-updating. However, having attempted it twice, I can say that your mileage may differ greatly.
I thought it might be useful for engineers if I compared the market, so to speak, by explaining how to make the switch, what it costs, and what each institution charges per year to allow us to call ourselves Chartered Engineers.
Unlike the price comparison sites, I can't make specific recommendations or manage any transfers for you, and there are no soft toys or cinema tickets on offer but, if you feel your institution isn't providing you with the best deal, you do have options, and a bit of shopping around might be good for you and for the market as a whole.
The transfer process is described by the Engineering Council on its website as follows:
“In order to remain on our register you need to be a member of one of the appropriate institutions.
Therefore, if you would like to cancel your membership with your current institution you will need to transfer your Engineering Council registration to another institution first to avoid being removed from the national Register and losing your title.
If you choose to transfer your registration you are advised to do the following:
- Join the new institution
- Request to pay your registration fee via the new institution
Once payment has been transferred, resign from your original institution.”
The Engineering Council website has a link to a list of all of the institutions you might care to switch to. Some have a very narrow range of interests and only accept a narrow range of applicants. Others (notably the IET) recruit new members from many engineering disciplines.
As well as the admin side of the transfer, there is a one-off transfer fee. Many Institutions (though notably not the IMechE) do however seem to have become a lot less forthcoming about how easy transfer is (and how little it costs) since I first researched this article. IMechE charges £85 to transfer your CEng to them, and the IET charges £97. Most other institutions appear to charge around this range.
But why would you even consider moving institutions?
Many chartered engineers will happily spend their entire career paying subs to the institution which they initially registered with. But, just as with banks or utility companies, staying loyal to the same institution might not represent the best deal for you.
Cost is certainly one consideration. One of the things I was surprised to learn when I did this exercise the first time was how much annual subscription fees varied between institutions, and the situation is no different now. For a UK chartered member, a few PEIs process engineers might consider moving to are charging annual subscription fees (including the £45.91 annual fee for CEng registration) as follows in 2024:
- Energy Institute: £219.91
- Nuclear Institute: £224.91
- IET: £247.70
- IChemE*: £312.91
- IMechE: £344.91
- ICE: £393.66
- CIWEM**: £402.91
In compiling this list, I noticed how much more CIWEM (an institution I am a member of) charges for membership than any other PEI on the list. I thought I might transfer my CEng to IET to save money. Big mistake. Suffice it to say, after engaging with their admin staff, I considered it far better to leave the IET than to transfer my CEng to them. I might say more, but they haven’t given me my money back yet!
Of course, it's not just about the subscription fees. Depending on your circumstances and priorities, another institution may offer better customer service, more attractive membership benefits, more relevant CPD opportunities, better career support, more regional/local events, greater industry recognition, etc.
Maybe you don’t care about any of this, and you'd just like somewhere to park your CEng. Those employed as staff members often have their fee paid by their employer, so they don’t care about what it costs. Those who work as freelancers might get some tax back, but it still comes out of our own pockets, so we might care more.
It is worth remembering that CEng is not a legal requirement to practice engineering in the UK – 95% of engineers in the UK are reportedly not members of any PEI, let alone chartered. So, depending on your role and sector, you may not need to be paying for those letters at all. Many experienced engineers have just quietly stopped paying their subs and their Engineering Council registration fees. It is speculated that, were it not for the fact that most permanent employees can claim registration fees back in full from their employers, many more would follow suit.
* Price without additional special interest group subscription – these are an additional £30 each.
** Price including “regulation management fee”. No, I don’t know either.
