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THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF ARBITRATORS |
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THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF ARBITRATORS |
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Membership
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Frequently Asked QuestionsInstitute FAQs
Membership FAQs
Who are our members? Our 11,000 members work in wide-ranging professions in thousands of organisations, large and small. Half of these are based in the UK, the other half live and work in more than 100 countries across the globe. What are the benefits of membership?
What is the significance of the various grades of membership?
What qualifications are offered?
What are the pathways to membership? There are three pathways to membership, Arbitration, Mediation and Adjudication. Please see detailed information on our new education and skills training programmes (Pathways to Fellowship). How long does it take to qualify? Please see the Pathways to Fellowship. How much do the pathways cost? Please see the Pathways to Fellowship. When can I start a course? A timetable of all our courses can be found at http://www.arbitrators.org/Courses/timetable.asp?pd=1 Am I eligible for membership?
Which qualifications exempt me from the Institute’s examinations? The Institute has granted exemptions to its own examinations for a number of qualifications. See a list at www.arbitrators.org/courses/exemptions.asp How do I apply for membership? Join today at www.arbitrators.org/joinus. In order for us to process the application we ask that you pay the subscription fee for Associate membership as well as the non-refundable application fee. We will ask you for the difference if you are eligible and would like to move to a higher grade of membership. Which grade of membership should I apply for? There is no need to state which grade of membership you wish to join at on the application form. We will decide which grade of membership is appropriate on the basis of the level of knowledge and professional experience of private dispute resolution you can demonstrate. How much does membership cost? Please find a link to the “Cost of Membership” from www.arbitrators.org/joinus. Find out how much your annual subscription would be and calculate the cost of joining today. Do you have student membership? We are aware that some professional bodies offer student membership. However we are currently unable to provide it. How do I pay? Details of how to pay can be found at http://www.arbitrators.org/Joining/how_pay.asp.
Institute FAQs For how long has the Institute been in existence?
What is the significance of the Charter? The Institute was granted a Royal Charter in 1979. Charters are reserved for professional institutions and charities working in the public interest, which represent a field of activity that is unique and not covered by any other professional body. The Institute is a charity, not for profit and is the only membership body that covers the entire range of dispute resolution processes on a global basis. As a learned society the Institute has demonstrated pre-eminence, stability and permanence in private dispute resolution. Significant changes to the Institute’s governing structure have resulted from the new Charter and Bye-laws granted in 2005, which reflect the need to represent the Institute’s worldwide membership.
The Institute’s primary objective, as set out in the Charter, is to promote and facilitate worldwide the determination of disputes by arbitration and alternative means of dispute resolution. The Institute is the leading international professional dispute resolution organistion. Through its contacts and influence, it can justly claim to be the voice of the profession internationally, representing views to governments and policy makers on issues affecting members. in the Institute maintains the highest standards of professional and ethical conduct and ensures that the overall reputation of the profession is maintained. The Charter sets out the means by which this should be achieved. As a learned society, the Institute promotes private dispute resolution, disseminates a wider knowledge of it and gives advice on the law relating to it. The Institute also provides training and assessment pathways to Practitioner qualifications and membership of the Institute. Further, the Institute provides Practitioners with professional guidelines and where appropriate, monitors their performance.
How does the Institute maintain the highest standards of professional conduct? At the heart of the concept of professionalism in any discipline, must be the requirement and willingness to practice in an ethical manner. The Institute requires its members to adhere to strict principles and has set out detailed expectations and requirements for its members in the Code of Professional and Ethical Conduct.
The Code of Conduct serves as a guide to practitioners as well as a point of reference for users of these processes. The principles set out in the Code also serve the purpose of promoting public confidence in arbitration and other dispute resolution techniques.
All members are contractually bound to comply with the constitutional terms of the Charter and Bye-laws. Defacto, a breach of any part or provision of the Code is professional misconduct. Inevitably, members who fall below the standards set out in the Code are open to complaint by members of the public or users and thus open to investigation by the Professional Conduct Committee (PCC). The PCC may investigate all complaints against members, of whatever nature, irrespective of whether or not they might relate to an appointment made by it, and whether or not it relates to a member's conduct as a dispute resolver.
To review the Code of Conduct, please visit http://www.arbitrators.org/code.
In how many countries does the Institute operate? The Institute supports a global network of Branches and Chapters that organise their own training and social events for members in their region and local area.
There are members in 100 countries and 31 branches throughout the world. This includes 14 branches across the UK, a branch in Australasia, three branches in Europe, three branches in East Asia, three branches in Africa, five branches in the Middle East and Indian sub-continent, and two branches in the Americas.
Branches function as a worldwide network and work in co-operation with other local institutions in order to contribute to the development of the Institute as a whole. They organise social events, meetings, lectures, ADR surgeries and training courses. They work with other professional bodies on matters of common interest. They often publish their own newsletters and develop their own websites.
For a list of Branches and access to their websites, please visit http://www.arbitrators.org/Institute/Index.asp
Once a Branch is established, it is managed by Committee, elected annually by its members. Each year, the Committee must elect, a Chairman, an Honorary Secretary, an Honorary Treasurer and a Public Relations Officer. What are the major achievements of the Institute? The Institute has set a global standard, Chartered Arbitrator, as the benchmark of professional standards and training in private dispute resolution. Parties come to the Institute knowing they will be working with professionals of the highest standard.
Who are the key officers of the Institute? What is the structure of the organisation? The Board of Trustees conducts and manages all of the Institute’s business and affairs, and exercises all its powers, authorities and discretions. The Board of Management is responsible for the routine management of the affairs of the Institute and the scrutiny and supervision of the work of the Secretariat.
Various Committees advise on the development of policy in a range of different areas. Committee members are drawn from among an international pool of the Institute’s members and other volunteers with the most appropriate qualities and expertise. The governing structure set out by the Charter means that the governance and management of the Institute is representative, not only of the global membership but also of the various disciplines of private dispute resolution.
The Director General, Michael Forbes Smith, manages all of the corporate functions of the Institute on a day-to-day basis. He is assisted in this by Allan Connarty, the Director of Operations, Tamara Øyre, the Director of Legal Services, Malcom McMullan, the Director of Finance and Administration, plus all the other members of the Secretariat. In order to represent the Institute around the world it has two ambassadorial offices of President and Patron .
What is the turnover of the Institute? Almost £4.25 million. About half of the income is from subscriptions; the remainder comes from training courses, the fees from our commercial and consumer arbitration schemes, and income from hearing room facilities.
What ADR services does the Institute provide? DRS-CIArb, a division of the Institute operates dispute resolution mechanisms for the resolution of disputes between subscribers to each service and their customers. Since 1994 there have been over 20,000 appointments to resolve consumer and commercial disputes where members have been used as neutrals. DRS-CIArb administers over 100 business-to-consumer and business-to-business dispute resolution services including:
What facilities does the Institute provide? The Institute runs facilities in London for arbitration, adjudication and mediation hearings as well as for relevant courses, meetings, seminars and conferences. The facilities are of the highest quality. The Institute offers administrative and IT support and arranges catering. Approximately 60 arbitration and adjudication days and 40 mediation days are held at the Institute each year.
What education and training programmes does the Institute run? The Institute provides training and qualification in Arbitration, Mediation, and Adjudication throughout the world, providing the highest educational standards. It reaches delegates both in the UK and overseas.
Training programmes lead towards eligibility for membership. CIArb qualifications give confidence to arbitration and ADR users that the very best practitioner is helping to resolve their dispute.
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