Fellowship - guidance notes for applicants

Becoming a Fellow of ILM

Are you interested in becoming a Fellow of ILM? This is the highest level of membership at ILM and a benchmark of excellence. We therefore consider all applications very carefully: in most cases, we just require your CV and evidence of recent achievements.

To help make your application as simple as possible, this clear guide sets out our Fellowship requirements in detail.

Do get in touch if you have any queries. Either email Hilary Hall, Director of Customer Services, on hilary.hall@i-l-m.com, or call her on 01543 266819.

The criteria

You will need to meet the following two criteria:

a. Qualifications or CPD

• you must have a leadership and/or management-related qualification at, or equivalent to, National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Level 5 or above

OR

• at least 35 days CPD in leadership and/or management-related subjects during the last seven years.

AND

b. Management experience

you must also have seven years’ leadership and/or management experience with at least five years as a senior manager.

Information about each requirement is given as follows.

Qualifications and CPD

Your qualification can be in any management-related subject, such as a degree in Business Studies, MA in Human Resource Management, or ILM Level 5 Certificate in Management.  Any non-ILM qualifications must be from a well-established and recognised awarding organisation or university. 

If you choose the CPD route instead, you need to provide evidence from relevant management training courses and other continuing professional development activities.  These must be at a senior level appropriate to Fellowship.

If you’re a member of the regular armed services and also meet the senior management criteria, there’s no need to demonstrate qualifications/CPD as well.  This is because military training and promotion courses are mapped to ILM qualifications. Details are given below.

Your leadership and/or management experience 

Of your seven years experience, you’ll need to have spent at least five of them in a senior manager role.  This section of the guide explains what we mean by a senior manager role.

Your senior management experience must normally have been in the five years leading up to the application.  In some circumstances, we’ll take earlier experience into account if, for example, you’ve had a change of career, a career break such as maternity leave, or a period of ill-health.

You must have had responsibility for future functional planning or strategic business planning, either for the whole business or a significant part of it.

You also need to demonstrate at least two of the following:

• the position of Chief Executive, Managing Director, Director, Partner or head of a function in large organisations
• significant budget responsibility (at least £200,000, although this depends on company size and annual turnover) or asset management
• significant staff management responsibility (for over 20 staff, although this depends on company size and number of employees) or policy responsibility for a whole organisation or major part of it (e.g HR, health and safety, legal).

Other appropriate experience

Businesses employing fewer than 10 employees

If you own or manage a business this size, we can recognise you as a senior manager provided your company’s annual turnover is at least £100,000.

The public sector

We view the following grades/ranks as senior management positions:

• Civil Service – Band B2 or above
• NHS – Agenda for Change Band 8 or above
• Police service – Superintendent or above
• Fire Service – Station Manager or above
• Prison Service – Grades F to A
• Local authorities – Chief Executives, Chief Officers, Directors, Assistant Directors, Heads of Services, Deputy Chief Officers or their direct reports.

The armed services

We regard these ranks as senior management positions:

• Warrant Officer (RAF), Warrant Officer Class 1 (Army, Royal Marines and Royal Navy)
• Squadron Leader (RAF)
• Major (Army)
• Captain (Royal Marines)
• Lieutenant Commander (Royal Navy)
• All higher ranks.

Late entry commissions may be considered as a special case. For example, a Warrant Officer 1 with 2 years in rank who then becomes a Captain can apply for Fellowship after 3 years' service as a Captain. Please contact Hilary Hall, Director of Customer Services, for advice on 01543 266819 or by emailing
hilary.hall@i-l-m.com.

If you left the armed services at any time within the five years leading up to your application, we will still accept your rank as senior management evidence. 

We also recognise ranks in the Territorial Army and other volunteer reservist forces.  However, because reservists undergo less training, you’ll need to meet our qualifications/CPD criteria as well.  Please note that we do not recognise ranks within the Cadet Forces as senior management experience. You’ll therefore need to demonstrate senior management experience within your civilian role as well as meet our qualifications/CPD requirements.

Consultants

Please demonstrate that you’re working at senior management level, or at strategic level with your clients, by providing the following:

• a brief description of your consultancy business and services
• your approximate annual turnover (should be at least £50,000, pro rata if applicable)
• how many staff and/or any associates you have
• examples of 2-3 assignments/projects.  Please include the details of the clients including the nature of their business, size and turnover.

If you held a senior management position for at least five or more years before becoming a consultant, we can accept evidence of this - provided you left the organisation less than five years ago. 

Your CV

Please send an up-to-date chronological CV that focuses on the past five years to fellowship@i-l-m.com. Your CV must include:

• your full name and contact details (post, email and phone)
• brief information about the organisation you work for (what it does, its size, locations, number of staff, turnover etc)
• your role and responsibilities
• who you report to and how many staff report to you
• the size of any budgets you manage
• 2-3 key achievements for each post. 

If you’re in the armed forces, please include your rank and how long you’ve held it for. Please use language that civilians can understand.

We may also ask you for:

• copies of your qualification certificates
• an organisation chart
• contact details for at least two referees
• any other information relevant to your application.

What happens next

The Director of Customer Services will review your Fellowship application and get in touch for further information, if necessary.

Your application will then be passed to the Fellowship Panel which consists of three Fellows appointed by our Chief Executive, including a member of the ILM Board nominated by the Chairman. They review applications, usually at the end of each month, against these guidelines and will also consult the Director of Customer Services.  We’ll let you know the outcome by the middle of the following month. 

If you get your application to us before the 25th of the month, we will do our best to send it for that month's panel. Any applications received after this date will be put forward to the following month's panel.

If your application is successful, your Fellowship will be confirmed as soon as we receive your subscription fee and/or any other payments due to ILM. You will then be sent a welcome pack, your membership certificate and card.

If your application is not successful you may be invited to join ILM at an appropriate membership grade if you are not a member already.  You may appeal against the Panel’s decision by writing to the Director of Customer Services.  Your appeal will be considered by two members of the ILM Board who are not on the Fellowship Panel.  You will receive their decision within 4 weeks from the date of your appeal. There is no further right of appeal.

Our subscriptions

If you’re already an ILM Member, the upgrade fee to Fellowship is £50. Otherwise, it costs £50 to join. 

We also charge an annual subscription of £138 (£128 if paid by direct debit). If you are already a member of ILM your subscription will be increased to the new rate at your next renewal.

Any queries?

If you need any help completing your Fellowship application, or impartial advice about the criteria, please contact Hilary Hall, Director of Customer Services. Email hilary.hall@i-l-m.com or call her on 01543 266819.