"Chartered" - what does this mean in an Irish context

sun_sparks

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Hoping that an accountant or physiotherapist can tell me what the "chartered" in their title actually means in an Irish context.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it means:

chartered
• adjective Brit. (of an accountant, engineer, etc.) qualified as a member of a professional body that has a royal charter.
 
Traditionally, charters were recognized by royal approval in the UK and many Irish professional bodies still use this recognition.

I work in engineering, so I can only comment on the engineering / construction professions. In the case of Engineers, Irish Engineers (i.e. ones educated in Ireland) are Chartered with Engineers Ireland - the title 'Chartered Engineer' is protected by law here and only those who have the correct qualifications can use such a title. Similarly with surveyors and architects - you get your chartership with the Society of Chartered surveyors / Royal Institute of Architects in Ireland. These bodies have a reciprocal arrangement with the RICS / RIBA (surveyors / architects) in the UK. I am sure it is similar for accountants etc.

Chartered means that you have basically supplemented your academic education (diploma / degree) with experience and done additional exams / interviews (depending on the Institution) to get your chartership. It is the icing on the cake for professional qualifications.
 
from an accounting perspective (ACCA) chartered is as per the defination you posted, given royal charter
 
Only see a Chartered Physiotherapist! (don't know if the Irish physiotherapy association is linked with the British) Statutory registration of health professionals is on the way, and the 'chartered' bit is the professional society setting up safeguards prior to this happening. At the moment only Doctors and Nurses have statutory registration (means no-body else can give themseves the title 'nurse' or 'medical doctor'). There's no protection for other titles so anyone can call themselves physiotherapist, radiographer, psychologist, social worker etc etc.
 
from an accounting perspective (ACCA) chartered is as per the defination you posted, given royal charter

I know in the US - It is all CPAs.

I think the word "chartered" is more common in the connonwealth.
 
I know in the US - It is all CPAs.

I think the word "chartered" is more common in the connonwealth.


Yes indeed its very "english" here is the definition from the ACCA rulebook for members:

Section 1 Royal Charter and bye-laws

1.1 Royal Charter

Elizabeth the Second by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Our other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith:TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, GREETING!Whereas the Association incorporated under the Companies Act 1929 and known as "The Association of Certified Accountants" (hereinafter referred to as "the existing Association") have by their humble Petition prayed that We would be graciously pleased to grant them a Charter on Incorporation:And Whereas We have taken the said Petition into Our Royal Consideration and are minded to accede thereto:
 
In the case of Chartered Engineers in Ireland the relevant leglislation passed by the Dail is :
The Institution of Civil Engineers of Ireland (Charter Amendment) Act, 1969.

From Engineeersireland.ie

Chartered Engineer (CEng MIEI) The following is the definition of a professional engineer recognised by the Council of Engineers Ireland and is the definition adopted in 1960 by the Conference of Engineering Societies of Western Europe and the United States of America (EUSEC):


"A professional engineer is competent by virtue of his/her fundamental education and training to apply the scientific method and outlook to the analysis and solution of engineering problems. He/she is able to assume personal responsibility for the development and application of engineering science and knowledge, notable in research, design, construction, manufacturing, superintending, managing and in the education of the engineer. His/her work is predominantly intellectual and varied and not of a routine mental or physical character. It requires the exercise of original thought and judgement and the ability to supervise the technical and administrative work of others."


Chartered Members of Engineers Ireland shall be known as "Chartered Engineers" and shall have the right to use after their name the abbreviation "CEng MIEI". This right shall be confined to Chartered Members and to persons within the State that the Council is satisfied they are authorised to describe themselves as Chartered Engineers. The Council shall keep a register of such persons and the By-Laws may provide for payment of fees for such registration (extract from The Institution of Civil Engineers of Ireland (Charter Amendment) Act, 1969).


There are three basic requirements for achieving the title Chartered Engineer: (a) A candidate is required to hold an accredited engineering degree or equivalent
(b) A formation period of at least eight years, including education. After graduation a candidate must have a minimum of four years of suitable training and experience
c) Submission of a 3,500 - 4,000 word Engineering Practice Report on the candidate's training and experience together with two 500 word essays on prescribed topics.
 
So it's a club, then?
Yeah seems to be, you pass your exams and get your relevant experience and your in the door provided you stay out of trouble you are a member for life, but judging by the recent tribunals you would need to be very badly behaved before you get kicked out
 
What findings were there against any member of a chartered organisation in recent tribunals?
 
Were there not a number of chartered accountants involved in moving funds into and out of the Ansbacher Banks for example ?
 
What specific findings were made against members of chartered organisations by any of the recent tribunals?
 
Well Charles Haughey, for instance, was a chartered accountant. The McCracken Tribunal concluded that Haughey had not told the truth under oath. The subsequent Moriarty tribunal uncovered evidence of payments in excess of £8 million to Haughey by various individuals, of which very little if any was declared for tax.

Need we go on?
 
[broken link removed] the Irish Examiner.

Accountants face censure for role in bankrolling Haughey by Barry O'Halloran
A DUNNES STORES trustee, its auditors, an accountancy firm and one of its managing partners, face professional misconduct charges for their role in bankrolling Charles Haughey.
A committee of inquiry set up after the McCracken Tribunal by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland revealed yesterday that two members and two firms have to answer a case of possible breaches of ethical guidelines, auditing standards and professional independence.
The body, chaired by former Supreme Court judge John Blayney, has adjourned to consider any fresh evidence from the Moriarty Tribunal.
Since September 1997, the Blayney inquiry has been investigating accountants Noel Fox and Paul Carty, along with their firms, Oliver Freaney and Co. and Deloitte and Touche.
 
I know someone going for chartered engineer status and they don't seem to have to take any exams or validate that they remember what they learned in college. Just as well that. :)
Not sure what the relevance to the workplace other than public perception is.
A professional certification achieved by examination is better for validating real world skills and experience.
 
HP sauce is by "royal Charter " , it's basically British nonsense and as previously stated is only prevalent in countries where they stuck their noses in !
 
eh, no, that's 'by royal appointment', and extends to loads of products such as diverse as cornflakes, mcvities digestives, etc. I think it means the royal household uses / endorses the product. I pay as much attention as if it was endorsed by the Spanish, Dutch or Martian household....

The good thing about some of the Charterships in Ireland is that they are founded and protected by Irish Statute, as in the case of Engineers. Further legislative changes are currently in front of the Oireachtas, in the form of the Building Control Bill 2005, that will extend this legislation to quantity surveyors, building surveyors and architects, in iother words professional titles protected by Irish law.

Getting the chartership at the IEI involves 3 years post-graduate experience as a minimum, the production of an experienced based thesis and examination viva-voce by a panel of Fellows of the Institute. It is not easy at all, and you will certainly draw on what you've learned during your primary degree. Also note that to become a Chartered Structural Engineer, IStructE, there is a formal written exam.

Chartered Engineers are certianly in demand, and can demand significantly higher salaries then non-chartered engineers.
 
All to getther now.....

It's fun to charter an accountant
And sail the wide accountancy,
To find, explore the funds offshore
And skirt the shoals of bankruptcy!

It can be manly in insurance.
We'll up your premium semi-annually.
It's all tax deductible.
We're fairly incorruptible,
We're sailing on the wide accountancy!
 
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