BIID Full Members: Your Institute Needs You!

The Institute operates a Professional Pathway to support newer designers on their route to full membership, whether they are coming directly from university or entering the profession with no qualifications. In order to do this we need assessors and mentors to help in this process. We are aware that many of you live some distance from London and that everyone leads busy lives, but if you could spare a few hours to support our Associate and Provisional Associate members, it would be greatly appreciated.

Assessors

There are 2 ways that you could be involved as an assessor.

1. Assess candidates' work online as they move from Provisional Associate to Associate member.

Members wishing to move from Provisional to Associate member have to complete a number of tasks to demonstrate their understanding of the design process. These are sent as an email submission. There is no need to visit the Institute and you may choose when you do the work. The role involves:

• Marking the work within 2 weeks of receiving it online
• Completing a proforma mark sheet and provide some feedback to the candidate
• Returning the mark sheet to the BIID 

2. Assess candidates at their Full membership interview

Interior designers applying for full membership status have to attend an interview and are provided with a detailed list of the work they need to bring with them. A panel of 2 assessors then questions them on the work submitted. Interviews are held monthly and we are looking to develop a pool of assessors to reduce the number of sessions each assessor needs to do. If candidates live a long way from London, then it is possible to conduct the interview by Skype. The role involves:

• Attending an interview day at the Institute in London
• Working with a co-assessors to question candidates on the work submitted
• Completing a proforma mark sheet on the day
• Alternatively receiving the information in advance and conducting a Skype interview 

Training will be given to all assessors but if you are unable to travel to London for this training, it will be made available online at a later date for those electing to assess online candidates.

Mentors

During their time on the Professional Pathway, candidates are required to complete a diary every 3 months. The purpose of this is for them to assess their own progress and take responsibility for their professional development. Candidates are provided with a list of competencies which need to be achieved in order to prepare them for full membership. The diary asks them to indicate which of these competencies they have achieved in a 3 month period. Diaries are submitted annually for review by a mentor, whose role is to encourage and guide candidates on their journey to full membership. The mentor role can be performed by telephone or face-to-face at a mentor evening at the Institute.

The mentor role is essentially a facilitator, commenting on which competencies have been achieved and asking how other competencies will be developed. It is not about giving advice regarding specific situations that the candidate may have encountered at work. Should these questions occur, the mentor would explore what the candidate would consider to be the solution rather than giving direct advice.

1. Telephone Mentors

• Candidates submit 4 quarterly diaries annually to the office who in turn will set a date and time with the Mentor for the telephone review
• The mentor reviews their progress against the competencies and the timescale to full membership
• The mentor telephones the candidate at a mutually agreed time
• The mentor discusses the candidate’s progress with them and explores how other competencies are going to be achieved
• The mentor restricts the conversation to 15-20 minutes
• The mentor completes a short interview questionnaire and returns it to BIID by email

It is hoped that mentors may support the same candidate during their time on the Pathway through these annual reviews but that is not essential.

2. Mentor Evenings

An alternative way for candidates to receive mentor feedback is to attend a mentor evening at BIID in London. These are held periodically from 6-8pm and will involve two or three mentors. During the evening, candidates can attend a 1:1 interview with an assessor lasting 15-20 minutes. Candidates will be encouraged to submit their diaries in advance of these sessions. The role involves:

• Reviewing diaries briefly in advance of the session
• Attending an evening session for 2 hours
• Providing 1:1 support through a discussion of progress against the competencies
• Completing a short evaluation questionnaire 

Training will be given to all mentors and there will be an opportunity for those choosing to be involved in face-to-face sessions to shadow a mentor evening.

We very much hope that you may be able to help us in making the Professional Pathway an invaluable process and supporting newer designers to develop the skills and competencies they need to gain full membership and be successful in the industry. Whether you have just a few hours or more and would like to help, please contact Joy Curniffe at joy.curniffe@biid.org.uk.