This section provides details of the various grades of membership within IMCA, which grade you are eligible for and how you can join. The main grades are:

• Associate
• Member, Certified Management Consultant
• Fellow, Certified Management Consultant

The procedures describing individual membership applications are summarised below for each grade and set out in detail here.

This is the entry level designation and most consultants joining as individuals join as Associates and proceed to work towards full membership. To become an Associate you need to be in full time (solely or primarily) practice as a management consultant or business adviser, and to hold a degree or professional qualification (or experience in lieu in exceptional cases). Applicants must be based in or working in Ireland.

To join you should complete an online Application Form. You will need to submit a CV with your application (for approval only and your CV will not be accessible on the web site).

Applicants must study the Code of Professional Conduct before applying.

Certified Management Consultant (CMC) is an internationally recognised management consultancy qualification based on strict certification requirements relating to competence, ethics and independence. Only members of ICMCI (International Council of Management Consulting Institutes) can award the CMC qualification and IMCA is a member of ICMCI.

CMCs are full Members of IMCA. To become a CMC you are required to have at least three years experience in a management consultancy role (you need not, however, be an Associate of IMCA for three years). You also need to hold a degree or professional qualification (or experience in lieu in exceptional cases). The requirements and application procedure are set out in detail here.

Most individual applicants join IMCA as Associates as a precursor to securing CMC and only in exceptional circumstances can they become a CMC directly. (Members can also become CMCs through their employment in an Accredited Consulting Practice.)

CMC is a competence-based qualification and you must provide evidence of competence, experience, education and training as a management consultant by:

• Submitting an online Application Form
• Providing a CV together with a Professional Record and Assignment Study
• Providing details of three independent referees who can vouch for your competence as a management consultant
• Corroborating the evidence provided in the Assignment Study and Professional Record at an Assessment Interview with a panel of CMCs

Pre-induction seminars are held to explain the process and help candidates resolve queries on their applications. Since the timing and location of these seminars may not suit all, the seminar is also available online through this audio file (45 minutes) and accompanying presentation. If you cannot listen to the audio file online, download it to your PC and play it from there.

Candidates are asked to verify that they have attended a seminar in person or online before applying. Queries can be addressed to IMCA at any stage of the process and mentors can also be appointed to support candidates in their applications.

Experienced Applicants: A streamlined CMC application process applies for applicants with at least two years in a practice leadership role and 10 years consultancy experience (or 20 years business / consultancy experience). Here it is only necessary to submit an Experienced CMC Application Form (available here) with references and to meet with IMCA for an informal interview.

A Fellow must demonstrate competence over a period of five years after becoming a full Member of the Institute.

The other designations comprise:

Honorary Fellow

Honorary Fellowship is awarded for outstanding service to IMCA and is the highest designation that can be awarded by the Institute.

Retired Member

Members of the Institute who retire from management consultancy or business advisory work and who are over 60 years of age.

Overseas-based Member

Members of the Institute who reside outside of Ireland and wish to have links with the profession in Ireland. The Overseas-based Member Application Form is available here.

Member or Fellow (not CMC)

Members or Fellows of the Institute who do not now fulfil the requirements to use the designation CMC.

Member or Fellow Not in Practice

Members or Fellows who are no longer engaged in management consulting or business advisory work (e.g. where they have taken up employment) but who wish to retain their membership of the Institute.

Affiliate

Persons who wish to support the Institute or be involved with it in some way but who are not eligible to become members because they are not presently involved in management consulting or business advisory work. The Affiliate Application Form is available here.

Graduate

Students of recognised postgraduate and executive education courses are entitled to become Graduate Members of IMCA for the year of their course and the year following graduation. See more details and an online Application Form here

By completing the IMCA’s membership application process, you are deemed to have consented to the collection and use of your information under the terms of the Institute’s Privacy Statement which was compiled in accordance with the Data Protection Acts 1988 to 2018, the European Communities (Electronic Communications Networks and Services) (Privacy and Electronic Communications) Regulations 2011 and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).