Coverage of the procedure
The procedure relates to appeals by applicants who have applied for membership and who are challenging the judgement. It also relates to current members who have applied to upgrade their membership and are not satisfied with the outcome or recommendations made.
Grounds for making an appeal
The grounds may include, but are not limited to, mitigating circumstances such as:
- A procedural defect in the conduct of the assessment
- Concern that due process was not followed
- A query which arises once feedback on the application/upgrade has been provided by CIOL
Not covered by the procedure
The Appeals Process is not available for applicants and members who wish to request subsequent information to be considered that was not included with the original membership/upgrade application. It is the Applicant’s/Member’s responsibility to ensure that their application/upgrade is as comprehensive as possible before they make their submission.
Applicants/members who wish subsequent information to be considered are able to submit further applications without prejudice, subject to the terms and conditions that would normally apply to the membership application/upgrade process and on payment of the appropriate fees.
Procedure
Stage 1: Lodging the appeal
Appeals should be lodged in writing with the Head of Membership by:
- Email, or
- Post: Head of Membership, Chartered Institute of Linguists, Thanet House, 231-232 Strand, London, WC2R 1DA.
The appeal must be lodged within 20 working days of the applicant/member receiving notification of the decision reached. The notification must include:
- The name of the applicant and in the case of an upgrade, the CIOL membership number.
- Contact details at which the applicant/member may be contacted; to include an email address and daytime telephone number.
- A statement from the applicant/member stating why they are appealing the decision.
Stage 2: Acknowledgement
The Head of Membership will acknowledge receipt of the appeal in writing, within ten working days. This will be by email.
Stage 3: Investigation
The Head of Membership will investigate the claim and will decide on the basis of evidence provided if there are grounds for an appeal.
Stage 4: Notification of outcome
If the Head of Membership decides that, on the basis of the evidence supplied, there are no grounds for appeal, they will inform the appellant of the reasons for the decision. The decision shall be sent to the appellant in writing no later than one calendar month after acknowledging receipt of the original appeal.
If the Head of Membership agrees that there are grounds for an appeal, they will submit the appellant’s application/upgrade for a subsequent re-assessment, with a written report, to be undertaken by the Membership Committee. The outcome of any subsequent assessment will constitute a final decision and no further appeal will be possible. The outcome of the subsequent assessment will be notified to the appellant no later than two weeks after the Membership Committee has met (the appellant will be notified of this date).
Monitoring
All complaints received will be reviewed annually by the Head of Membership to identify trends which may indicate a need to take further action such as staff training or procedural review.
Review
This policy is reviewed annually. Last reviewed May 2024.