About CIfA Groups

CIfA's Area and Special Interest Groups represent different specialisms, geographical areas and themes across the historic environment sector. They were formed by CIfA members who want to promote the Institute's work and provide a forum for discussion regarding good practice and assist in setting high professional standards. Groups also present specialist views through the Advisory Council and respond to consultations from external bodies when requested. Each Group is led by volunteers. They give their time to promote the Institute's work.

Connecting with CIfA's groups will keep you up to date with current policy and professional practice through meetings, CPD training events, and e-newsletters.

Explore geographical groups

Explore special interest groups

Join a CIfA group

Being a member of a CIfA Group provides a range of benefits including

discussion about concerns and good practice within a geographical area or specialism
newsletters and ebulletins developed by the Group
Group led events and learning including day conferences, bitesize CPD sessions or specialism training opportunities
networking or discussion opportunities
involvement in relevant consultations, policy debate and research requests

CIfA members can join any group for free! Visit your Member Area (login required) and choose the 'Your Groups' option, or update your choices when you renew your membership each year in April.

Non-CIfA members can join any group for an annual fee of £15 per group as a Group Supporter. It may be worthwhile applying to be a CIfA member if you wish to join several of them. To join a group as a Group Supporter, use our Group Supporter application form.

Group Supporters receive a range of benefits to being a member of our Groups including

bulletins specifically for Group Supporters twice per year
free attendance at relevant Group digital events including bitesize CPD, tea breaks and networking sessions
CIfA member rate fee at the relevant paid for Group events
signposting to relevant materials, papers, conferences or consultations relevant to the discipline
opportunity to feed into the work being done by relevant Groups
access to a PDF version of a relevant themed The Archaeologist magazine guest edited by Groups you are a member of
plus much more!

For further information about the benefit of joining any CIfA Groups, please contact groups@archaeologists.net.

Volunteer on a CIfA group committee

Being part of CIfA allows you to take an active role in supporting and shaping the profession. We draw on the expertise and knowledge of CIfA professionals in all our work. The best way to influence is to get involved.

Being part of a CIfA group committee allows you to work on important issues within your specialism or area and advise CIfA. To find out more please have a look at the individual group pages and the links below.

CIfA Group Committee - roles and responsibilities (PDF | 215.79 KB)

Current committee volunteering vacancies

CIfA Group Volunteering Opportunities

Are you looking to get more involved with CIfA and have a direct impact on the future of the profession?

We offer a range of volunteer opportunities across CIfA’s group committees in a variety of roles.

To learn more about the groups and how you can get involved, simply click on the group names below to explore their aims and ongoing projects.

Diggers' Forum – Secretary

Diggers’ Forum are really eager to recruit a Secretary to the Group and would be interested in hearing from anyone who is interested. To be eligible you must be a member of CIfA at PCIfA, ACIfA or MCIfA and have a keen interest in creating a positive, sustainable and financially viable career for all professional archaeologists working out on site, irrelevant at what point in their career they are at.

The Secretary is responsible for keeping people informed about the group’s activities and ensuring good communication between the group and CIfA. They are key in ensuring meetings and activities are organised and recorded.

International Practice - Chair

International Practice SIG are a forum for historic environment professionals working on projects and initiatives based outside of the UK and ROI. They are looking to develop and engage with members across 2025 and are looking for a Chair. The roles are suitable for anyone who is a member of CIfA at PCIfA, ACIfA or MCIfA with experience relevant to international practice of archaeological and cultural heritage management.

The Chair is responsible for representing the Group and supporting and directing committee members. They are instrumental in helping CIfA deliver its strategy and the Group deliver its goals by providing direction and leadership.

To express your interest in any Group volunteering positions please email groups@archaeologists.net for more information or complete the online registration form.

FAQs about volunteering on a Group committee

Who can join a committee?

Chair, Vice-chair or Secretary positions can only be held by accredited members. Ordinary committee members can be accredited and non-accredited members (Student or Affiliate).

Where and when are the meetings held?

Mainly on Zoom or Teams and are held at least four times per year. This includes an annual meeting where the wider Group membership will also be in attendance. In person committee meetings will be in various locations depending on where committee members are based. Attendance at in person meetings is not compulsory.

Please note that we understand members have other commitments as volunteers and we do not expect them to attend all the meetings or be available all the time. We can work around you. Some committees hold their meetings during working hours, others prefer to hold theirs in the evening. If you would like information about specific committees and their schedules, please email groups@archaeologists.net

How do I join a Group committee?

Look out for the call for nominations prior to the group AGMs throughout the year and complete a nomination form, with a nominator and one seconder. You can also find vacancies listed on the JIST bulletin or on the Groups webpages. If you need support in completing any documentation or would like more information about any stage of the process, please email groups@archaeologists.net.

Why should I join a committee?

Reasons members have given include:

developing a network of professionals outside of your own organisation
activities and experiences that contribute to your own Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours
influencing policy and practice
contributing to the development of the profession by giving something back
contributing to your profession and your Institute
reasonable travel expenses are paid for

More details can be found here.

What experience do I need?

For Group volunteering you do not need any experience, but a familiarity with Group committees would be useful. We have a Groups Toolkit to help support new committee members alongside the existing committee members and staff. There can also be opportunities to shadow committee members to learn about what is involved.

A member of staff, our Member Engagement Coordinator is also on hand to support with any queries you may have and to help you feel part of the CIfA team!

What is the time commitment?

Existing volunteers estimate that the total time-commitment for any Group committee role is a minimum of five hours per month, although this can vary. For more information about the time commitment for a specific role please get in touch.

I'm still not sure this is for me

We actively encourage and welcome applications from all individuals regardless of race, gender, disability, religious belief, sexual orientation or age. If you find completing online applications difficult, please don't let this stop you from applying. If you have any questions about the role or need any support in volunteering, please contact our Member Engagement Coordinator for an informal chat on groups@archaeologists.net.

Setting up a new CIfA group

Interested in setting up your own Area or Special Interest Group? Please read the regulations governing area and special interest groups (see below) and contact CIfA before submitting a proposal. This helps us to manage staff resources and offer support on the different formats.

Regulations governing Area and Special Interest Groups (PDF | 545.44 KB)