Here you can find answers to many of the common questions we are asked about joining CIfA as an individual. However, if you have a specific question or need support to help you through the process, please contact us at membership@archaeologists.net and we will be happy to help!
Join CIfA - FAQs
Who can join?
CIfA is your professional home for archaeology. If you are involved in the study and care of the historic environment, join a network of thousands of professional archaeologists committed to high standards and enhancing their careers.
CIfA has three grades of professional accreditation – Practitioner (PCIfA), Associate (ACIfA) and Member (MCIfA). These are steppingstones on your career pathway in archaeology. If you want to rejoin CIfA you may be able to do so at your previous grade.
CIfA accreditation is open to all archaeologists (employed or voluntary) who
- can demonstrate they have the knowledge, skills and behaviours for the level of accreditation they are applying for
- agree to uphold the values of the Institute set out in our Code of conduct
If you are studying archaeology or a related subject or are not ready to apply for an accredited grade we offer two non-accredited Student and Affiliate grades.
We welcome overseas applicants, but we do need you to submit examples of work in English (CIfA's official language).
If you are applying from Germany, please see our CIfA Deutschland group pages.
No, a qualification is not compulsory. The application is based on demonstrated technical and ethical competence.
You will need to have enough skills and knowledge to be able to satisfy the four areas of the competence matrix; this might mean you have to wait until you have gained more experience before you apply. If you are not sure, you can contact us at membership@archaeologists.net.
If you hold a CIfA accredited degree, you need to apply the same way as all applicants at Practitioner (PCIfA) grade. Please refer to the specific guidance and matrix and check the list of current accredited degrees. You will need to submit a copy of your certificate when you apply.
Yes. You do not need to have fieldwork experience to join.
We welcome applications from anyone who is involved in any aspect of the study and care of the historic environment, as long as you can demonstrate your technical and ethical competence to our Validation committee.
Yes, students and those who do not yet meet the professional accreditation criteria may join as non-accredited members. Non-accredited Student or Affiliate members can upgrade to a professionally accredited grade in the future.
Students can maintain their Student membership for an additional year after graduation before changing to Affiliate or upgrading.
Yes, volunteers who can meet the criteria in the four areas of the competence matrix can apply for professional accreditation. Usually this would be Practitioner (PCIfA) grade, depending on how often you work as a volunteer on a site, and because you might not have any supporting examples of work.
Volunteers might find that they can explain their experience from across more than one specialist matrix, for example finds, field archaeology and/or museum archaeology, but these specialist matrices inform the main matrix, which is what the committee use to assess all applications. You will need to demonstrate the criteria across all four areas of the main matrix to be awarded that grade.
If you do not yet meet the professional accreditation criteria you can join as a non-accredited Affiliate member and can upgrade to a professionally accredited grade in the future if you wish to.
Volunteers might find that they can explain their experience from across more than one specialist matrix, for example finds, field archaeology and/or museum archaeology, but these are to inform the main matrix which is what the committee use to assess all applications and you will need to demonstrate the criteria across all four areas to be awarded that grade.
Volunteers and those who do not yet meet the professional accreditation criteria may join as non-accredited Affiliate members and can upgrade to a professionally accredited grade in the future if you wish to.
Yes, if you have recently resumed working in the historic environment sector after a career break you can apply for professional accreditation. The committee will need to see evidence that supports the criteria in the four areas of the competence matrix relevant to your current role. This means you may need to carry out some work and/or training before you apply so you can provide enough evidence (a track record) for your application to be successful.
Yes, if you have recently been promoted to a new role at a higher level, or started undertaking work in a specialist area alongside your main work, you can apply for professional accreditation. The committee will need to see evidence that supports the criteria in the four areas of the competence matrix in your new role or across all areas of your work. This means you may need to carry out some work and/or training before you apply so you can provide enough evidence (a track record) for your application to be successful.
Making an accredited application
Our membership team are happy to help with any queries regarding the application process and alternative ways to apply – please contact us at membership@archaeologists.net.
You will find some useful information and a recoding about how to apply in the 'Preparing for your application' section on each application page
We also recommend speaking to any friends or colleagues who have already have CIfA accreditation about their application experiences.
You can also attend an application workshop and an ethics workshop. These will help with how to apply and in understanding your ethical approach to your work. These workshops will be advertised in our events calendar if you wish to book.
We have some fantastic resources to support ethical practice too.
Applications for professional accreditation are assessed by CIfA's Validation committee. This committee consists of a group of at least five volunteers, all of whom are accredited members of the Institute. All the committee members at each meeting consider all accredited applications, to ensure consistency.
Every application is assessed on its own merits and demonstrated technical and ethical competence. For PCIfA and ACIfA applicants this is through a statement, references and examples of work, where relevant. For MCIfA applications, the committee is also supported by a panel who undertake a professional review interview to assess ethical competence.
The Validation committee assesses applications using a scoring system based on the CIfA competence matrix and informed by the supporting evidence you provide (e.g. references, statement of competence, examples of work).
The process is designed to be transparent; if you provide enough evidence to demonstrate the grade, you will be successful.
The process is designed to be transparent, if you provide enough evidence to demonstrate the grade you will be successful.
CIfA offers three grades of professional accreditation: Practitioner (PCIfA), Associate (ACIfA) and Member (MCIfA). See below for more information about how to apply at each grade:
You should also look at our competence matrix, which will help you determine which grade you can demonstrate through a statement of competence, two referees and examples of work. There are also specialist matrices on this page that can help you to see where you fit in if you work in a specialism; these help the Validation committee to assess applications too.
New applicants are not able to save the form and return to it. Please complete the statement of competence document before applying and upload it when requested in the online form. Please make sure you have everything ready (see ‘What should I include?’ below) before you start the online form.
Upgrading members are able save the form as long as they are logged into the CIfA website.
When we receive an application we can request references by email, but it makes the process quicker and easier if you can provide references from your referees with your application; please upload them to the online form when requested.
Otherwise, we allow two weeks for references to be returned; please ensure your referees are available to provide a reference in this time. Late references are the most common cause of delay when processing applications.
Personal details, referee contact details – please complete the online form with these details and upload any supporting documentation. If you would prefer an alternative way to apply, please get in touch.
Statement of competence – outline your roles and how your current role demonstrates the criteria in the four areas of the competence matrix and where relevant, your qualifications, and a list of publications (from the last two years).
Examples of work – these should preferably be from within the last two years, to support the application (minimum three examples for ACIfA and five for MCIfA). PCIfA applicants are not required to provide any examples, but are encouraged to do so.
You can upload these examples to the online application form (up to 5x 6MB) or send them to membership@archaeologists.net using a file-sharing system. Please do not send hard copies.
Personal Development Plan (PDP) and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) log – if you are upgrading from an accredited grade you need to provide a PDP and CPD log from the last two years. These can be in CIfA templates or your own documents, or tick the box if you have submitted them online through the CIfA website. If you are a non-accredited member or have had a career break for any reason, please submit what you can.
Yes. While our online application is designed to improve accessibility, other formats are available on request. If you have any issues accessing information on our website, or if you have comments and observations that could help make our application process more accessible, please contact us at membership@archaeologists.net.
CIfA is committed to promoting equality and diversity and seeks to be as accessible and inclusive as possible. Please see our equal opportunities policy under Policy statements.
No. You do not need to supply copies of your certificates; just make sure you list any qualifications in your statement of competence.
Accredited degree applicants will need to include their certificate and this can be uploaded to the form in the additional information section.
There is no set limit for how much to write in your application, as long as you have included details about how your current or most recent role(s) within the last two years demonstrate the four areas of the competence matrix criteria.
The committee need to be able to assess your application thoroughly; we suggest you try to show how you demonstrate the criteria in up to four pages of text. You can use additional pages for earlier information, qualifications and a list of reports/publications/grey literature.
Using the performance criteria, in the dropdown on the guidance pages, give examples of what to include. Write about each of the areas, giving specific examples from things you have worked on.
When you submit your application, we do an initial check to see if you have included everything we would expect, and will request more information if needed.
We already have some fantastic resources on our website to support ethical practice and these will be supplemented and supported with training where necessary.
We also continue to run our ethics workshops for members; please see our events calendar.
This can vary, depending on what you need to include and how much you want to write. Many applicants find it easier to set aside a specific time to work on their application, but if you need to do this in your own time, it could take a few months to gather all the information needed.
Make time to familiarise yourself with our application guidance and procedures. Feedback from applicants suggests minimum estimated preparation times of three hours for Practitioner (PCIfA), six hours for Associate (ACIfA) and ten hours for Member (MCIfA).
It can be useful to write your statement first and then see which of your work examples best support it.
The online application itself takes around 15 minutes if your information, payment details and documents are already prepared for upload.
You can find the application deadlines here for accredited applications. There are no specific times for other types of application.
When your application is processed we check it includes everything the committee would expect to see, and will request additional information if needed. This helps to speed up the process and avoid your application being deferred from one meeting to the next.
However, sometimes the committee still need some more information to reach a decision, and may defer a decision on your application.
You do not need to reapply, but can email the additional information to the staff member who contacted you. We will check we have everything before reassessment. If you are not sure what is needed, please get in touch.
See our Apply Online page for deadlines and meeting dates. Generally, once we have received your references, your application will be reviewed at the next Validation committee meeting. We will email you with the committee’s decision as soon as possible after that.
Practitioner (PCIfA) applications can be submitted at any time and are assessed more regularly, usually at the end of each month. If you are applying to gain a PQP CSCS card, please allow up to eight weeks for your application to be reviewed.
Associate (ACIfA) applications are assessed regularly throughout the year at a Validation committee meeting (six per year). Please allow up to eight weeks for your application to be reviewed, depending on when you apply. This could be longer if we need any further information.
Member (MCIfA) applications will go to the next professional review interview window in September or March and be assessed at the following committee meeting. Please allow up to seven weeks for an interview date, depending on when you apply, and up to 15 weeks for your application to be reviewed. This could be longer if we need any further information.
Rejoining CIfA and NVQ fast-track
Yes, we welcome previous members, and there are no application fees associated with rejoining.
If you became a member before the introduction of the competence matrix in 2008, please apply in full as a new member.
If your subscription expired in the last year, please contact Laura at subscriptions@archaeologists.net to be reinstated and pay.
Please see the 'Rejoining CIfA' information on our Apply Online page for more details.
Those holding an NVQ level 3 in Archaeological Practice or a CIfA Apprenticeship are eligible for fast-track access to our Practitioner (PCIfA) grade. Please see the 'NVQ or Apprenticeship fast-track applications' information on our Apply online page for more details.
Further guidance, fees and decisions
There is a non-refundable application fee to process applications at all grades; please refer to the individual accreditation pages as these vary:
Accredited members pay an annual subscription fee determined by income. Concessionary rates are available. Non-accredited members pay a set annual fee.
If you do not agree with the Validation committee's decision, you can submit an appeal. The Membership Appeals Committee will meet to review whether the process used to reach the decision was transparent and in line with the guidance and regulations.
Membership regulations (PDF | 66.56 KB)
CIfA abides by the General Data Protection Rules (GDPR) (May 2018) and you can read our GDPR policy here under the Policy statements heading, which explains how we process and keep your personal data.
As an existing MCIfA member you will be offered the opportunity to undertake a form of the professional review interview part of this process in the future, if you wish to. We will provide advice and guidance to support you.