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I can think of an MP who’d probably enjoy getting a visitor at the moment. Better be quick though as she might not be considered a professional for much longer.
"Professonal People"
- Thread starter h4rm0ny
- Start date
Soldato
It's interesting that some of them specify qualifications, but not others. Accountant isn't a protected job title, so anyone can call themselves one.
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You know you’ve made it when you can get Costco membership. Ask any of your friends and if they do, problem solved.
I think most GPs wont do this anymore. Not unless you actually are a personal friend. And I think being paid to be a referee for someone might actually be illegal. It seems ethically dodgy at least. In any case, you just get a rotating list of GP's you don't know these days. We don't have that, I'm afraid.
I've done this before for a friend in a similar situation - however I was a member of the BCS.
You could probably join as a Professional member if you've been working in IT for a while - automatic elevation to respected member of the community
That actually crossed my mind before posting and I looked up membership fees and requirements. It's a hundred something plus per annum but I actually wouldn't mind joining. I'm not clear on what benefits I actually get from membership though and I'd need someone to sponsor my application apparently.
Soldato
There are some very questionable professions on that list.
christian science practitioner
photographer (professional)
designated premises supervisors
broker
Conceivably that might not actually be a bad idea at some point just for my own benefit, but tall order to get all that sorted right now. She's quite keen to get this sorted sooner rather than later. I think there was something on the news recently that spooked her. Brixit? Broxit? Something like that.
I tracked down the UK list (which turned out to be the same as the Isle of Man one so far as I could tell) and it had Engineer on there. I certainly am, imo. A bit of detective work ferreted out a phone number (wasn't easy) and I called them up. A very helpful person said I'd be okay as a referee so long as I had an engineering qualification. I have a BSc. in Computer Science, fwiw. We're still a little edgy about it now just because it's so important.
She owns a house. She's been here for... 12, 15 years? Honestly, someone who's paid as much tax as she has over the years and zero criminal record should be in pretty good standing, imo.
Pretty much, imo. It's a little archaic, seeking someone who has a professional reputation that would be at stake, maybe. Or perhaps it's really just as classist as it seems on the surface. In any case, even though the official documentation is long out of date imo, the person I spoke to gave the impression they're more modern in practice. Have a degree in a "professional" field, and that probably counts. Still pretty snobbish, though. Heaven forbid the opinion of plumbers and machinists be acceptable. Even though I've seen people make very respectable livings out of these things.
Ah, so not a company. I think people automatically assume that most people self employed in IT have set up a Ltd company.
If she's applying for citizenship presumably she's been in the UK for a few years and registered at a GP? They tend to just charge £20 or so for doing it so that could be the simplest if she doesn't know anyone else fulfilling the requirements. They don't necessarily need to know her socially, but there often are some requirements that she's been known to them for a certain length of time - AFAIK if she's been registered at the surgery and had some appointments with them in the past then that should be sufficient.
I'd be surprised if there wasn't someone on that list in most people's workplaces though, I guess in a large organisation people might not have any direct contact with the directors (as in proper directors of the company not middle managers with a vanity title) but plenty of people are chartered in some way - perhaps someone in the finance department, I guess some IT people do get Chartered status... even HR managers can get some chartered status too. In fact it looks like a HR manager would be covered regardless of a charter.
Pretty soon, she'll only be allowed visitors on certain days.
LOL! I hadn't even noticed "Christian Science practitioner". What even is that? Is it like a physicist who prays "Please God, let it work this time" or something?
I know a lot do. I think because you could avoid certain tax by having an intermediary company handle you or something. Never really seemed ethical to me so I wasn't bothered when the government closed that particular loophole last year. I've never minded paying taxes, only minded what the government spends it on!
Useful comment about the GP's doing it for a fee. I'm surprised that's legal. I'll pass it along.
I think having talked to someone about it I'd probably be fine as a referee but she's - understandably - not wanting to take any risks.
Soldato
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@h4rm0ny apparently it's a kind of faith healing where you heal yourself through prayer and the practitioner helps you. Proper loopy stuff. But they are registered so from the "professions" point of view they are a third party accredited person.
It is difficult to get a job as an accountant if you are not in good standing though.
Also I believe if you are a self-employed accountant then you would need money laundering permissions and to be set up as an agent with the FCA/HMRC which costs money and you can be struck off from.
There are other job titles on that list that I would be more concerned about such as:
travel agency (qualified) (lol)
Post Office official (not sure what this means, but I don't have much faith in our postal service)
photographer (professional) (anyone can buy a camera, set up an instragram, and call themselves a photographer)
civil servant (permanent) (plenty of idiots working as civil servants)
broker (I'v known plenty of insurance brokers and I wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them - glorified salesmen)
christian science practitioner (wut?)
minister of a recognised religion (lol)
chiropodist (just a qualification, they don't have any real responsibility)
There are also other job titles on there that you could rip into, not sure why you singled out accountants.
Man of Honour
Be careful here. It would not be unheard of them to reject the application and require the whole fee to be paid again. That's an expensive mistake to make. The HO are very unforgiving.
In fairness the guidance says:
But only one needs to be professional. So make sure the other one is.
Yeah not sure about "christian science practitioner" or photographer. Do some photographers offer to take the best possible passport photo for their clients and then offer to verify them too or something?
Broker relates to finance and they tend to need to have at least passed some multiple guess exams + need to be fit and proper persons. I'm not sure about the requirements for a designated premises supervisor but it relates to alcohol licensing so presumably there are also some requirements there re: the sort of person who can hold that position too.
It is generally because GP practices are private businesses (partnerships) and asking them to do things like write a letter to an employer (other than a fit note), or sign passport/driving license applications etc.. is something they don't get compensated for by the NHS so will levy private charges. My surgery has a list of charges for stuff like that by the reception area, she could just pop in and ask the receptionists if they do it - perhaps some GP practices don't want to offer it at all, they're certainly not obliged to.
Soldato
LOL! I hadn't even noticed "Christian Science practitioner". What even is that? Is it like a physicist who prays "Please God, let it work this time" or something?
Are you sure? I thought the Christian science department existed to verify the findings of other scientists in order for the religion to accept them as the truth, i.e. if gravity was proposed now, someone from that church would look into their findings and say, yes gravity is real, or no it isn't as a religion we agree/disagree with it.
I see it as a positive thing to avoid religions from falling into the pit of being fully ignorant.
They wouldn't be a member of a professional body in that case:
"One referee must be a person of any nationality who has professional standing, such as a minister of religion, civil servant or a member of a professional body, for example, accountant or solicitor (but not representing you with this application)."
Soldato
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@dirtychinchilla I just wiki'd it and it said about being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, Scientist and their belief in healing yourself through belief.
I think many less would do it these days. I certainly decline to sign such forms for anyone other than personal friends, and that’s my practice policy. It’s too much hassle, I have too little time and it starts to get awkward and people complain if you did for someone but not others, based on how well you know them. I have many patients I would recognise in the street, and others that I only recognise by their history and/or rectal examination findings.
Soldato
No. It's faith healing.
TBH OP, just put your profession down as part time christian science practitioner.
If anyone questions it invite them round for a session. Then when it doesn't work you can ask them to start a thread in speaker corner. They'll soon give up.