The Institute is dedicated to excellence in marine surveying and there are many benefits of being a member of the IIMS.
Personal & Professional Recognition
Often cited by many members as a key membership benefit.
As a Fellow, Full, Technician, Associate, or Affiliate Member, you are entitled to use the appropriate designatory letters after your name to show your professional commitment and membership of the Institute.
Membership Travel Scheme
IIMS has appointed Norad Travel Group to run its Membership Travel Service scheme. The scheme offers a range of exclusive benefits for IIMS members only. Click to read more about the scheme.
Networking Opportunities
From time to time, you will be invited to attend online and face-to-face seminars, which can help to increase your knowledge in specific areas of marine surveying. It allows you to network with other members from different parts of the world as we are a truly international organisation.
Membership Identity Card
The membership year runs from January to December and IIMS members receive a digital membership card once their subscription is paid every year, although requesting a hard copy card is still an option. The card carries essential details about each member and can be used to prove identity and credentials to help gain access to marinas, ports, harbours and other marine establishments. Many say how essential and valuable the card is.
Online Training Seminars
You will be invited to participate in an occasional series of increasingly popular online training seminars delivered at different time points by Zoom video conferencing covering a variety of marine surveying topics presented by industry experts. These seminars are charged at a modest sum. Delegates also receive a recording of the seminar for future reference and a copy of the presentation after the event.
Retrospective Report Writing Review Service
One of the biggest challenges for any marine surveyor is to produce a clear, well laid out, timely and factual report containing unambiguous findings and clear recommendations for the client. IMS offers a retrospective report writing review service, (on a paid basis), with the aim of assisting any member, no matter what grade of membership they hold, who would like help and an independent opinion from a senior marine surveyor.
Website Member Login Area
All members are given access to a password protected area on this website. Here they can manage their profile and request to change their list of specialisations that appear on the website and the Marine Surveyor Search App. Requests for new specialisations are subject to Professional Assessment Committee approval.
IIMS Website
Unlimited access to this site, the most comprehensive information hub about marine surveying anywhere in the world. It really is a mine of information boasting nearly three thousand searchable news stories and features relevant to the surveying profession. Fresh content is published somewhere on the site most days.
Monthly News Bulletins
Distributed electronically on the first day of each month in pdf and eReader formats, the news bulletin aims to keep members up to date with head office news, as well as breaking news stories from around the marine surveying world. The bulletins extend to well over 20 pages each month and can be read in either pdf or eReader format. Browse back issues.
Quarterly Report Magazine
The Report Magazine is a quality, editorially rich magazine published quarterly and was shortlisted for an award in 2021. As a member, you will receive notification when a new edition is published. The title is available to read electronically in both pdf or eReader formats. Each issue of The Report Magazine is beautifully presented and offers varied content from marine and member news, topical articles, case studies, and safety briefings, much of it unique and commissioned by the Institute. Issues extend to more than 100 pages. Members and non-members are invited to submit articles for the magazine, which in turn earns valuable CPD points. Printed copies of the magazine are available if the postage cost is covered by contacting Head Office.
Use of the Institute’s Logo
Certain grades of IIMS membership are entitled to use the Institute’s logo for marketing purposes, subject to adherence to the rules.
Website Surveyor Search
All active surveying members who can take instructions for surveys are granted a free listing on the searchable online directory of surveyors, which can be found on this site. Individual surveyor locations are shown with a map pin. Members often say how valuable this listing is as a source of potential business. A word of advice – if you are a member please check that the information we hold about you, such as your email address and telephone number, is accurate and current.
Marine Surveyor Search App
Additionally, all active surveying members are given a free listing on the highly acclaimed and well-used Marine Surveyor Search App, the only one of its kind in the world. The next-generation search tool to find surveyors, the App is available for both iOS and Android devices and is free to download.
Professional Qualifications
Institute members are entitled to a discount of 10% off the published cost of studying one of the two award-winning IIMS Professional Qualifications and Diplomas which offer 35 modules to study on all aspects of the marine surveying profession.
Events & Conferences
The Institute organises a range of events around the world both via Head Office and at a local branch level too and exhibits at shows such as Seawork in Southampton and IBEX in the US. Additionally, Conferences and the Annual General Meeting are held each year, many of which are offered in a hybrid format. Details of forthcoming events can be found here.
Large Yacht & Small Craft Working Group Training Workshops
There are regular large yacht and small craft working group gatherings, featuring technical seminars held at various locations each year around the UK and Mediterranean to which you will be invited. We also hold inland waterways training days in the UK. A modest charge applies to attend these training days. Details of forthcoming LYSCWG events can be found here.
Continuing Professional Development App
All professional bodies expect their members to be responsible for maintaining their continuing professional development (CPD). Based on the requirement to acquire 15 points per calendar year, IIMS has made this simple to do through the use of a specially developed App. The App is free for members to download and use – available in Android and iOS formats, there is a web-based version too. Once the required number of points has been accumulated, a CPD roundel (pictured above) is added to the member’s listing. Click this link to find out about the CPD requirements and how to access and use the CPD App.
Notifications of Safety Briefings
Hundreds of safety briefings following incidents and accidents have been collated, categorised and published on this website and members are notified when new content is added. Easy access to download full reports is available.
Copyright Free Photo Bank
Members are invited to freely access hundreds of copyright-free images that can be used in marketing material, websites and anywhere else. The images can be cropped and resized as desired. The images are available to members who are logged into the IIMS website.
Train as you Travel Audio Podcasts
Members may access any of the original IIMS audio training podcasts free. There are over 90 podcasts and many hours of training content to choose from. Once you have selected the one you want to hear, it can be played either through the website page itself or can be downloaded directly onto your listening device. For the best sound quality you are recommended to use earplugs or headphones.
Easy Access to IIMS Social Media Platforms
IIMS is active on social media and maintains LinkedIn and Instagram accounts, both of which are updated regularly. Request to join the IIMS LinkedIn group and keep abreast of the exchange of views, thoughts and ideas from surveyors around the world.
WhatsApp Networking Groups
IIMS has several dozen established WhatsApp groups for students and the wider marine surveying communities. There is one for UK inland waterways surveyors and another for UK small craft surveyors, plus one for members in Europe, Canada, West Africa and Australia. It is a free networking service, open to members only.
Access to Original IIMS Video Content via YouTube
Members are notified when new video content is added to the IIMS YouTube channel called Marine Surveying IIMS and are free to watch the content at their leisure. You may subscribe to the channel and hundreds have done so. There are 300 plus videos featuring original content made by the Institute to watch.
Websites for Members
IIMS is able to offer members an all-in-one website solution to help them build an effective online presence. Look like a professional and an expert right from the start. Websites are offered at a substantially discounted rate. Contact Camella Robertson, Membership Secretary, by email or click here for examples of member websites.
