Volunteers

The Institute is very fortunate to have the support and active assistance of over 800 volunteers, who contribute towards every aspect of Institute life. Our volunteers include Professional Forum committees, Interest Groups, members of the Board as well as financial services specialists who develop and maintain CISI learning materials.

We greatly appreciate our volunteers, their passion and commitment ensure that the Institute remains relevant, focussed and practitioner-led.

Our volunteers usually have:


Relevant experience, at an appropriate level

Familiarity with subject syllabus

Relevant CISI, or equivalent, qualification

Knowledge of the job roles undertaken in the subject area

Benefits

  • Enhance your career
  • Increase your employability
  • Raise your profile
  • Contribute to your profession
  • Improve your interpersonal skills
  • Develop an exciting network of new contacts
  • Learn from others
  • Earn CPD hours
  • Be invited to our financial services specialists' annual event

If you have the time and feel you could assist us in any way, we would love to hear from you. Browse through the various volunteer opportunities below and some of the positive benefits you could experience by supporting us.

Financial services specialists

If you are interested, or would like more information on any of the specialist roles or volunteer opportunities in this section please register your interest or contact our Financial Services Specialist Executive, Iain Worman externalspecialists@cisi.org.


Exam Panels

Exam panels include both computer-based testing (CBT) exam panel members and narrative exam panel members. Narrative exam specialists can be chief examiners, reviewers as well as panel members.

  • Attend, on average, two meetings in London each year, each lasting approximately two hours
  • Offer advice and guidance on any changes to current practice
  • Develop/review/update subject syllabus
  • Agree exam content, ensuring its accuracy and relevance
 Exam Panel Member - role requirements

Question Writing/Editing

New and challenging questions are continually required by the CISI in order to maintain the quality of its exams and learning material. Can you help?

  • Use your skills and sector knowledge to write questions, at times that suit you and at your own pace
  • Attend a half-day training course to learn to write exam-standard questions
  • Complete and pass our Item Writing Professional Assessment and earn £20 per accepted question

Workbook Authoring

Experienced freelance authors with finance experience and who have published work in their area of specialism are sought.

Responsibilities include:

  • Updating workbooks in line with new syllabuses and any sector developments
  • Ensuring that the syllabus is fully covered

If you are interested in becoming a workbook author, please email debra.wilson@cisi.org

Freelance Workbook Author - role requirements


We are currently seeking experienced reviewers to review our workbooks. Can you help?

Workbook Reviewers

Workbook reviewers provide a detailed review of the workbook and feedback to the panel. Individuals with a high-level knowledge of the area are sought.

Responsiblities include:

  • Cross-checking the workbook against the syllabus
  • Assessing the author's interpretation of the workbook
  • Ensuring sufficient coverage of each learning objective

If you are interested in becoming a workbook reviewer, please email debra.wilson@cisi.org

 Freelance Workbook Reviewer - role requirements

Workbook Proofreaders *Applications are now closed*

Proofreaders are needed to proof workbooks both grammatically and also in terms of the format and layout.

Responsibilities include:

  • Checking for spelling and grammar mistakes
  • Checking for formatting inconsistencies
 Workbook Proofreader - role requirements

The Review - CISI Membership Magazine

We regularly feature articles and reports in our quarterly print magazine and online.

If you would like to submit ideas or content to our membership magazine, The Review,  please email marketing@cisi.org.  We will contact you if your idea/article is selected by the editorial panel.

Professional Assessment authors

Professional Assessments are one of our recent products and is a short online assessment aimed at helping practitioners show that they are committed to keeping up to date with the latest market developments.

  • Use your knowledge of the latest market developments to write questions
  • Suggest topics and accompanying content for new Professional Assessments
  • Proof read new content

Professional Refresher module authors

Professional Refreshers are our online elearning modules which our members complete with self-administered tests. They can be either technical or soft skill focused.

  • Use your experience and skills to recommend topics and content for new Professional Refresher modules
  • Help us write questions for new modules, and proof read these

Professional Forum or Interest Group Committees

Each forum and interest group is run by its own committee comprising practitioners in the relevant field who work closely with the CISI to plan forthcoming events, identify areas of interest and source speakers. Find out more about the groups here, and if you have any questions or would like to get involved please email pif@cisi.org.

Career progression and support


Work experience host

We can connect your firm with students aged 16-19 who are studying CISI qualifications, through the provision of short work experience placements. Whether you are able to support one student or more, we can help connect you with motivated local students who are genuinely interested in persuing a career in financial services.

For more information on our work experience opportunities, please email educationdevelopment@cisi.org

Financial Planning mentoring scheme

If you are a Certified Financial Planner™ professional you could volunteer by taking part in the CISI Financial Planning Mentoring Scheme. This is what might be involved:

  • Support your mentee's progress
  • Four meetings a year
  • The mentorship can run for 12 months, or longer if both parties choose to

Events & podcasts


Events

Join a CISI event committee (Forums, Interest Groups, Branch/ Regional networks)

The role of our hard-working committees is to support the provision of continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities and networking events for our members.

  • Contribute to our annual CPD & networking event programme
  • Attend meetings 4-8 times a year
  • Offer advice and guidance on CPD topics
  • Post news in relevant CISI LinkedIn groups

If you are interested in joining a CISI event committee, please email cpdevents@cisi.org


Speak at CISI events

The Institute holds over 350 CPD events a year and continues to provide informative and interesting discussions, in order to fulfil our members' commitment to CPD. We are always looking for new practitioners to speak at events.

  • Ensure the topic is relevant and educational to the audience
  • Speak at a morning, lunchtime or evening CPD event in your region or be recorded for CISI TV

If you are interested in speaking at our events, please email cpdevents@cisi.org

Podcasts

We aim to provide a variety of continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities to our members which will soon include podcasts. If you would like to take part, or have a topic suggestion for a podcast, please email marketing@cisi.org.

Policies for our volunteers

As a volunteer for the Institute, you will need to comply with the three policies below. One of the policies we have in place is a conflicts of interest policy which seeks to ensure that all conflicts of interest (whether potential, actual, perceived or alleged), are identified and managed effectively. Should you wish to notify us of, or discuss a potential conflict of interest, please contact confidentiality@cisi.org.

 Safeguarding Policy

 Conflicts of Interest Policy

 Confidentiality Policy

"Being a question writer for the CISI, enables me to contribute to the work of the Institute. It is an opportunity to give something back, having received so much from others."

Paul Bhanji, Chartered MCSI, CISI exam panel member and question writer

Contact us

If you are interested, or would like more information on specialist roles or volunteer opportunities, please register your interest or contact us using the information below:

Financial services specialists
 externalspecialists@cisi.org

Professional Forum or Interest Group Committees
 pif@cisi.org

Work experience host
 educationdevelopment@cisi.org