Take a look at some answers to some of the questions we are most frequently asked:
Congratulations! If you are on an RTPI-accredited course, you can take advantage of our free Student Member package. We’d also suggest the following to help your studies:
- Read the information on planning topics and the programmes we are working on
- Reference our publications in your course assignments
- Read the policy consultations we have responded to
- Get involved with the Young Planners Network in your area
- Listen to RTPI podcasts to find out more about our key projects
- Stay up-to-date with home and international activities by following @RTPIplanners and @internatRTPI on Twitter
You will most likely be thinking about what happens next, so have a look at the advice on our work experience page. Planning covers different roles and skills. Where you look and apply for jobs can depend on the area of planning you want to specialise in. You should also look at entry-level roles that offer broad experience in development management or planning policy and research.
If your planning degree was fully accredited by the RTPI you should progress to Licentiate membership, and then work towards becoming a Chartered Town Planner.
You can find the list of the degrees the RTPI accredits here.
You can, provided you follow your spatial qualification with a specialist one. Otherwise, you follow the Associate route to Chartered Membership.
The same is true for those degrees listed as ‘specialist’ – you would need to complete a ‘spatial’ award to follow the Licentiate pathway.
When you’re looking for a job target the sector and role you are interested in. Don’t submit identical applications for different jobs without tailoring what you’ve written to the role and organisation.
Job adverts will ask you to submit a CV and covering letter, or complete an application form. Look at this advice as a starting point: application forms ask for personal information, educational background, professional experience, and a statement to support your application. Sometimes, tests or assessment centres are part of the application process. Universities and colleges should have mock tests, so speak to their careers services, or look online for practice. An invitation to interview means you’ve passed the initial sifting process. You now have the opportunity to show you are the best candidate for the role.
We’d suggest you search The Planner Jobs Board, our official jobs website. You might also want to target the RTPI Online Directory of Planning Consultants in the UK and Ireland. You could also search UK councils for public sector jobs. We have further advice on finding a job in this section.
We offer written advice on setting up your own practice and working as a consultant. You can also use our preferred insurance broker (Howden) for Professional Indemnity cover.
You can find guidance on experience that can count towards your Assessment of Professional Competence here. If you are in doubt at all, please contact membership@rtpi.org.uk.
We’d first suggest you look at advice on exchanges and getting work experience outside of the UK and Ireland.
Yes, our Core CPD Framework shows the areas you should focus on to develop your career. You could also look at the RTPI networks which offer news and information for people interested in specific planning topics. Our national training and CPD events are value for money, led by experts, and can open up opportunities to develop your career.
If you are an RTPI member on a low income or in financial hardship, we can offer you discounts on your subscriptions - contact subscriptions@rtpi.org.uk. You may also wish to contact the RTPI Trust. It is possible to get UK tax relief on membership subscriptions, so contact your local tax office.
If you have been working in planning for some time and want to become a Chartered Town Planner without extra training, use one of our alternative routes to Chartered Membership.
You could consider the RTPI apprenticeships programmes so you study while you work, or look at the RTPI bursary schemes to provide some support.
Unfortunately, we cannot respond to individual requests for help with dissertations. You can, however, access RTPI research, planning topics, and programmes we are working on here.
If have a pre-existing undergraduate degree in another discipline, then you may be able to do a one year masters conversion course at an RTPI accredited planning school. Following that you would then begin your journey towards chartered membership through becoming a member of the RTPI and gaining experience within your local authority in their planning department- this will help you gain practical experience within a planning organisation. However if you do not have a degree, then it may be good to look at the RTPI Apprenticeship scheme.
The best step to take would be to obtain Chartered Membership with the RTPI. Depending on the number of years’ experience you have, you could apply to become a chartered member of the RTPI via the Associate or Experienced Practitioner routes, neither of which require you to have an RTPI accredited degree. Click here to find out more on our routes to membership.
Also it would be good to contact local authorities in the area you’re considering moving to, to get an idea of the way the planning system works and to gain experience.