What do you count as a 'professional' job?

Nurses are professionals, but I understand why so many on here don't class them as such. The entry requirements are low, to do nursing at my local uni, with a foundation year you don't even need GCSEs . . it is not known for being one of the more difficult degrees academically.

Sure. And my answer is that the ONS definitions (which are aligned with international standards) seem appropriate to the 21st century. If the OP and her DH haven't settled their argument, I'd suggest they defer to the expert authority.

Apologies, as I haven't read the whole thread, so posted the link as I thought some of the descriptions seemed odd.

It seems I'm a professional but not that I'm particularly bothered. But then I'm not bothered about job titles either. Skivvy suits me fine!

I'm a university lecturer (no longer research-active, hence why I said I used to be a research scientist). I have never considered myself to be a member of a profession.

The question the OP asked was "What do you count as a 'professional' job?", not "What officially counts as a 'professional' job?"

The ONS doesn't agree with you though. Being classified as 'a professional' is not officially defined by belonging to a professional body, it's evidently mostly about the type of role and education level.

I wouldn’t say a research scientist is a professional.

I agree. I used to be a research scientist: PhD, international reputation, etc. I wasn't a member of a profession. If I had committed research fraud I would probably have lost my job but it wouldn't have prevented me getting another because there's no professional register.

really irritating to have posts asserting that Nursing doesn't count. I can assure you it does.

The ONS agrees with you. I found a handy website where you can easily find the SOC code for all sorts of jobs. Those starting with a 2 are all officially 'Professional occupations'.

careersmart.org.uk/occupations/nurses

Belonging to a profession. A role which requires prolonged training, a formal qualification and registration with a professional body.
After 5 years of university training in total, countless hours of CPD and significant professional responsibility, really irritating to have posts asserting that Nursing doesn't count. I can assure you it does.

Yes, this was mentioned upthread. The ONS definition is rather different and more realistic than some of the rather outdated notions on this thread.

Aren't jobs already classified in order to remove a lot of ambiguity?

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Occupational_Classification_(United_Kingdom)

Post graduate professional qualification and member of professional body so a few examples I can think of are:

Medical doctor, barrister or solicitor, Chartered Accountant (rather than just anyone calling themselves an accountant), RIBA architect, Chartered Surveyor, Clergyman.

An academic with a PhD maybe a professional but not always. I have a PhD but do not use it in my profession and I am not a professional because of it. My professional qualification involved specified work experience alongside several levels of exams. Post qualification, all professionals are required to do hours of annual study to remain up-to-date.

Professionals are licenced by their professional body and can be investigated and stopped from practising if they are found guilty of malpractice.

I don't think it really matters though. A job is a job, and I don't think there is any point to split working people into different levels.

It matters to universities. It's literally how they measure the success of their courses!

Acting is a profession as is being a newsreader. I think it's far broader than it used to be

To me, someone who is has to be registered with a professional body to be able to do their job.

Saying that, I remember seeing ads for rented accommodation that said "professionals only", when they really meant people in paid employment.

I don't think it really matters though. A job is a job, and I don't think there is any point to split working people into different levels.

Many research scientists within stem are medically or PhD trained. It's a grey area.

@FromageRouge "A role that requires a degree or equivalent and professional registration with a professional body."

I agree and would also add - Regulated under Statute and subject to periodic external assessments

Same with accountancy. Literally anyone can call themselves an accountant. Public don't understand the difference between a properly qualified/regulated "chartered" accountant and Joe Smith who calls himself Joe Smith Accountancy!

I've even seen employers take on someone based on their cv saying they're an accountant and showing work experience/history of accountancy work, and not realising they're not actually qualified/regulated by a professional body. They just seem to assume that someone calling themselves an accountant and working as an accountant is qualified/regulated!

Banking is quite a good example actually. Some people working in banks will not be professionals - eg those working at lower admin levels although they may be working towards qualifications to get that status. Others will have it as they have studied for and passed professional qualifiations - eg chartered banker, lawyer, accountant etc. They will have had to undertake a level of practical experience too before they can qualify. Once qualified they would need to renew their membership each year which usually means that they have to have continued to work in the field (or a closely related one) and completed a requisite number of hour of continuing professional development. Most chartered institutes require a minimum number of those hours to be structured - ie on courses/conferences etc so that it can't all be a self certified number of hours reading each month. Chartered institutes and similar bodies also have required standards of behaviour and failure to meet them means that you lose your membership/status. eg a chartered accountant would lose their membership if they became bankrupt which would mean that they could no longer call themselves one/practice as one.

I'd class doctor, vet, psychologist, solicitor, nurse, social worker , teacher as a professional (anyone that needs to have professional registration and ongoing cpd). Myself and my friends fall into the above but I have an economist and project manager (technical role) friend and I'd also say they're professionals but not sure if they need to be registered with professional body.

Maybe, but in my mind professional means registered professional. 🤷‍♀️

But doesn’t that contradict the idea that a ‘professional’ is someone who has studied and passed a certain amount of qualifications? If someone with a 8 years+ of academic study including a PhD does not count as a ‘professional’ then it seems like the whole idea of who is a professional and who isn’t just doesn’t make any sense.

I wouldn’t say a research scientist is a professional. Because they’re not a member of a professional body, there’s no registration, no possibility of being struck off.

Professional roles require extremely high education, CPD and little supervision.

Like teaching then.

Degree and PGCE which awards QTS (4 years), regular compulsory CPD and little supervision.

Where would you put a research scientist?

It usually requires a PhD. They often have an international reputation in their field and publish under their own name. But it doesn't fit some of the other definitions like member of professional body, being struck off etc.