Who should pay for professional membership?

[WorkRelatedName]

Posting here for traffic. Currently having a debate with my husband following on from my yearly appraisal with my boss last week.

I work in a specialist (ish) role, very unique and there is an optional membership to a group that can provide support, networking etc in relation to my role. It's not like the GMC, NMC etc. It's not something that is mandatory for my role, however my boss wants me to sign up to it as it will show her that I am committed to progressing in the field. The membership is less than £200 for a year and I was going to sign up to it as I am dedicated to my role and keen to progress.

My husband has flipped it around and said, well if my boss is keen for me to progress (she is), then she should be showing investment to me and my role and should be paying for it. She has a training and development budget which she does not utilise (another thread for another day). She always says to people who want to learn new things to look online for the free resources.... so her training and development budget is just sitting there unused.

I am the only member of staff in the team of 25 that has a role with the optional professional membership, so it's not like she would have to pay out for many memberships.

I am torn, I do see my husbands point of view - it is my boss who wants me to join up for this membership, but ultimately who do you think should pay?

Teachers in Scotland absolutely do pay for registration.

Some employers do and others don’t so all you can do is ask.

My employer pays for 1 professional membership provided it is related to your role

My employer pays for my statutory registration because I can’t legally do my role without it. I can also join my professional association which is optional, I pay that myself.

This is the key point for me. If it's not vital but they're asking you to have it, it's on them to pay for it.

They wouldn't say "We think you can do your job better if you had a computer twice as fast, so why don't you go and buy one to do it?"

The membership only really benefits you so you pay, and you take it with you if you leave. They are just giving professional advice that it would be good for your career whether with them or anyone else.

I think the rule of thumb should be that whoever benefits the most pays. If it’s of use to you outside of your role at this company by all means pay. If however they’re getting the advantage then they should be paying!

They do in Scotland! We have to pay a yearly registration fee to the GTC(S). Without it,you're not allowed to teach.

My company pay for mine.

i would expect them to pay regardless of whether they want you to have it.

Ask your employer. I have a professional body like this linked to specialist teaching. It is optional, but I would probably benefit from being in it. That being said, I don’t get the benefit from it very often so I’m not prepared to pay to be in it. I’m completely self-employed so that is my choice. As to whether you pay ultimately, I think you would have to decide how much you personally would benefit from it as an employee.

It depends: if it's necessary to your employment then some employers will pay for a professional membership (for example being a member of the various professional organisations that regulate, for example solicitors/barristers). But not all will - certainly not all will if you are a member of the main professional organisation, but wish to join a subset group.

Your situation seems similar to an employer giving career development advice and suggesting that an additional qualification may advance your career in general: some employers will pay for that sort of thing, and others will not. You may be able to get a tax deduction for the cost (which, in the grand scheme of things isn't at all expensive - it's not like they are suggesting you study part time for an MBA on your own dime).

And here's a pedantic point, but one that could well save you from making yourself look foolish/ignorant in front of highly qualified superiors/clients: your role cannot be "very unique": it's either unique or it isn't. You likely meant to say that you have a niche set of qualifications that only a handful of other people have in that particular industry. The fact that the employer is pointing you in the direction of ways to further develop your specialisation suggest that they are others out there with more developed/niche skills than yours.

I’m also in Scotland and per pp have to pay GTC registration which this year was £75.

My employer reimburses one professional membership per member of staff. Seems reasonable for a professional services company.

I’m a nurse , I pay for mine. NMC and RCN. Only NMC is mandatory.

I’m a professor with lots of possible professional memberships of a variety of scientific societies. Membership typically gets access to training and a useful mailing list and a discount on the annual conference.

but I believe there are tax reasons why we are normally NOT allowed to get our employer (the university) to pay these memberships. It would count as a taxable benefit. So they have to be paid individually.