Pathway to Chartership Examiners
Deadline to apply - 31st January 2012
The LI wishes to appoint further Members and Fellows of the LI to join our pool of
Examiners.
You will need to:
 Be a Member or Fellow of the LI with at least 5 years experience since attaining
this grade of membership
 Have had at least six month’s experience of the Pathway since 2007 either as a
current or past Mentor or Supervisor
 Be able to volunteer one day per year in either Manchester or London during the
May or November exam sessions
 Want to benefit from the CPD opportunities examining offers
All Examiners are volunteers although all travel and overnight expenses are paid, in line
with the LI’s expenses policy.
The Pathway to Chartership was launched in December 2006 and has since helped
more than 600 members become chartered. There are currently more than 500
Candidates working towards the oral exam, supported by almost 400 Mentors and 29
Supervisors. Each year approximately 180 Candidates are examined in either May or
November at venues in London and Manchester.
The Oral Exam is the final assessment stage of the Pathway to Chartership and requires
the Candidate to substantiate the scores they have received from their Mentor during
their time on the Pathway. This is achieved through their questioning by two chartered
members of the LI, the Examiners, who ask questions based on the Candidate’s
development packs and the Mentor’s reviews. The Pathway differs to its predecessor,
the PPE, in that there are no set questions. The role of Examiner is therefore a very
important one and requires responsible, knowledgeable and professional people to carry
it out.
Examinations are usually held in May and November each year in both London and
Manchester. New Examiners will be fully trained in exam technique and briefed on the
format of the LI exams. They will also then sit in on several real examinations as a
Monitor before they examined their first Candidate. The Monitor role gives new
Examiners a chance to see what they have been told about in training in action before
they assume the Examiner role for themselves. Top-up training is then available every 6
months in the run-up to the next period of exams.
Further information is included below. Applications should be in the form of a CV plus a
completed one-page application form (this is the last page of this document).
Applications should reach the LI by 31st January.
Applications will be reviewed by the LI’s Chief Examiners. Successful applicants will
need to be able to attend a training event in Manchester or London which will usually be
Job description and additional notes Examiner Dec/Jan 2011
the evening before the exams in those locations. If are not available for examining in
May but would be in November you should still apply. However, no one can examine
until they have attended a training session.
Job description and additional notes Examiner Dec/Jan 2011
Job Title:
Examiner, Pathway to Chartership
Responsible to:
Director of Education and Membership
The role in outline
The Oral Exam is the final assessment stage of the Pathway to Chartership and requires
the Candidate to demonstrate they meet the required level of knowledge and
understanding across the syllabus. This is achieved through their questioning by two
chartered members of the LI, the Examiners, who ask questions based on the
Candidate’s Development Packs and the Mentor’s Reviews. The Pathway differs to its
predecessor, the PPE, in that there are no set questions. The role of Examiner is
therefore a very important one and requires responsible, knowledgeable and
professional people to carry it out.
Exams are held twice a year in May and November in both London and Manchester.
Examiners are asked to volunteer for at least one day per year for examinations.
However, the majority of Examiners volunteer for two or more days per year. In addition
there is a half-day training session which all Examiners are asked to attend once per
year. This training counts towards the individual’s CPD and like the examining itself is an
excellent networking opportunity.
Examiners are paired and given access to their examination candidates’ development
packs at least four weeks prior to the exam. On an examination day the Chief Examiner
starts the day with a briefing before Examiners meet with the other half of their pair and
move to their designated examination room. Each Examiner pair will examine five
Candidates in a day.
Occasionally an Examiner will be asked to act as a Monitor for a day of examinations.
The Monitor role is essential to ensure consistency across the pool of Examiners and to
provide Examiners with constructive feedback on their performance. Monitors also work
with the Chief Examiner to identify any issues and to feedback on the performance of
Examiners. New Examiners will always begin their first day of examining as Monitors to
enable them to observe experienced examiners at work. The Monitor role also serves
another purpose – essentially CPD for the Examiner. As well as observing the
performance of others, the Monitor has a chance to learn from the performance of others
and refine their own examining technique as well as having the opportunity to share their
experiences with others.
Regular breaks and the lunch hour, during which all coffee/tea/lunch is provided, give
examiners the chance to network with each other and share experiences with colleagues
from the public and private sector. While the day is clearly concentrated on assessment
of Candidates many Examiners particularly look forward to this chance to renew working
relationships with others from around the UK. This can also contribute to an examiner’s
CPD.
Job description and additional notes Examiner Dec/Jan 2011
Two Chief Examiners oversee the work of the Examiners and provide guidance and
support both on the day and in the training sessions and literature. The Chief Examiners
report to the Education and Membership Committee (EMC). EMC is a Standing
Committee of the LI and reports to the Board of Trustees. The LI Secretariat provides
additional support for Examiners and administrates the whole Pathway process.
Responsibilities
 Review submissions made by the Candidate, Mentor and Supervisor prior to the
exam, and prepare suitable questions for each Candidate
 Use a variety of questioning styles to assess Candidates against the criteria
specified in the Pathway Guidebook and the Study Guidance Notes
 Work with the paired Examiner, Monitors and Chief Examiners to ensure the
Candidate experiences a fair and consistent assessment of their knowledge and
understanding
 When required, act as a ‘Monitor’, observing the performance of other Examiners
and feeding back both to individuals and to the Chief Examiners.

Work proactively to ensure their own knowledge of the Pathway remains up to
date and fit for purpose

Maintain confidentiality of user submissions in accordance with guidelines
provided by the LI

Respond to LI communications in a timely manner

Contribute to the ongoing development of the Pathway through constructive
feedback and input as requested;

Support the overall aims and objectives of the Landscape Institute;

Attend at least one Examiner CPD event annually
Requisite Experience, Qualifications and Attributes
 Chartered status (CMLI or FLI) for at least 5 years;
 Involvement with the Pathway to Chartership either as a current or past Mentor
or a current or past Supervisor;
 Expertise in one or more areas of the Pathway syllabus (general knowledge of
the syllabus is essential and is listed in the previous section)
 Excellent oral communication skills;
Essential Key Skills
 Flexible attitude and enthusiasm to work as a team player;
 Willingness to act as an ambassador for the Pathway and safeguard the
Institute’s reputation and values;
 Legible handwriting;
 Personal qualities:
o Impartiality, fairness and confidentiality
o Tact and diplomacy
o Respect for others
o Willingness to learn new skills and receive feedback
o Willingness to speak one’s mind and deal with conflict constructively.
Job description and additional notes Examiner Dec/Jan 2011
Pathway to Chartership Examiner
Additional notes for applicants
About the Pathway to Chartership
In December 2006 the LI introduced the Pathway to Chartership, the system which
delivers the highly skilled landscape professionals of the future. The Pathway
encourages individuals to take ownership of their learning and plan, review and reflect
on their development with the aid of a Mentor. The emphasis is on flexibility, work based
learning and laying a foundation for lifelong learning.
More information about the Pathway is given in the Guidebook to the Pathway to
Chartership, available in the Members’ section of the LI website
www.landscapeinstitute.org. Applicants should read the Guidebook carefully before
making their application.
Training and retention
Examiners will be expected to keep up to date on current developments within the
Pathway system and are required to take part in one Pathway Examiner Training Event
per year. Reasonable travel and overnight expenses are paid when attendance at such
events is required.
Time commitment
Examiners are asked to volunteer for a minimum of one day per year however many
examiners volunteer for one or more days per session (i.e. one day in May and one in
November). As well as the examination days themselves, Examiners will need to spend
some time in advance of the exam familiarising themselves with the Candidate, Mentor
and Supervisor submissions in order to prepare some suitable questions. This is
expected to take approximately 2 hours per Candidate, with each Examiner examining 5
Candidates in a day.
In addition all Examiners are asked to attend a half-day training session per year.
Employment status and payment
Appointments to the Examiner role will be made on a volunteer basis. Expenses will be
reimbursed in line with the current expenses policy.
Conflict of interest
Once an Examiner has indicated their availability they are sent a list of all Candidates for
that exam session before the timetable is drawn up. The Secretariat request that
Examiners notify them of any candidates they cannot examine due to a conflict of
Job description and additional notes Examiner Dec/Jan 2011
interest. If, once the timetables are released and examiners gain access to the
Candidate’s submissions, they realise a conflict of interest does exist they should notify
the Secretariat immediately. Should the Examiner be unaware of a conflict of interest
until they meet the Candidate in the Exam room, they should then make the Chief
Examiner aware of this before discussing whether to continue.
Conflicts of interest include Candidates
 Who are working in the same office or organisation
 Who have worked directly for them within the last 18 months
 With whom they have or had a personal friendship or who is related to them in
any way.
Where an Examiner is unsure whether a conflict of interest may have arisen they should
contact the Secretariat in the first instance.
Confidentiality
The nature of the Examiner’s work means that will be given have access to Candidate’s
records which will in part document their day to day work. Candidates will be aware that
the information they submit will be seen by others. However, Examiners also need to be
aware that the information they see as part of their role may sometimes contain
privileged or business sensitive information.
All information submitted by Candidates, Mentors and Supervisor in the Pathway is
submitted in confidence and solely for the purposes of the Pathway and oral
examination. Examiners must not disclose any information to a third party, or use if for
any other purpose, commercial or professional, other than in their capacity as Examiner
for the Pathway.
As Members of the Landscape Institute, Examiners will have undertaken to abide by the
LI’s Code of Conduct.
Recruitment Process
Applications will be received by the LI by 31st January. Applicants will then be contacted
to arrange a telephone interview (focussing on their soft skills rather than technical
knowledge) during which their potential availability for future exams will be discussed.
Applications will then be reviewed by the Chief Examiners and applicants will be notified
of their final decision by the end of February.
Job description and additional notes Examiner Dec/Jan 2011
Pathway to Chartership Examiner Application Form
Please complete this form and send it along with your CV to
pathway@landscapeinstitute.org
You can continue onto another sheet if needed (maximum 2 sheets)
Name
Membership
Number
Daytime Telephone Number
Email
Please indicate how you have kept your knowledge of Section A of the syllabus up to date
since you became Chartered.
Please indicate how you have kept your knowledge of Section B of the syllabus up to date
since you became Chartered.
Please indicate how you have kept your knowledge of Section C of the syllabus up to date
since you became Chartered.
I confirm all the information I have given here is true and current.
Y/N
Job description and additional notes Examiner Dec/Jan 2011