Application Process

There are two routes into RCHM membership.

Fast-track: graduates of an EHTPA-accredited college who apply within 24 months of graduating are automatically eligible. There is no interview and no assessment beyond confirming graduation from an accredited course.

Interview route: everyone else applies this way, covering several different situations:

  • Graduates of an EHTPA-accredited college applying more than 24 months after graduating

  • Graduates of a UK course that is not EHTPA-accredited, who must have been practising for at least seven years since graduating

  • Graduates of an overseas course that is not to EHTPA-accreditation standard, who must have been practising for at least seven years since graduating

  • Graduates of an overseas course that is to EHTPA-accreditation standard (for example, certain university courses in China, where standards are high), who submit their transcripts so the RCHM can match their training against EHTPA-accredited standards, with no seven-year wait required

  • Experienced practitioners with substantial self-directed study and more than seven years at professional level

These applications are assessed case by case by the Interview Panel, who consider the applicant's training alongside any additional experience and study undertaken since. The Panel's decision is communicated to the Office, then to the applicant. If unsuccessful, outcomes are handled case by case, and reapplication after six months is applicant-initiated.

Fees & payment process

Interview route: the application fee is £300, paid upfront via a Squarespace Download product, with no separate interview fee. If the application does not progress to interview, the fee is refunded.

Fast-track (graduates of an EHTPA-accredited college): the fee structure is staged rather than a flat application fee. In the qualifying year (the year of graduation), members pay £30 per quarter via GoCardless. In the following year, this rises to £60 per quarter. From January of the year after that, members move onto the full standard membership fee.

Case studies, references, and supporting documents

Full detail on case studies, references, and the supporting documents required for each route is provided on the application site itself, already part of the intranet: APPLICATION.