Consultant FAQ



How do you rank on Google, etc.?
We rank very highly on all the search engines. Chartered Consultant portal has been specifically designed to be search engine friendly. Try the live search links below. On Google we are currently on page 1. On Lycos we are currently the top result. The same is true for Altavista and MSN. On Ask Jeeves we are also on page 1.
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What about other advertising?
Currently Chartered Consultant portal takes out paid advertising on Google which include AOL, Jeeves, etc. Also, there are individually tailored adverts for each member's page which will take clients direct to your entry. And we have taken out other advertising in trade papers, at shows and mailshots.
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How do I join?
Just click log in and request a new account. Give us a try. There is a 30 day free trial. Standard terms are 30 days so that is 60 days before payment is due, but see "What is Payment in Arrears?" below. If you don't like the result you can always delete your account before payment is due.
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What is Payment in Arrears?
Payment in Arrears is a new option. Effectively it is payment on results for an extended trial of up to 2 years. Anytime that payment is due, such as at the end of the 30 day free trial, you can chose this option. It is of course more expensive than paying in advance. See the full details for a complete explanation.
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You don't list Skill / Industry X
Just ask and it will be added. Chartered Consultant prides itself on being responsive to its members. We don't know all the industries and skills that are important to you and moreover we wouldn't wish to constrain you.
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Can I join now but fill in my details later?
Yes. Just leave the box in your entry called "Full Name" blank and your entry will not be displayed. Payment buttons still work.
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What are the Terms and conditions?
The Consultant Terms and Conditions can be found here
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What does it cost to be listed?
The fee is £50 + VAT per year.
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How can I pay?
We accept all the usual so you can pay by cheque, BACS, credit card or debit card.
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How do I become chartered?
You need check with the institution for your speciality on the route for registration with the Engineering Council. You should find the information on the institution's web page. For example, for the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) see the details here. Also, for IEE members who achieved MIEE or FIEE before 6 June 2002, see the IEE membership FAQ (item 11) which confirms you still have the right to use the title Chartered Electric Engineer, without registration with the Engineering Council. Other institutions may have similar rules.
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The site looks like simple html, is it?
Not at all. It is a CMS (Content Management System) using PHP with a MySQL database backend. It uses the Apache module mod_rewrite to give clean URLs (i.e. not ?q=.... at the end of the URL). But, importantly to search engines, it also looks like simple html so the site is very search engine friendly.
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How can you be so cheap; are you any good?
Chartered Consultant does not have the overheads of large companies, plus we use a lot of open source code so we do not reinvent the wheel for each job. All of which results in a large cost savings that we pass on to you.
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How do I get an institution alias?
An alias is one of the service institutions provide. See the links page for the appropriate link for your institution. Please test this alias works, by sending an email to yourself, before using it on this portal since it may take awhile before the alias works.
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I have an institution alias, how do I change where it goes?
See the links page for the appropriate link for your institution.
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I have forgotten my institution alias, how do I find out what it is?
Contact your institution. Or if that fails then contact us. We have contact names and phone numbers who can tell you your alias given your membership number and some personal details for confirmation of identity.
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Why do you ask for an institution email alias?
Clearly, we need to restrict accounts to trustworthy people. The use of an institution email alias allows the whole process to be automatic. For those without an institution email alias we have an alternate request form which is manually processed so is not instant.
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How reliable is this portal?
No host is 100% but the site team at Chartered Consultant have used this host service for many years and found it to be extremely reliable. In addition the whole site is automatically backed up each week for security against extreme failures.
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What about spam if I enter an email address?
You have 3 email address boxes for your entry. The first is the address we will use to contact you and is initially the institution email alias, although you can change this after you join. The second is the email address for the send message button at the bottom of your entry. The third is a public email address displayed on your entry. Naturally this last one may attract spam although you can obscure it if you wish. However, nothing is 100% spam proof, unfortunately. The first 2 email addresses are not displayed so even if you choose not to list a public email address clients can still email you with the send message button.
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Why do you have search by postcode on the first page?
The reason for this is that the logs showed uk clients were searching by area, such south west, rather than using post code. Hence this search box was added to provide a better search method. Unfortunately as there is no global postcode this is rather uk specific. However the general search can still be used to search by country.
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