Why Join
Membership offers UK water professionals – regardless of qualifications, experience, discipline or department – opportunities to broaden their knowledge, widen their network and develop within the sector.

Become a member
Become an IWater member, and join our network of likeminded professionals working in and around the UK water sector.
What IWater members value about their membership:
- Broadening sector knowledge
- Engaging with sector peers and leaders
- Building recognised professional excellence
- Range of learning and social activities and groups
- IWater publications full of industry features and learning
We offer memberships to fit any stage in your career;
find the one that’s right for you below.

Emerging Professional (EmIWater)
Fee: £35 for students and apprentices; £120 for others
This grade and new name recognises that regardless of what type of role someone may have within the sector, these members are people who are in the early stages of their professional careers.
Who can apply: Anyone who has joined the water sector and is within the first five years of their career. Anyone who is studying on a related undergraduate, postgraduate, graduate placement scheme or apprenticeship scheme.
Emerging Professionals who are under the age of 35 will automatically become part of our Young Professional’s Network and, unless they are in full-time education, are eligible to apply for our Rising Stars programme.
Members at this level will be able start their professional registration journey at the first two registration levels.
After five years, these members would become eligible to move up to Professional.

Professional (MIWater)
Fee: £135
This grade has replaced our previous Corporate grade. Some of our current Associate and Technician members will be invited to move up to this grade in 2025 when their membership is up for renewal, depending on where they are in their career.
The previous name of Corporate member caused some confusion for people outside of IWater. It was frequently mis-interpreted as being a form of group or company membership.
The new name aims to reflect that a member has reached a certain level of professionalisation within their career. We are keeping the MIWater post-nominals to ease the transition from corporate to professional.
Who can apply: Anyone who has between five and ten years of experience. It allows for some flexibility to cover people who have moved from a different sector into the water sector and brings transferrable skills with them. OR anyone who has gained professional registration at technician, incorporated/registered level.
Members at this level will be eligible to start or continue their professional registration journey at the upper two registration levels, incorporated/registered, and chartered.
After ten years, these members will then become eligible to move up to Experienced Professional.

Experienced Professional (EIWater)
Fee: £160
This new extra grade recognises that a small number of Fellows will continue to be appointed each year, but we are delighted to offer something new for our many highly experienced members. We are aligning this grade explicitly to professional registration at chartership level. This grade fulfils a similar function to chartered membership of those institutions who hold a Royal Charter.
This grade is between Professional and Fellow and is for professionals with substantial experience and demonstrated expertise in the water sector.
Some of our current Corporate members will be invited to move up to this grade in 2025 when their membership is up for renewal, depending on where they are in their career.
Who can apply: Anyone who has ten years+ of experience. OR anyone who has gained professional registration at Chartered level.
These members would then become eligible for Fellow, subject to IWater peer nomination.

Fellow (FIWater)
Fee: £185
This is our highest level of membership and it’s awarded to people who are recognised leaders and experts in the water sector who have made substantial contributions to the field.
This will be by nomination only from:
- The Board
- Professional Standards Committee
- Professional Registration Panels
- Area Committees
To be eligible for nomination and consideration, members will need to have a minimum of 10 years of experience. Nominees do not need to have been IWater members beforehand or for a fixed number of years.

Honorary (HIWater)
Fee: £0
Qualification for this level will be more explicitly linked to an individual’s contribution to the Institute. People who attain this would be IWater members who have made outstanding lifetime contributions to the sector and the Institute.
The awarding of this grade would remain at the discretion of the Board.
Any IWater member who has both ten years+ experience and demonstrable ongoing contribution to supporting the Institute deliver its purpose and uphold our code of conduct and values could be considered for nomination through the existing routes, e.g. area committees, professional panels, the Professional Standards Committee and the Board.

Reduced Rates and Retirees
Under the previous grade system we offered a fixed rate of £50 as a reduced rate for members who are retired, on a career break, or not in paid employment for all grades whose fees are currently higher than £50. This has now changed to be a 50% discount.
We offer a membership ‘pause’/‘freeze’ for up to a year in certain circumstances.

Retired Life Membership
We are phasing this membership grade out for new applications or transfers. Existing Retired Life Members will keep this membership. Other members who are paying the retiree reduced rate on their named grade (e.g. Associate, Corporate or Fellow) will be able to transfer over to Retired Life Member at their next renewal during the 2024/2025 transition.
Trial Membership
Considering joining IWater as a member? Why not try our 6-weeks of FREE trial membership.
Trial membership enables you to experience most of the benefits of being an IWater member, such as attending most events at member prices and access to digital issues of our Magazine.
If you are a non-member and you’d like to become a trial member, please select the ‘Start Trial’ button.
Please note that unless you cancel, after 6-weeks your trial membership automatically converts to a paid associate member where we will take payment from the method you used when you signed up. You won’t be eligible to reapply for a subsequent trial membership until a minimum period of 3 years has elapsed.
Changes to Membership Grades
Our membership grades have stood us in good stead. As part of the organisation’s strategic review, we had feedback from some members that our grade structure, naming conventions and routes to access and progression could be clearer.
Spread the cost
Sign up to pay your fees by Direct Debit. You can spread the cost over 4 or 10 monthly installments. You’ll find the link to GoCardless on the dashboard of your profile.
Financial Support
If you are concerned you can’t pay your fees, please speak to us. Contact us at membership@instituteofwater.org.uk or phone 01914220088.
Did you know that UK taxpayers can also claim tax relief on membership fees? Find out more here.
Joint membership with the IWA
Anyone wishing to be a member of IWater (other than a trial member) and the International Water Association can benefit from a 15% discount on the other membership that they don’t currently hold, when they sign up as a new member. Contact us for more information at membership@instituteofwater.org.uk, or on 01914220088