Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Janine Pattison on February 10, 2010 at 18:26

Hopefully more dates can be added as soon as people start wanting to make bookings!

Permalink Reply by Janine Pattison on February 12, 2010 at 14:39

Hi Steve
Well based on the details in Vitis that arrived this morning there may be no need for more dates. In the past three months there have been 2 people who have passed adjudication, 2 people have retired or resigned and one is taking a sabbatical. No net growth in registered membership.
Worrying or not? What do you think?

Permalink Reply by Steve Rice on February 12, 2010 at 17:26

I think it's all part of the same problem that I've previously discussed, Janine - i.e. not enough practising designers see the Society as being of benefit, and the majority of members still don't see the benefit of pushing along the road to MSGD.

I think there are signs of good things happening - the Society is starting to wake up to the situation, with new blood on/involved with the SGD Council, so maybe the non-registered membership is just waiting to see what develops.

My quip above was meant to show the "wishful thinking" nature of the 5-year time limit on pre-registered member, but perhaps I'm being pessimistic, and the time pressure will encourage more people to strive for registration. Obviously, it would need considerable extra adjudication resources to get the 44+ (or 20+) years down to 5! Perhaps there's an expectation that a big chunk of the "correspondent" grade will settle for becoming "friend", or maybe an acceptance that "friend" won't satisfy non-registered professional designers who will then quit the Society. I really hope it's not the latter. I really hope someone can "do the maths" and realise that maybe we need the graded membership I discussed - even if the rooky-grade is reserved for graduates? (For anyone looking in on this discussion, I'm not personally a graduate, so it certainly wouldn't be for my personal benefit!)

One final thought - the Society still needs to "open itself up" more - which is why the LJ forum is so good, because it's not a private, members only, vehicle like the SGD Members' Forum - which, as we know, struggles to get any attention from the membership. I think this isn't helped by the negative tone of the response to my "SGD Membership" piece - which seemed to criticise the comments received, rather than take on constructive views, as well as saying that "It is very easy to have a pop on any forum and even 11 comments from 5\6 people is pretty poor considering 1800 members of the Society. Debating on forum's does not get things done."

Time to give up & go home, Phil?

Janine Pattison said:

Hi Steve
Well based on the details in Vitis that arrived this morning there may be no need for more dates. In the past three months there have been 2 people who have passed adjudication, 2 people have retired or resigned and one is taking a sabbatical. No net growth in registered membership.
Worrying or not? What do you think?

Permalink Reply by Belinda Macdonald on February 24, 2010 at 16:56

As an already more mature entrant into the field of garden design, with a number of high level qualifications behind me in other spheres, I would be very happy not to feel pressurised into jumping through yet more professional hoops, and that would take me out of the above calculation! I have yet to be convinced that full membership will be of any real benefit to my business, whereas being a corresponding member has proved to be an invaluable and cost effective activity. I am considering suggesting that our local cluster group holds a wake for this now deceased membership category...

Permalink Reply by Jane Stewart on November 10, 2010 at 10:41

I agree with Belinda. What is the benefit of becoming a member?. I was told by a member that it "makes you feel more professional"...well how do you quantify that? I constantly feel very UNprofessional because my paperwork is such a shambles all of the time BUT not because I am not a MSGD. The SGD would just create more paperwork adding to the desk shambles ....... ;-))

Permalink Reply by Steve Rice on November 22, 2010 at 12:07

Hi Gaynor and thanks for adding your voice to the discussion!

Please don't feel put off from joining the SGD because you're not a graduate / haven't been to a high profile design school - I would say that the majority of non-Registered members are in a similar position! There are some people in the Society who think we should be an all-graduate profession, but I think they're very much a minority, else why would the Society set so much store by its own internal adjudication process?

Most of the membership are either student or correspondent/pre-registered, though a small proportion are Friend - a category intended for people (perhaps those in allied disciplines, such as sculpture or lighting, etc) who have in interest in garden design, but who are not, nor intending to be, practising designers. The bulk of the membership are probably still Correspondent, but will move Pre-Registered (or Friend) as they renew.

Anyone can join as a "Friend", without any qualifications or assessment - which is why most practising designers that I know regard this as a "non-professsional" category. To join as a "Pre-Registered" requires the submission of one piece of work (which doesn't have to be for a "live" project - could be a show piece or college piece, etc) which "shows where you are as a designer"; there's a small admin charge (I think £25?) to cover the cost of appraising this. Once you're a Pre-Reg, there's an expectation of progressing through to a full Registered member within the 5-year time limit - which was the issue that I raised at the start of this thread.

Is it worth joining? Only you can judge - but, if you're already subscribing to the Journal, that's around half the membership fees (i.e. the Journal subscription is included). Other benefits include reduced costs for SGD events (conferences & workshops), access to the information resources & online forum at the SGD website, and (what is IMHO the chief benefit) the local cluster group(s) which give you face-to-face networking with both student & practising designers at all levels who can share speakers, visits and their own skills, experience & expertise informally and/or through local tutorial sessions.

Hope you make the right decision for you & your business! Steve R.

Gaynor Witchard said:

I have been thinking about joining, but am put off by some comments and articles. Some things I've read give me the distinct impression I would not be welcome as I do not have a degree, and I haven't studied at a high profile college either.

I subscribe to the SGD magazine as I like to see what's going on, if anything, but wondered whether to renew or consider joining. I haven't yet made up my mind.

Permalink Reply by joy grey on November 22, 2010 at 14:30

Steve Rice said:

Hi Gaynor and thanks for adding your voice to the discussion!

Please don't feel put off from joining the SGD because you're not a graduate / haven't been to a high profile design school - I would say that the majority of non-Registered members are in a similar position! There are some people in the Society who think we should be an all-graduate profession, but I think they're very much a minority, else why would the Society set so much store by its own internal adjudication process?

Most of the membership are either student or correspondent/pre-registered, though a small proportion are Friend - a category intended for people (perhaps those in allied disciplines, such as sculpture or lighting, etc) who have in interest in garden design, but who are not, nor intending to be, practising designers. The bulk of the membership are probably still Correspondent, but will move Pre-Registered (or Friend) as they renew.

Anyone can join as a "Friend", without any qualifications or assessment - which is why most practising designers that I know regard this as a "non-professsional" category. To join as a "Pre-Registered" requires the submission of one piece of work (which doesn't have to be for a "live" project - could be a show piece or college piece, etc) which "shows where you are as a designer"; there's a small admin charge (I think £25?) to cover the cost of appraising this. Once you're a Pre-Reg, there's an expectation of progressing through to a full Registered member within the 5-year time limit - which was the issue that I raised at the start of this thread.

Is it worth joining? Only you can judge - but, if you're already subscribing to the Journal, that's around half the membership fees (i.e. the Journal subscription is included). Other benefits include reduced costs for SGD events (conferences & workshops), access to the information resources & online forum at the SGD website, and (what is IMHO the chief benefit) the local cluster group(s) which give you face-to-face networking with both student & practising designers at all levels who can share speakers, visits and their own skills, experience & expertise informally and/or through local tutorial sessions.

Hope you make the right decision for you & your business! Steve R.

Gaynor Witchard said:

I have been thinking about joining, but am put off by some comments and articles. Some things I've read give me the distinct impression I would not be welcome as I do not have a degree, and I haven't studied at a high profile college either.

I subscribe to the SGD magazine as I like to see what's going on, if anything, but wondered whether to renew or consider joining. I haven't yet made up my mind.

Permalink Reply by joy grey on November 22, 2010 at 14:38

I have recently submitted my piece of work to allow me to become a Pre-registered member. It was assessed very quickly and I haven't been charged anything. I might add it was the design for the first garden I ever did and have now been practising for 7 years! So no need to be too anxious about what you submit. Why did i chose that drawing? - it was the only one on my computer 'cos i hand draw!! Go for it!
Best wishes
Joy

Permalink Reply by Claire Golemboski-Byrne on November 22, 2010 at 14:59

thanks Joy, I've been wondering what to submit and I hand draw too. trying to get decent photos is hard though


joy grey said:

I have recently submitted my piece of work to allow me to become a Pre-registered member. It was assessed very quickly and I haven't been charged anything. I might add it was the design for the first garden I ever did and have now been practising for 7 years! So no need to be too anxious about what you submit. Why did i chose that drawing? - it was the only one on my computer 'cos i hand draw!! Go for it!
Best wishes
Joy

Permalink Reply by joy grey on November 22, 2010 at 15:26

Claire - just get an extra copy done and mail it - perhaps that is when there is a charge though. Good luck.
Joy

Permalink Reply by Canalturndesigner on November 22, 2010 at 16:25

I attended an Appraisal 12 months ago and have become a Pre-registered Member. I personally found the Appraisal (6 of us around a table with two Registered Member of the Society) quite daunting although extremely informative and helpful and I have put a lot of what was discussed into practice since. We each had to briefly present three pieces of work which were scrutinised individually in front of all present. I've still to do more work to enable me to go forward to Adjudication and quite honestly I've not looked at it further over the past twelve months since that cold November afternoon. The reason, I've probably had my busiest year in the last 10 years of designing with no let up as we approach the winter months.

This of course makes me ask the same question, what is the benefit of becoming a member? Is joining the designer ranks of the likes of David Stevens, Andy Sturgeon, Joe Swift, Charlotte Rowe, Sally Court, Jill Billington, Andrew Wilson etc etc etc going to bring me more prestigious clients and projects and higher fees. Or is it really just the personal ambition/esteem of being up there with these great designers. My business head always brings me back down to earth by reminding me that I haven't got the time to spare going down the Adjudication route (I certainly haven't over the past 12 months) as whilst I'm doing all the work required by the Society to get me to that nerve-racking Adjudication in London, I'm not earning any money designing to pay the bills.

I fear that I'll probably carry on as I am working all hours until my Pre-registered Membership period expires whereup I'll either leave the Society or revert to being a Friend. Registered Membership is always at the back of my mind though as to whether I should or I shouldn't and that's probably where it will stay.

Oh and by the way, my background briefly is - the usual career change 10 years ago, studied through a pretty basic and not very good correspondence course and have basically been self-taught over the last decade. I must be doing something right though having now designed over 130 projects small to large. I think I'll just carry on as I am for now.



Jane Stewart said:

I agree with Belinda. What is the benefit of becoming a member?. I was told by a member that it "makes you feel more professional"...well how do you quantify that? I constantly feel very UNprofessional because my paperwork is such a shambles all of the time BUT not because I am not a MSGD. The SGD would just create more paperwork adding to the desk shambles ....... ;-))

Permalink Reply by Becky Wells on November 28, 2010 at 12:26

FYI It is perfectly OK to fill out the Pre-Reg form online (go to the SGD web site) and then take a decent photo of a hand-drawn design plan to send as an attachment. I hand draw all my design work and that's what I did. I received my confirmation of Pre-Reg status within a couple of weeks.

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