Q: What happens if I stop working in agrology during my articling term?

A: Should you find yourself not employed in agrology during your articling term, you have a couple of options:

1.  You may wish to consider going "On Leave" until you find employment in agrology again (preferred option). You can continue to complete Articling Program elements while on leave and engage with your mentor; however, the articling term (one or two years) is placed hold. For on leave status the PDH annual requirement is half the required amount and the annual fee is $125.00 (with no refunds on annual fees if already paid for the year).

When returning to articling status the articling term is extended to gain sufficient full-time employment experience before advancing to full status. Payment of the articling registrant's annual fees is required (may be pro-rated based on the quarterly schedule) when returning to active articling registrant status.

2.  You can maintain your status as an active articling registrant, but continue past your earliest articling graduation date to gain the time needed to obtain one or two years of full-time employment in agrology. Reporting of PD hours is at the minimum required, and payment of articling annual fees is mandatory. At the end of the Articling Program, all required elements must be cited both within the articling review and within the mentor's reference letter.  

It is recommended that option 1 is requested, to better reflect the individual's situation.

Q: Can I use hours from my work experience before joining the Articling Program to fulfill program requirements to graduate earlier?

A:  You can only use work experience earned during the articling term to fulfill your Articling Program requirements. Work performed before the start of your articling term is not admissible.

Q: What happens if I don't find a mentor in the first two months after acceptance into the Articling Program?

A:  Articling registrants who have NOT submitted their signed mentoring agreement within two months of receiving their notice of acceptance into BCIA, will have their articling term held in abeyance (put on hold) until the mentoring agreement is received. This, in effect, will extend the articling term to however long the signed mentoring agreement is outstanding.

Q: What should I do if the relationship with my mentor is not ideal, or if I find it difficult to establish communication with them?

A: You may change mentors mid-stream if necessary. First if possible, ensure your current mentor signs off on items you have completed within the Articling Checklist. Second, locate a different mentor. Third, submit the new (signed) Mentoring Agreement by uploading the agreement to the BCIA account > Articling Program.

Q: I'm at the end of my articling term and forgot to get items signed on my articling checklist.  What should I do?

A:  Your mentor should always be your first point of contact.  It is expected that you have been keeping your mentor informed about your program activities; please ask them to sign off on the select components as this shows engagement between the two parties. The Victoria head office verifies the program activities when assessing the end-of-program documents.

Q: It's time to renew my registration and I just registered with BCIA mid-year.  I don't have any/or enough professional development hours to enter for the reporting year to satisfy the required annual minimum.

A:  There must be entries in the PD report plus declared practice area(s) to proceed to make payment within your invoice.  This entry may be pro-rated hours for your work in agrology OR self-study hours up to 15 PD hours per year and other applicable entries.  The system will recognize the reduced hours and a pop-up dialogue box will appear when attempting to pay. Choose the option that references acceptance approval mid-year to proceed to the payment area.

Q: My branch currently doesn't have, or has very few professional development (PD) opportunities.  How can I fulfill my 'Attend a Branch or BCIA PD event and/or Volunteer' Articling Program requirements?

A: You may participate in any branch PD event or any branch AGM (online or in-person) to meet the Articling Program requirement; this is outlined at the top of your articling checklist. You may also wish to volunteer to organize or assist with a PD event for your branch, and thus also complete the 'volunteer' option of the program.  

Q:  How long will it take to receive notice of full status after all Articling Program requirements have been met and certified?

A:  It typically takes 2-4 weeks for your full status designation to be granted pending the review of all end-of-program documents.