Table 1
Criteria for a group to be considered a profession.
| 1 | The profession must be controlled by a governing body which in professional matters directs the behaviour of its members. For their part the members have a responsibility to subordinate their selfish private interests in favour of support for the governing body. |
| 2 | The governing body must set adequate standards of education as a condition of entry and thereafter ensure that students obtain an acceptable standard of professional competence. Training and education do not stop at qualification. They must continue throughout the member’s professional life. |
| 3 | The governing body must set the ethical rules and professional standards which are to be observed by the members. They should be higher than those established by the general law. |
| 4 | The rules and standards enforced by the governing body should be designed for the benefit of the public and not for the private advantage of the members. |
| 5 | The governing body must take disciplinary action including, if necessary, expulsion from membership should the rules and standards it lays down not be observed or should a member be guilty of bad professional work. |
| 6 | Work is often reserved to a profession by statute – not for the advantage of the members but because, for the protection of the public, it should be carried out only by persons with the requisite training, standards and disciplines. |
| 7 | The governing body must satisfy itself that there is fair and open competition in the practice of the profession so that the public are not at risk of being exploited. It follows that members in practice must give information to the public about their experience, competence, capacity to do the work and the fees payable. |
| 8 | The members of the profession, whether in practice or in employment, must be independent in thought and outlook. They must be willing to speak their minds without fear or favour. They must not allow themselves to be put under the control or dominance of any person or organisation which could impair that independence. |
| 9 | In its specific field of learning a profession must give leadership to the public it serves. |
[i] Source: House of Lords (2000).