Your Questions Answered
Yes, you can. In order to add another business to your membership, you will need to apply through the membership application form and mark trading as, completing the relevant details for your existing membership.
Not necessarily, but it is likely. Various categories work slightly differently, but all members are required to update the Association with business information, such as the number of branches for retailers, or employee numbers for other categories.
Simple answer, no. Only jewellers who are prepared to abide by the Association’s Code of Conduct, based on honesty, integrity and professionalism, should be members. The NAJ is proud of its members, and consumers gain peace of mind through the code, which includes the supporting customer charter.
As part of the application process, if you are not a UK Business or are unwilling to permit a personal credit check, the Association will require trade references as part of the application.
Yes, you can join both the Created in the UK Scheme and also the NAJ Retail Network (Retailer only) as a non-member. However, in both cases, the annual subscription is more than double that of the subscription for members.
This means that for the majority of cases, it is more cost-effective to join the Association to access Created in the UK or the JET Business Network (JBN). In doing so you will also gain access to several other benefits.
A designer membership is for businesses operating with one person (plus up to one member of staff) designing and/or creating bespoke pieces with an annual turnover of less than £90,000.
If the turnover or number of people in the business is higher than these figures, then the application should be made to the retailer category. Rest assured, there is no difference in the suite of benefits accessible.
Each welcome pack is slightly different, but members receive a welcome letter, a certificate, little book of benefits, and information on ‘how to’ use the most popular member benefits for the business. Please note, this does not include Personal Associates.
All new members are welcomed to the membership via a welcome post on our social media channels, reaching over 50,000 followers.
However, new members are also encouraged to prepare PR material to share with the marketing team to be included in digital communications, social media activity and even in The Jeweller magazine.
Designers, manufacturers and suppliers, particularly, are encouraged to share their collections with the editor of The Jeweller to be featured in edits and articles in the publication.
For each new application, the Association charges a one-off joining fee. This, in part, helps ensure the Association can maintain competitive annual fees by including duties such as credit checks and financial report sourcing in the application procedure.
New members however can get their joining fee refunded by TH March directly if they take a new policy out within 6 months of joining the Association. This included 6 months prior to and 6 months after the join date.
Different to general membership of the Association, Valuers wishing to become MIRVs have to submit sample work for the IRV Registration & Professional Review Panel to assess. This takes them considerable time and the panel are paid a small remuneration to cover the time involved.
In order to become an IRV there are certain criteria which must be met – one of the main pre-requisites for an applicant is a valuation qualification. The Association’s JET Certificate in the Foundations of Appraisal Practice is the qualification most valuers will complete as part of their career development to become a valuer.
Despite there is no legal obligation for a valuer to be registered with any trade body, it is widely recommended by the trade and the supporting insurance sector that valuers must follow the NAJ’s Principles of Best Practice for Valuers, whether you are an IRV or not.
All members are required to complete the application form and submit it to the Association, preferably via email. Most people applying find it is easier to do this themselves, given the need for detailed information.
However, if you are unable to complete your application form, we will be happy to support you where required.
For the purposes of membership classification and subscription calculation, the term employees refers to all individuals working within the business, regardless of status or contractual arrangement.
This includes directors, owners, partners, full-time and part-time staff, and any other individuals actively engaged in the operations of the business.
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