How To Become An Auditor

Many people are interested in becoming a management systems auditor, and we have many that approach us everyday. It's an entirely good thing as there is a shortage of auditors in the industry.

The problem is that not every person interested in auditing has the background that would be accepted by standards owners. A minimum of 5 years is preferred in your relevant industry before you are able to audit in that area. This ensures that the auditors being used have a detailed working knowledge of their industry and know what to look for. There's no point an auditor coming from the apple industry, and being asked to audit a factory making bottle water.

Once it has been established that you possess the relevant background work experience, the training to become an auditor can take up to 12 months to complete. This is an incredible expense for any business to wear.

How To Become An Auditor

1. Have background experience in a relevant industry

2. Do some training - HACCP training, SQF training, BRC training etc. Make yourself employable as an auditor by showing some interest in the subject

3. Do a lead-auditor course (either BRC or RAB-QSA) - this is an approx. 4 day course that trains a prospective auditor in a range of different areas

4. Contact a Certification Body with these details in hand - if you can show you have done the training already, it's much more likely a Certification Body will be willing to perform the shadow audits, submit the paperwork to the standards owners, and give a sign off.

And with those 4 things done, I would be very confident that any Certification Body would be happy to take you on board.