Referees - which professions are valid

[mik6]

I am looking for confirmation which professions are valid for a professional referee.

Here are some of IT jobs that I know:
- Software developer
- Software engineer
- Portfolio director
- Project manager
- Infrastructure engineer
- SharePoint technologist

And one more, which may be relevant for my partner:
- Cleaning company supervisor

[CR001]

List of Accepted Referees (click)

[mik6]

Yes, I've seen this list, but I think (hope) it is really a generic and not a definitive list.
So my question really is:
Can any of the professions I listed qualify as a profession from the official list?
E.g.
- Is software engineer or software developer an "Engineer (with professional qualifications)"
- Is cleaning supervisor or project manager a "Director/Manager/Personnel Officer of a VAT registered Company"
and so on.

[CR001]

It is definitive not generic. Any professional 'engineer' would need to be registered with the appropriate body, not just qualified with a degree.

What about your manager/director, your pharmacist, your local off license owner if he holds a personal license.....

[secret.simon]

This is how my referee had defined to me who can and can not be a referee; if the referee lies, can s/he be disciplined?

Engineers with professional qualifications are members of professional organisations (RIBA, IEEE, etc). They can be disciplined for bringing the organisation into disrepute if they are caught lying. Similarly, doctors, nurses, etc.

Similarly, directors of companies can be punished (through Companies House) if caught lying.

Somebody who is just an engineer by qualification without being a member of a professional organisation is not, to the best of my knowledge, qualified to be a referee.

Note that the professional referee does not need to be a British citizen.

Conversely, the British citizen referee does not need to be a professional, but does need to have a British passport.

[mik6]

Thanks for clarification.
Can you please also explain what the 'appropriate body' or 'professional organisation' could be for any IT-related engineers?

Does portfolio director count as Director/Manager/Personnel Officer of a VAT registered Company?

[secret.simon]

You can start by looking here:
List of engineering societies - United Kingdom

[mik6]

Thanks, that makes things more difficult than I thought.
What about these:
- Portfolio director
- CEO (chief executive officer)
- CTO (chief technology officer)
- Project manager

Do any of these qualify as "Director/Manager/Personnel Officer of a VAT registered Company"?

[CR001]

CEO would work yes.

[secret.simon]

You can search for directors by name on the Companies House website. If they are listed there, they should be fine.

There is a good chance that CEOs and CTOs are directors.

Remember that many of your colleagues, those that are contractors for instance, would also be directors of their own companies.

[mik6]

Thanks, that's a useful link. I can find some familiar names here.
Does the fact that a person appears on this site with a role of director (active) for a company with a status of active means that person definitely meets the requirements?
Is there a way to get 100% certainty?

[CR001]

Yes, a director of a VAT registered or Limited company is acceptable as long as they have known you for 3 years.