ISO Training

In order to be qualified to do the work of an ISO auditor, you need to take and pass an ISO training course. They are two different types of ISO auditor courses:

ISO internal auditor training course (you learn the skills necessary for internal audits)
ISO lead auditor training course (you learn the skills necessary for both, internal and external audits)

However, each ISO standard has of course its particular course. Please bear in mind that if you want to work as a full time ISO auditor, you need to be able to conduct external audits (second and third party audits) and therefore you need to pass the ISO lead auditor training. Moreover, such a position will in practice require that you are certified by an international well recognized certification body, like IRCA or RABQSA.

Of course there are more necessary steps to become a certified ISO auditor. An overview is given in the following article: How to become an ISO auditor?

More specificially, the requirements are listed for ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 27001

How to become an ISO auditor ?

When you consider a career as an ISO auditor, you should be aware about different requirements for the different types of auditors. Bear in mind that internal auditors usually conduct audits as an additional task to their normal work, while external auditors carry out audits on a full time basis. Practically, you need to be a registered auditor

What is IRCA ?

IRCA is the abbreviation for “International Register for Certified Auditors”. IRCA is the international largest and well recognized certification body for auditors of management systems. It is located in UK. IRCA provides two main services:

Certification of auditors (in managements systems)
Certification of training organizations and auditor training courses

Currently, IRCA certifies auditors and training courses managements systems like quality (ISO 9001), environmental (ISO 14001), food safety (ISO 22000),

ISO internal auditor training

For the purpose of understandability, we want to use the example of ISO 9001 to clarify the topic of the ISO internal auditor training. The objective of an ISO internal auditor training is to transfer the knowledge and skills necessary for conducting internal audits. That means that everyone who wishes to conduct internal audits shall pass this training. Moreover, understanding the quality criteria of ISO 9001 is a very important point for the whole stuff working in quality related fields. That includes not only, but with a specific emphasis, quality manager, quality engineers, employees in the quality assurance and quality inspectors.

ISO lead auditor training

When we speak about the ISO lead auditor training, we want to use ISO 9001 as an example, which can serve as an analog for the other ISO standards. So who should take an ISO lead auditor training? Firstly, everyone seeking a career as an ISO auditor. By passing successfully a certified ISO lead auditor exam, one meets the training requirements (they are more!) necessary to become a registered ISO (external) auditor. Secondly, employees working in quality related fields, like quality inspection, quality assurance, quality engineering or general in quality management. Thirdly, consultants who want to improve their knowledge about quality management.

Requirements for ISO 9001 auditors

If you consider a career as an ISO 9001 auditor (also called quality auditor), you should bear in mind the various requirements. Because it is not enough to just pass the ISO 9001 training! Apart from the ISO 9001 lead auditor training, conditions related to education, work experience (general plus quality related), and number of performed audits have to be meet. Certification bodies, like IRCA or RABQSA define these standards for ISO auditors and for the purpose of an ISO career it is necessary to become a registered auditor. IRCA for example demands following requirements for the ISO 9001 grade:

Requirements for ISO 14001 auditors

If you plan to start a full-time career as an ISO 14001 auditor, it is not enough just to pass the ISO 14001 training! Apart from the ISO 14001 lead auditor training, you need to meet requirements related to education, experience, and the number of performed audits. The requirements are defined by international recognized certification bodies (like IRCA and RABQSA) and in a practical sense mandatory if you wish to start a career as an ISO 14000 auditor, since only registered auditors can compete in today’s economy. IRCA for example sets following standards for the ISO 14001 auditor grade:

Requirements for ISO 27001 auditors

Before you can become an ISO 27001 auditor, you have to meet certain criteria. These criteria depend on education, work experience (in general and also specified to information security), ISO 27001 training requirements and number of conducted audits. The criteria’s are defined by certification bodies (like IRCA and RABQSA) and practically mandatory if you wish to start a career as an ISO 27001 auditor. IRCA for example requires following standards for the ISO 27001 auditor grade: