Go for it asap. Now you are in the door your work experience will compliment the level 5 theory. The theory will also enable you to make an impact in your current role.

In reply to Sunny:

thank you Sunny! It sounds like it would go hand in hand :-)

If you're in an admin role, the question must be what professional value you'll get from doing Level 5. Generally, Level 5 is looked for in people going for HR Advisor roles or equivalents, where they are directly supporting operational HR under the supervision of a manager or Senior Advisor. But if you have the opportunity to advance internally, your employer is more likely to consider your known experience and personal aptitudes than worry about your paper qualifications.

On the other hand, Level 7 is a prerequisite for Chartered status (excepting the grueling experience assessment) which is frequently mandatory for advancement to management or business partner status even for internal appointees.

So moving on to Level 5 at this point will depend on how quickly you want to advance and what the opportunities are in your current role to move up inside the same organisation. You may be better off focusing on laying down a good grounding of experience and benefiting from the coaching and insight of your manager before heading straight to a Level 7 in a few years' time.

In reply to Robey:

Hey Robey, that's interesting thank you. I currently work directly under our Head of HR (just the two of us) and they're keen to progress me within the organisation to I think HR Advisor in time, so would Level 5 then be my next step into that, alongside gaining my experience in my current role, or if I'm going to be able to progress regardless, would it maybe be pointless... food for thought!

In reply to Chelsey:

Discuss it with your LM. It might depend a bit on their own qualifications! If the HoHR isn't Chartered MCIPD themselves, they might not be keen on you chasing your Level 7. But if the business is willing to pay for your Level 5 and give you time to study in work hours, then take whatever's on the table.

In reply to Robey:

thank you very much, I will certainly bring it up and see

I did my L3 about 6 years ago and have been working as an HR Manager for 3 years. I'm starting L5 either next month or April. Think I should have done it sooner but I've been too busy to commit