Qualification type
Internal auditor
Teaches you to plan, carry out, report and follow up internal (first-party) audits of your own organisation’s management system. Usually two days, assessed by continuous assessment and a short test.
1 Who it is for
- Staff who will audit their own organisation’s processes as part of the internal audit programme
- Quality, environment, safety and information security coordinators
- People who want to move towards a lead auditor course later
2 What it involves
Internal auditor courses cover the principles of auditing and the audit process based on ISO 19011 — planning an audit, preparing checklists, interviewing and sampling, recording evidence, writing nonconformity statements, reporting and following up — applied to one standard. Most include role-play audits.
CQI and IRCA place internal auditor courses at the Practitioner level of their certified training. Passing a CQI and IRCA certified internal auditor course (with a foundation course, or a lead auditor course instead) is part of the requirements for the IRCA Internal Auditor grade, which also needs at least five internal audits of at least three hours each.
3 Typical length and assessment, by scheme
| Scheme | Typical length | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| CQI and IRCA | Approx. 14 hours (two days); DNV lists 16 hours | Continuous assessment plus a short test — for example, Batalas describes a short multiple-choice test on the final day |
| Provider-branded courses | 1–2 days | Often continuous assessment; some issue a CPD certificate |
PECB does not run a separate internal auditor course — its auditor route is the five-day Lead Auditor course.
4 Internal auditor qualifications we list
| Qualification | Standard topic | UK courses listed |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001 Internal auditor | Quality management | 10 |
| ISO 14001 Internal auditor | Environmental management | 8 |
| ISO 45001 Internal auditor | Occupational health and safety | 5 |
| ISO/IEC 27001 Internal auditor | Information security | 7 |
| ISO 22301 Internal auditor | Business continuity | 3 |
| ISO 50001 Internal auditor | Energy management | 3 |
| ISO 22000 Internal auditor | Food safety | 4 |
| ISO 13485 Internal auditor | Medical devices quality | 5 |
| ISO/IEC 42001 Internal auditor | Artificial intelligence management | 3 |
5 How to prepare
- Internal auditor: a 2-week study planTen short sessions to get ready for a two-day internal auditor course and your first internal audits.
S Sources
Facts on this page last checked 3 October 2026.
- CQI and IRCA, “Become an Approved Training Partner” (course levels table) — https://www.quality.org/approved-training-partners
- CQI and IRCA, Internal Auditor grade — https://www.quality.org/article/%E2%80%8Binternal-auditor
- Batalas, ISO 9001 Internal Auditor course — https://www.batalas.co.uk/courses/iso-9001-internal-auditor/
- DNV UK, IRCA-CQI ISO 9001:2026 Internal Auditor — https://www.dnv.co.uk/training/iso-90012026-internal-auditor-training-course/