Respected and fulfilling work, surveying is vital in the fields of property, building, and land management. Becoming a surveyor might be the ideal job route for you if you love working both inside and outside, are meticulous, have an interest in property, geography, or engineering.
We will lead you through the main processes in this guide towards becoming a surveyor in the United Kingdom.
Know Why a Surveyor Does Things.
One should know what the profession in surveying entails before deciding on it. RICS qualified surveyors map and measure sites of building, land, and property. On matters like property borders, land development, structural integrity, values, and legal compliance, they provide professional guidance.
Various kind of surveyors focus on topics including:
- Building surveys with an eye towards construction and property condition.
- Contractual management of construction costs and quantity surveys.
- Land surveys are mapping and boundary assessment of land.
- Valuation surveys help ascertain property and land values.
Select Your Area of Specialism for Surveying
There are many specialities in surveying, hence early on you should choose the field of greatest interest. Your selected route will affect your professional development and education choices. While certain disciplines, such as land surveying, tend more towards geography and mapping, others, such building or quantity surveying, are strongly related to construction.
Get the Appropriate Experience
University Degree Route
Completing a degree certified by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is the most usual route for one to become a surveyor in the UK. Appropriate degrees consist:
- Surveying Building Plans
- Quantity Research
- Survey of Landscape
- Real Estate Development Management
- Managers in Construction
RICS-accredited undergraduate and postgraduate courses are available at many institutions.
Route of Apprenticeship
Should you want practical education, you might get a degree apprenticeship in surveying. Through job experience mixed with education, apprenticeships let you earn while you learn.
Among the popular initiatives are the Chartered Surveyor Degree Apprenticeships, which, upon completion, result in full RICS certification.
If you already have a degree in a non-related field, RICS-accredited postgraduate conversion course may help you.
For those wishing to join the field without beginning from nothing, this is a common path for career changes.
Get Useful Work Experience
Surveying calls for practical experience absolutely necessary. Many degree courses include a placement year, and apprenticeships by nature include working on actual projects.
To get practical experience and hone your talents, you might also look for internships, summer projects, or entry-level jobs.
- Having work experience lets you:
- Recognise daily surveying responsibilities.
- Establish a professional network.
- Sharp your client-facing and technical abilities.
- Improve your CV for next employment applications.
Work for Chartership.
Most UK professional surveyors want to be RICS-registered chartered surveyors.
You have to finish the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) after your academic courses and minimum two years’ relevant work experience to be chartered.
The APC procedure consists in:
- Documenting your employment experience
- finishing technical skills
- Interviewing for a final evaluation
- Being chartered greatly increases your earning potential, professional reputation, and job opportunities.
- Gain Important Skills
- Surveyors must be rather versatile in their abilities and include:
- Focus on details.
- aptitude for addressing problems
- Excellent means of communication.
- Negotiation techniques
- numerical mastery
- Project administration
- Technical expertise (with regard to surveying tools and software)
Developing these abilities with your official credentials will make you a very competitive applicant.
Remain Current via Professional Development.
With changes in construction rules, technology, and environmental requirements, surveying is an always changing field. Over your career, continuous professional development (CPD) is very vital.
Regular CPD events are required of chartered surveyors to keep their RICS membership.
- CPD may incorporate:
- Visiting lectures, webinars, and workshops
- Researching modern surveying methods or tools
- Attending trade shows for businesses
Employment Prospectues and Development in Profession
Senior surveyor, project manager, director, or partner position within companies might result from career advancement. A few surveyors also extend into fields such international surveying initiatives, property development, or conflict resolution.