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Construct A great Career As A Surveyor

If you’re someone with real vision who’s looking for excitement, variety and a chance to shape the world, working as a chartered surveyor could be just the job for you.
There’s much more to being a chartered surveyor than you might first think, in fact it’s potentially one of the most exciting and diverse career options around. Broadly speaking, surveyors are concerned with the value of all the physical assets of the world and can get involved in pretty much everything from major construction projects to valuing antiques. So, it’s little wonder that surveying offers such a fascinating, varied and fulfilling career.

Surveying in Construction

Construction is a hugely important area that provides around 10% of the UK’s Gross Domestic Product. Surveying in construction covers the entire building life cycle from design, feasibility and construction through to refurbishment and maintenance, and ultimately renewal. As well as construction work on site, surveyors offer professional advice on a whole range of issues from buying the property to health and safety matters.

Once you get involved with surveying you can choose from a whole range of topics including:

· Building surveying · Project management · Construction management

· Dispute resolution · Contract/arbitration/litigation · Building plans

· Regulations · Licensing/construction (such as football stadiums)

The profession is split into many different roles, which can include chartered quantity surveyor (CQS) and chartered construction surveyor (CCS). The CQS tends to work on behalf of the developer acting as the cost and contractual adviser, and in the last 20 years or so has increasingly taken on the stimulating and responsible role of project manager. The CCS, on the other hand, often works for the contractor, assessing the value of the works to be undertaken, and monitoring and managing those costs as the project progresses.

A Skill to be Proud of

Quantity surveying has evolved from a largely technical, back-room activity into a proactive management role. As a quantity surveyor you can work on an enormous range of projects in all sectors of the building and engineering industries from residential refurbishment schemes to major commercial and civil works. In fact, anywhere a building or engineering project is underway, there is a role for a quantity surveyor either working for the client or employed as the contractor’s commercial manager.[!--pagebreak--]

Quantity surveyors need to be highly numerate, have strong commercial sense and possess excellent management skills.

Once qualified as a surveyor you can work for either a public or private sector client. You can choose to work for big, nationwide firms, or smaller local practices. And if you decide to work abroad, you’ll find that your skills will be universally recognised and respected. It’s a big world out there…just think of the potential.

A World of Opportunity

As a qualified chartered surveyor you can chose to work in a number of areas such as:

Antiques and Fine Arts; Building Surveying; Commercial Property; Environment

Dispute Resolution; Facilities Management; Geomatics; Management Consultancy

Minerals and Waste Management;Planning and Development; Plant and Machinery; Project Management

Residential Property; Rural; Valuation;

Professional Body

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is the leading professional body for those working in property, real estate, construction and environmental issues. RICS is a global organisation with more than 110 000 members worldwide.

If you’d like to know more about becoming a chartered surveyor get in touch with our Contact Centre on 0870 333 1600 or log on to www.rics.org/careers   Send to a friend