Breaking into the field of Quantity Surveying can be a highly profitable career move, with ample opportunities for career advancement, networking, and earning high salaries.
So, what steps can you take to get your foot in the door?
Understand Your Responsibilities
Knowing exactly what will be required of you is important for any position in the working world, and as a Quantity Surveyor, your primary goal is to provide better value to clients through effective cost management.
Better value can come in several forms, whether through cost advice, cost planning, or successful contract management.
Get an RICS Accredited Degree or Qualification
This is vital in being recognised as capable for any surveying job.
The primary qualification achieved by successful surveyors is the APC – the Assessment of Professional Competence. Often taking at least two years for graduates, the APC is no small task.
Researching the exact qualities needed on the RICS website and other sources will keep you ahead of the curve.
Get Practical, Hands-On Experience
This relates to the previous point about the APC, as you’ll need to work within an industry-related role as part of the qualification.
Not only that, but obtaining work experience in surveying will allow you to establish exactly which aspects of the role you may be lacking in, and upskill where necessary.
Have Realistic Salary Expectations
A job as a Quantity Surveyor can be highly lucrative, but it’s important to have researched expectations around areas such as salary and benefits.
An entry-level job can get you around £25,000 – £30,000; a number which will only increase with experience and qualifications.
Knowing the Right Paths
Entry into Quantity Surveying requires an accredited RICS degree. Although a BSc in QS is best, most RICS degrees allow following a path in QS – however, other degrees may not be as ideal as they are different specialisms. Some examples of other areas which cover RICS disciplines are Real Estate, or BSc’s in Building Surveying or Construction Management.
