Building surveyor

Building surveyors advise clients on the technical, design, maintenance and repair on a range of property types

As a building surveyor, you'll complete detailed reports, known as building surveys. Within these, you'll identify defects and advise on repair, maintenance and restoration options.

Projects can include existing buildings, buildings of architectural or historic importance and the development of new ones. You may implement preventative measures to keep buildings in good condition and look for ways to make buildings sustainable.

Responsibilities

As a building surveyor, you'll need to:

• ensure projects are completed on budget and to schedule
• advise clients on schemes and projects and determine requirements
• prepare scheme designs with costings, programmes for completion of projects and specification of works
• organise documents for tender and advise on appointing contractors, designers and procurement routes
• determine the condition of existing buildings, identify and analyse defects, including proposals for repair
• advise on energy efficiency, environmental impact and sustainable construction
• instruct on the preservation/conservation of historic buildings
• advise on the management and supervision of maintenance of buildings
• deal with planning applications and advise on property legislation and building regulations
• assess and design buildings to meet the needs of people with disabilities
• instruct on construction design and management regulations
• negotiate dilapidations (when there is a legal liability for a property's state of disrepair)
• carry out feasibility studies
• advise on the health and safety aspects of buildings
• advise on boundary and 'right to light' disputes and party wall procedures
• prepare insurance assessments and claims.

Salary

• As a graduate, assistant or junior building surveyor, you can expect to earn between £25,000 and £30,000.
• With a few years' experience, as a qualified, consultant or analyst building surveyor, you can earn in the region of £47,000 to £65,000.
• Partners or directors can earn approximately £85,000.

For more information about salaries, benefits and careers in construction, see the Macdonald & Company Salary, Rewards and Attitudes report.

Salaries vary depending on location, with central London offering the highest and chartered professionals earning the most.

Benefits usually include bonuses and pensions and in some cases may also include a company car and mobile telephone.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

Working hours are generally 9am to 5pm, although you may be required to work longer. Meeting and socialising with clients can sometimes require out-of-hours working.

The work is much less desk-bound than some branches of surveying, with a large proportion of the working day spent on site. This may require working alone for significant periods of time.

What to expect

• A reasonable level of fitness and mobility is required, as the job may involve working on scaffolding and in difficult spaces. However, physically disabled surveyors are found within the profession.
• Jobs are available in most areas of the country, especially if you reach chartered status. Depending on the employer, overseas work may occasionally be a requirement.
• There continues to be inequality in pay for women and ethnic minority surveyors.
• Self-employment/freelance work is common in private practice, specialising in building surveying or working with other specialists, such as architects and quantity surveyors. In the longer term, there may be opportunities to establish your own consultancy or become a partner or corporate director.
• Local/regional travel within a working day is frequent, for meeting with contractors to discuss technical documents or visiting clients/members of the public who have no knowledge of construction.

Qualifications

Although this area of work is open to all graduates, a degree in building surveying combined with technical knowledge will improve your chances.

Other subjects that may help to provide relevant knowledge include:

• economics
• geography
• languages
• mathematics
• science
• social sciences
• urban and land studies.

Degrees are available in a range of property and construction-related subjects, accredited by RICS. Studying a RICS-accredited degree will qualify you to take the relevant training to become a chartered surveyor.

If your degree is in an unrelated topic or isn't accredited you can go on to take a RICS-accredited Masters degree, which will lead on to the chartered training. Some employers will support you through this postgraduate training while working and may be able to help with funding. For a full list of courses, see RICS Course.

HND entry is available at surveying technician level. Technical property-related subjects, such as building surveying and building/construction, may improve your chances. Surveying technicians usually work on less complex tasks, with a lower level of responsibility. To reach the level of full surveyor you'll need to take further qualifications while working.

The Chartered Surveyors Training Trust provides support to people in becoming qualified surveyors, regardless of their academic, social or financial circumstances.

See RICS - Apprenticeships for more information.

Skills

You will need to have:

• technical knowledge and competence
• a logical and practical mind
• good oral and written communication skills
• the ability to build lasting relationships with clients and colleagues
• negotiation, presentation and report writing skills
• the ability to analyse problems and identify solutions
• commercial awareness and the ability to ensure that you are adding maximum value to clients' businesses
• the ability to take on high levels of responsibility with enthusiasm and motivation
• good IT skills, including computer-aided design (CAD)
• a driving licence - usually essential, especially if you're going to be involved in a design role.

Work experience

Graduates who have completed a sandwich year in industry are at a considerable advantage and are better placed to enter the job market.

Many of the larger surveying firms offer work experience placements and you can find information about these on company websites.

However, any relevant pre-entry experience is desirable and gaining experience in vacations or on placements can help you secure a permanent job.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

Building surveying is required in various real estate markets, including residential, commercial, leisure, agricultural and industrial.

As a chartered building surveyor, you could work in the private, corporate, public or voluntary sectors. Typical employers include:

• specialised private practices, e.g. surveying firms, specialist property consultancies and construction companies
• central government, e.g. valuation office
• local government, e.g. local authorities
• large property-owning organisations, such as housing associations, retailers and leisure groups
• public-private organisations
• loss adjusters.

Professional qualifications in surveying are recognised worldwide and with a range of international property and construction firms, there are opportunities to work abroad.

Many large, private practice firms have an annual intake of graduates and may have closing dates as early as December or January of your final year. Others will accept speculative applications slightly later - contact smaller employers from around Easter. Public sector organisations rarely accept speculative applications and usually advertise vacancies as they occur.

You could consider self-employment once you've gained enough experience.

Look for job vacancies at:

• Building4jobs
• Careers in Construction
• EG Jobs
• Property Week 4 Jobs
• RICS Recruit

Recruitment consultants often handle vacancies in this area, including RICS-endorsed Macdonald and Company.

Professional development

If you've successfully completed a degree or Masters accredited by the RICS, you can work towards chartered status. This is achieved through the completion of the RICS Assessment of Professional Competence (APC), which is a work-based professional training scheme that usually takes two to three years.

The scheme, which provides a mix of technical and professional practice, interpersonal, business and management skills, consists of on-the-job learning, regular meetings with a supervisor and an assessment interview. Completion of the APC along with academic qualifications leads to RICS membership and chartered surveyor status.

Continuing professional development (CPD) is an important aspect of the surveyor role as you need to maintain professional competencies and practice standards. Professional bodies such as RICS support CPD and there are many training courses available that support and enhance the work of a building surveyor.

There are many training courses available that support and enhance the work of a building surveyor. RICS offers a range of courses that cover technical topics as well as personal development, management and leadership, and business skills.

Other professional qualifications and training opportunities are available from the:

• Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE)
• Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)
• Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (ICES)
• Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM)

Being a member of a professional body can also aid CPD as it provides access to professional journals, electronic communications and a network of professional colleagues.

Career prospects

If you work within the public sector, it's usually possible to move between local authorities, universities, hospital trusts and government posts to gain broader experience and advance to a more senior position.

Most large organisations have formal channels of promotion for surveyors who take on increased technical and managerial responsibility.

With experience, you may progress to full project management, taking responsibility for the planning, control and coordination of projects from inception to completion. Success in these roles can bring the opportunity to be a departmental head or manager in the public sector and, in private practice, a director or partner.

You may choose to specialise and become an expert in one particular area, such as building defects or sustainability, or in a specific sector such as residential or retail. Another option, once you're chartered, is to set up your own private practice.