The route I took to get into surveying wasn’t exactly normal. After deciding to change careers, I went back to university to study Building Surveying for three years. Then my final year between 2019-2020 unfortunately coincided with the first Covid lockdown. Despite the disruption I finished my course and in June 2020 and received my degree certificate. At that point my next objective was to find a job, which as you might expect was a challenging proposition due to the ongoing disruption around the country.
I was eager to progress into my new career path, but again thanks to Covid it was not a good time for hiring. I’ll leave it to you to decide if my next approach was either smart or silly. I took the old-school approach and sent my CV to every company within thirty miles with the word “Surveying” in their title, explaining my position and desire for employment. I’m sure my emails and letters were given the degree of attention they deserved.
But I did get some results and I received two replies from the many emails I sent out. One came three months later, but the first reply came from my future employer. Gavin Floyd of DEESURVEYS was kind enough to invite me for what was effectively an interview while meeting clients for a building project he was to manage. Somehow, I impressed him enough to keep his interest and after a period of shadowing I managed to land myself a position working full time at DEESURVEYS Chartered Surveyors, where I have been employed ever since, my current work comprising primarily Home Surveys and Red Book Valuation reports.
Looking back, I didn’t know all the options available to me when I decided to become a building surveyor. For those people who are interested in becoming a Chartered Surveyor with the RICS there are a few pathways available to them.
Firstly, a prospective member of the RICS should understand that all paths will ultimately lead to a candidate undertaking their APC, which is the final barrier to full membership and the valued Chartered status, but before that however you will need to qualify for the APC and the following routes are available to prospective candidates.
Apprenticeships may have fallen out of fashion in recent years, but it is still a pathway worth pursuing. Bear in mind that the necessary level 6 or 7 apprenticeships do include either an RICS accredited undergraduate, PGDip or Master’s degree. You can read more about what the RICS has to say about Apprenticeships here: https://www.rics.org/surveyor-careers/how-to-become-a-surveyor/surveying-apprenticeships
Next, already having an RICS accredited degree will help tremendously and immediately unlock your potential to start your APC. There are Undergraduate courses available and you can find a list of RICS accredited degrees here: https://www.ricscourses.org/
For those who have recently finished a less relevant degree but are still considering surveying as a profession, there are also Postgraduate conversion courses which can be undertaken if you have studied courses in the following:
- Geography
- Maths
- Economics
- Law
- Social sciences
- Urban and land studies
For those without a relevant degree there is another option available to you. The SAVA Diploma in Residential Surveying and Valuation is another route to becoming a residential building surveyor. Completion sets you up as an Associate within the RICS, a step below full Chartered status, but one which will set you up for further development and employment. You can find more information about SAVA here: https://sava.co.uk/qualifications/diploma-in-residential-surveying-valuation/