Building surveyor
You'll be a property and construction professional providing expert advice. It'll be your job to check on regulations, repairs and energy efficiency.
About the job
What it's like
As a building surveyor, you'll play an important role in all aspects of property and construction. You'll give professional advice to people who own or want to buy a building whether it meets building regulations or needs any serious repairs. You'll advice on things such as sustainability, retrofitting insultion, fire safey, subsidence, part walls and building pathology.
You'll work with lots of different clients. From families buying a home to developers working on multi-million pound residential or commerical building projects.
Your expertise will guide crucial decisions about the design and construction of new or alternations to existing buildings. You’ll inspect existing buildings and explain what maintenance and repairs they need and what improvements to comply with legislation. Understanding what drives your client's business is key, making sure your expertise directly contributes to their success.
The work is dynamic and focuses on three main areas:
surveying
legal work
planning and inspection
Your tasks might include:
surveying properties, identifying structural faults and recommend repairs
assessing damage for insurance purposes, for example following a fire or flooding
determining responsibility for repair costs and advise on boundary disputes
acting as client supporter or expert witness in legal cases
checking properties to make sure that they meet building regulations, including fire safety, accessibility and energy efficiency standards
designing and supervising building work
handling planning applications, building regulation applications, grants, EPCs (Energy Performance Certificates), giving energy efficiency advice and carrying out Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs)
Depending on the size of the company, you may cover all of these tasks or you might specialise in just one.
You might also supervise a surveying team of assistant surveyors and technicians.
Green job
In this job you'll be doing work to help the environment. Find out more about green jobs.
Explore more information about this job
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Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- taking responsibility
- negotiating
- time management
- developing a plan
- attention to detail
- observation
- problem solving
- verbal communication
- supporting
- cooperating
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
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Foundation Apprenticeship: Construction
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Engineering Science
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Geography
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Maths (Mathematics)
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Practical Craft Skills
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Skills for Work: Construction Craft
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Skills for Work: Building Services Engineering
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Applications of Mathematics
You can get a head start in this career by doing a Foundation Apprenticeship in S5 and S6.
You'll get an SCQF level 6 qualification which is the same level as a Higher. You'll also learn new skills and gain valuable experience in a work environment.
Discover what's on offer at your school on Apprenticeships.scot.
Regardless of the academic route taken, to become a fully qualified Chartered Building Surveyor and a member of RICS (MRICS), you'll need to complete the RICS Assessment of Professional Competence (APC).
University
You’ll need a degree or postgraduate qualification accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in a relevant subject, such as:
Surveying
Construction
Civil Engineering
Building Engineering
Real Estate Management
If you have a non-RICS accredited degree, you'll need to take a postgraduate course in surveying.
College
Getting qualifications at college, such as an HNC or HND, could help you get a job or progress to more advanced study. Useful subjects include:
Building Surveying
Built Environment
Apprenticeship
Modern Apprenticeships (MAs) mean you learn on the job. You get paid and work towards a qualification at the same time. You might want to consider an MA in areas such as:
Discover Modern Apprenticeships on Apprenticeships.scot.
Graduate Apprenticeships (GAs) are designed for industry and you'll spend most of your time learning on the job but you'll also go to uni. You'll get a job, get paid and work towards a qualification at the same time.
You might want to consider a GA in areas such as:
Discover Graduate Apprenticeships on Apprenticeships.scot.
For some jobs, you may need to have a full driving licence to travel to sites.
To work on a construction site, you'll also need a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card.
You'll need to pass a health and safety test to qualify for this scheme.
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