Building surveyor
Advise people who want to buy a building whether it meets building regulations or need any serious repairs.
About the job
Salary
Source: National Careers Service
Weekly
£481
Entry level
£1,346
Experienced
Monthly
£2,083
Entry level
£5,833
Experienced
Yearly
£25,000
Entry level
£70,000
Experienced
7,300
people are currently employed
High growth
600 more jobs in 5 years
These figures refer to this job and similar ones with comparable skills and qualifications. They only apply to Scotland. Source: Oxford Economics
What it's like
You would advise people who own or want to buy a building whether it meets building regulations or needs any serious repairs.
Your clients could be home owners or large commercial and industrial companies.
You’d advise them about the design and construction of new buildings. You’d inspect existing buildings and explain what maintenance and repairs they need. You would have to be able to understand your client’s business needs.
You’d focus on three main areas: surveying, legal work, and planning and inspection.
You would:
Survey properties, identify structural faults and make recommendations for repairs
Assess damage for insurance purposes, for example following a fire or flooding
Establish who is responsible for building repair costs
Advise clients on issues such as property boundary disputes
Act as a client’s supporter or stand as an expert witness during legal proceedings
Check properties to make sure that they meet building regulations, including fire safety, accessibility and energy efficiency standards
Deal with planning applications and with improvement or conservation grants
Depending on the size of the company, you may cover all of these tasks or you might specialise in just one. Language skills may be useful if you want to work overseas or for a company with international clients.
You might also supervise a surveying team of assistants and technicians.
Hours
Environment
Travel
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.
Here are some of the 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 the sections shown for more information about getting into this career.
You might have qualifications which are not shown here but will allow you access to a course. You can compare your qualifications by looking at their SCQF Level. For more information about this, check out the SCQF website.
Always contact the college, university or training provider to check exactly what you'll need.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Engineering Science
Geography
Mathematics
Practical Craft Skills
Skills for Work: Construction Craft
Skills for Work: Building Services Engineering
Applications of Mathematics
Foundation Apprenticeship: Construction
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.
You would need an honours degree (SCQF level 10) accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in subject such as surveying, construction, civil engineering or building engineering.
Entry requirement for a degree (SCQF Level 10) is four Highers (SCQF Level 6). Once the accredited degree course has been completed you then need to undertake a period of supervised structured on-the-job training (Assessment of Technical Competence) as an Associate member of the RICS (AssocRICS).
If you have a non-RICS accredited degree, you will need to take a postgraduate course in surveying.
You can do this through a company's graduate training scheme, or by studying full-time at a RICS-accredited university.
Entry requirements for a Higher National Diploma (SCQF level 8) are two Highers (SCQF level 6).
You can enter a job with some subjects at Standard Grade or National 5 (SCQF level 5) and Higher (SCQF level 6) and then study part-time for a Higher National Certificate (SCQF level 7) or Higher National Diploma (SCQF level 8).
You would usually require a driving licence.
You must be generally fit and agile to climb ladders and scaffolding and crawl underground.
Staff on construction sites must hold a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card or equivalent. You will need to pass a health and safety test to qualify for this scheme.
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