JobsAndCareersWithJamesCaanAutumn2016 - 213

FOCUS :

HOUSING

GETTING PAID

Pay varies widely depending on the job
role and employer. Housing Assistants
earn around £18,000 a year on
average, while a Housing Officer's salary
is in the region of £22,000 to £30,000.
Managers, meanwhile, can expect from
£30,000, rising to £50,000 or more for
Senior Managers and Directors.

in areas such as HR, marketing, IT
and finance. Because of this, the field
is suitable for lots of different people.
Because housing stock and social
conditions vary between urban and
rural areas, it affects the nature of work
involved. This means the work within
this sector is varied.
For instance, you might be giving
advice to homeless people on finding
somewhere to live, managing empty
properties or allocating houses to
suitable tenants. Then again, you could
be running a multi-million-pound
organisation responsible for thousands
of houses. Work will depend upon the
particular organisation, its size,
location and objective.

Words: Katherine Kavannagh. Images: Shutterstock

Getting qualified
Entry is possible at junior levels for
those with GCSEs or equivalent, where
you can work your way up through the
ranks via promotion. Entry at higher
levels, including management, is for
those with professional qualifications
in housing, or for graduates. Many
people are attracted to housing work
after starting out in other careers.
Qualifications: As the professional
body for the housing industry, the
Chartered Institute of Housing (cih.
org) offers a variety of qualifications
for those looking to get started in
housing or further develop their career.
Traineeships: Many housing
associations offer trainee schemes for
graduates looking to enter the housing
industry. These programmes, which
may last one or two years, allow
graduatess to develop well-rounded
experience and knowledge of housing
while also earning a competitive salary.
Trainee schemes are accessible for
those with both cognate (related)
and non-cognate degrees.

Apprenticeships: Intermediate and
advanced level Apprenticeships can
offer an entry route into a career in
housing; they involve structured
training with an employer combined
with study, and lead to qualifications
at Levels 2 and 3, respectively.
A good starting point for anyone
interested in a career in housing is to

contact Asset Skills, the Sector Skills
Council (see find out more, below).
Alternatively, you can contact the
National Careers Service.
Higher education courses in
housing and related fields are available
on a full- or part-time basis. Degree
courses require A-levels or equivalent;
postgraduate courses are also available.

FIND OUT MORE

* The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) - tel: 024 7685 1700. The CIH is the professional
body for those who work in housing. Contact the CIH for information on careers in housing,
membership, professional qualifications and training. Visit cih.org
* Asset Skills - careers advice line: 0800 056 7160. The Sector Skills Council covering
housing. Visit assetskills.org
* National Housing Federation - tel: 020 7067 1010. Represents around 1,100 housing
associations. Visit housing.org.uk
* The National Housing Federation Directory of Members lists housing associations. It can
be searched online at nhfdirectory.co.uk
* The Institute of Residential Property Management Ltd (IRPM) - call 020 7935 8478.
Visit irpm.org.uk
* For news about the housing sector and job vacancies, go to insidehousing.co.uk

J O B S & C A R E E R S /// 2 1 3

http://www.cih.org http://www.assetskills.org http://housing.org.uk http://nhfdirectory.co.uk http://irpm.org.uk http://insidehousing.co.uk

JobsAndCareersWithJamesCaanAutumn2016

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