Jobs and Careers Spring 2019 - 165

P R O P E RT Y

R

eal estate - commercial,
private or rural - is one of
the building blocks of the UK
economy. But the property
sector is about more than
just selling houses. It can also
involve the management of
properties, letting them out to tenants, redeveloping
existing plots and advising on investments.
Whichever part of the industry you're interested in,
excellent communication and numeracy skills, plus
commercial awareness, are key to progress. Here
are some of the roles you may want to consider.

Commercial/
residential surveyor
Surveyors deal with all aspects
of residential and commercial
property, including sales, purchases,
leases or management. A key part of
the job includes assessing properties
and placing a value on them.
Surveyors don't just get involved
with existing properties. You
could also be asked to manage the
entire development of a property,
from greenfield stage through to
assessing the completed buildings.
What skills do I need? You'll need
to be a strong negotiator and have
excellent knowledge of the property
market. You will also need to be a
good multitasker, as you may have
several clients and projects on the
go at once. If you choose to work
in the private sector, you may work
long hours, including weekends,
so flexibility is also important.
What qualifications do I need?
You'll start as a trainee, and the
most direct route to becoming one is
with undergraduate or postgraduate
degree accredited by the Royal
Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
There are also apprenticeship
schemes, which last two years
and will give you associate
member status with RICS. More

What qualifications do I need? A
degree or postgraduate qualification
accredited by the Royal Town
Planning Institute in a subject such
as town planning, urban design or
environment and development.
How much can I earn? Starting
salaries range from £18,000 to
£25,000, rising to more than
£55,000 with experience.

Investment adviser
This highly varied role will see you
manage the investments people
have in property. Investment
advisers help to create strategies
to get their clients the best return
on their investments. This involves
a good deal of coordination with
other teams, such as developers and
surveyors. Inspecting properties
is another part of the role.
What skills do I need? The
deadline-driven nature of this job

Town planners analyse the use
of land and decide how it would
best meet the needs of the area
information can be found on the
Chartered Surveyors Training
Trust website (see box, below).
How much can I earn? Trainees
start on £20,000 to £25,000, while
the average salary for experienced
surveyors is around £50,000.

Town planner
Planners analyse the use of land and
decide how it would best meet the
needs of the area, whether that is a
town, village or city. They need to
balance a number of needs including
housing, transport, agriculture
and environmental issues. You'll
negotiate with developers, consult
residents, design planning policies
and assess planning applications.
What skills do I need? Planners
need to be creative so they can find
solutions to planning problems.
As you'll be working with lots of
different interest groups, good
interpersonal skills are a must.
You also need to be organised
to review applications, write
reports and manage projects.

means you need to be a natural
multitasker. You'll also need
to be commercially aware and
have good numeracy skills.
What qualifications do I need?
You'll start as a trainee adviser,
working with more senior people.
Holding a degree in surveying will
help you get a foot on the ladder,
but if you don't have one there
may be the opportunity to gain the
qualification once you're in the job.
How much can I earn? At trainee
level the salary is around £23,000
but with experience this rises
quickly to £30,000 or more. You
will also earn commission.

Find out more
* Chartered Surveyors
Training Trust cstt.org.uk
* Royal Institution of
Chartered Surveyors
rics.org/uk
* Royal Town Planning
Institute rtpi.org.uk

JOBS & CAREERS /// 165
http://cstt.org.uk http://www.rics.org/uk http://rtpi.org.uk
Jobs and Careers Spring 2019

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