Working at a large corporate at associate level.
Feel as though I have no work life balance, contracted hours are supposed to be 9-5:30 however I’m regularly starting around 7:30 and working up to 7/8pm.
This is the same at the last place I worked and feel hopeless that I’ll never had a good balance ever again.
23M, already got an undergrad degree in unrelated field, been working for a year, hate my job, interested in residential surveying.
Should I go Building Surveying Msc or SAVA Diploma in Residential Surveying and Valuation? I already know that BS Masters will give me a broader reach whilst Sava will restrict me to residential surveying. I also understand that SAVA is not accredited and chartered status or MRICS is very doable but perhaps slightly longer/harder(?) to obtain?
I just want to get started ASAP. I want to be good at my job, I want to work as someone who is able to go to someone's house that needs a condition report and be able to inspect and create a reliable report for them. Nothing more or less. Please let me know which route is better, in your opinion.
I’m looking for some career advice as I’m at a bit of a crossroads.
Option 1 is a graduate apprenticeship in building control with a local authority. The salary is around £32.5k, rising to around £35.4k over four years, and it includes a fully funded Level 6 Building Control Surveying Degree Apprenticeship.
Option 2 is a public sector legal graduate scheme. The starting salary is around £30.5k, but I would need to fund further legal qualifications myself.
To make things more complicated, I also have assessment centres coming up for two commercial law firms. If successful, the trainee salaries would be approximately £47k and £60k, so part of me wonders whether I should hold out for those opportunities instead.
I know I want a professional career and I’ve always been interested in law, but I’ve realised I’m not particularly interested in criminal law. I’m also interested in public service, regulation, housing, planning, construction, development and long-term career progression.
My questions are:
Would you accept the funded building control apprenticeship, or pursue the legal route?
Has anyone moved from building control into quantity surveying, planning, construction consultancy or another built environment profession?
How do the long-term career prospects and earning potential compare?
If you were in my position, what would you do and why?
I’d really appreciate hearing from people who have experience in either profession.
**Hi everyone,**
**I’m looking for reliable RICS Level 2 surveyor recommendations in the Coventry area.**
**Ideally, I need someone thorough, reasonably priced, and with a quick turnaround time for the report. Who did you use for your home purchase, and what was your experience with them?**
Thanks in advance.
We’ve had an offer accepted on a big Victorian house (c.490 sqm, 1880s, three floors plus outbuildings) near Spalding, Lincolnshire. There’s a first-floor cracking pattern across several rooms that’s our main concern, so the structural assessment matters more than anything else in the survey.
The issue I keep hitting: most Level 3 surveyors will inspect and then say “we recommend you instruct a structural engineer,” i.e. refer it out, which means a second professional, a second fee and a second wait on the one thing we actually need answered. I’d rather instruct a firm that employs structural engineers in-house and can assess and (if needed) quantify the cracking within the report.
So, two questions:
**1.** Can anyone recommend a surveying firm covering south Lincolnshire / the Spalding area that does Level 3 surveys **with structural engineering in-house** (not referred out)?
**2.** For those who’ve bought an older property with movement, did your Level 3 actually resolve the structural question, or did you end up paying separately for an engineer anyway? Trying to judge whether the in-house route is worth the premium.
Drone roof inspection and outbuildings also relevant, but the structural point is the priority. Thanks.
Hey everyone,
I’m 24 and about to start my undergrad degree here in the UK in Real Estate Development and Management.
It’s an RICS-accredited pathway that opens up options like valuation, agency, and asset management. However, I have the option to switch over to Building Surveying after my first year if I want to go down a more technical route.
My ultimate goal is to find a career path that is highly profitable and business-minded, but I also want a lifestyle that gets me as close as possible to a 50% office and 50% site work split—I don't want to be chained to a desk all week, but I don't want to be on a muddy construction site 24/7 either.
I’d love to pick your brains on a few things regarding the UK market:
Also, if anyone currently working in either field is open to a quick 10-15 minute phone call to let me ask a few questions, I would be massively grateful. I know your time isn't free, so I am more than happy to buy you a coffee or pay you for a chat—just name your price.