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Quantity surveyor jobs are highly desirable for a number of different reasons. They have high salaries and require a lot of responsibility. Further, the role allows for you to move around in the construction sector which means you could progress to other roles if you wished. This article will outline how to progress into a quantity surveyor and the benefits of the role.
First, we must look at what they do on a daily basis and their main responsibilities.
Job Responsibilities
Quantity surveyor jobs include:
- Analysing project costs taking into consideration construction materials, labour and time.
- Negotiating contracts
- Undertaking cost control during the construction
- Measurements and estimations
- Value engineering
- Working with JCT contracts and other contracts
- Advising on claims
There are lots more responsibilities they may have to undertake but their main purpose is to manage the project in terms of budgeting and costs.
How to Get into the Role
Quantity surveyor jobs have a number of requirements.
First, you need academic qualifications such as a degree accredited by RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) or other qualifications with an advanced diploma. Lots of qualifications can be relevant and allow you to begin working in this area but you will also likely need some relevant construction experience too. Many quantity surveyors have worked in a similar area of construction before, perhaps in project management or claims and this experience is extremely valuable to the position.
It is also advantageous to become a part of a professional body. In the UK we have chartered institutions. The CIOB is the Chartered Institute of Building. This institute works towards improving the construction industry and the standard of construction workers. They develop the built environment and campaign for beneficial changes. Being a member of their institute will look highly desirable to employers when you apply for quantity surveyor jobs as it assures that you have the required high standards.
Benefits of the Job
One of the many benefits is the quantity surveyor salary. This is around £30,000 to £50,000 a year and can rise even more with extensive experience.
Another benefit is the ability for someone to have transferable skills to take with them into a similar role. For example, quantity surveyors have some great managerial skills when it comes to managing the costs and budget of a project. They could decide to progress into roles such as a construction manager where you manage a larger amount of the projects and be in higher positions. In addition, they could go on to be an expert witness or a claims consultant as they would have experience working with claims and contracts.
In addition, your responsibilities are far from mundane. You will have such a diverse range of responsibilities that your job will always be exciting. One day you may be estimating cost and the next day you could be creating contracts. You will also be able to work on a diverse range of different projects. You could be involved in building a huge office block or a bunch of houses, but your job certainly will not be boring.
