Careers Service Occupations

Property & Surveying

Property and Surveying

About

Careers advice

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Industry news

Professional bodies

These represent people working in the sector, providing training and networking opportunities. They often provide careers support for students and graduates. They also provide development for people already working in the sector. Follow them on LinkedIn, or visit their websites for news, contacts, work experience and vacancies.

The main professional associations for this sector include:

Property

Surveying

Find professional bodies outside the UK on GoinGlobal by selecting ‘Professional and Personal Networking’ on each of the individual country guides.

Making contacts 

Making contacts is essential for success in this sector. Many jobs in this field come through networking and speculative applications. You could start with Newcastle alumni on LinkedIn – find out what our graduates did after graduation and contact them for advice and inspiration

Social media, particularly LinkedIn and Twitter, is useful for making contacts, finding employers and opportunities. Find out more about how to use social media for your career. 

Events

Recruitment fairs, open days, talks and events give insights and opportunities to make contacts. Regular events organised by the Careers Service include Employer & Sector Insights and Recruitment Events.

Related sectors

You may also be interested in Civil Engineering, Geomatics and Construction, Architecture, Planning and Landscape and Engineering or see our other Explore Occupations pages for more options.

Roles & Skills

The following job profiles include descriptions of typical duties, entry requirements and case studies.

Property

Estate agent

Facilities manager

Historic buildings inspector/conservation officer

Letting agent

Property auctioneer / valuer

Property developer

  • TARGETjobs - land/property development and regeneration

Residential property manager

Construction Manager

Building control surveyor

Skills employers look for

  • excellent communication, interpersonal and negotiation skills
  • confidence, patience and flexibility
  • commercial awareness and a keen interest in property and housing
  • project management, organisational and planning skills
  • time management skills and the ability to multi-task
  • IT skills

Surveying

Building surveyor

Commercial/ residential surveyor

General practice surveyor

Planning and development surveyor

Quantity surveyor

Rural practice surveyor

Skills employers look for

  • analytical and problem-solving skills
  • confidence, initiative and the ability to negotiate
  • a practical and logical approach
  • excellent verbal and written communication skills
  • an ability to motivate and work effectively in a team
  • maths and IT skills

Gaining Experience

Getting into property and surveying is competitive. Work experience is invaluable in developing relevant skills and demonstrating your interest and commitment to recruiters.

Property

Finding work experience

Several large companies offer internships, for example, Savills and Grosvenor. Applications generally open around September, with closing dates as early as October and November.

Estate and lettings agencies sometimes offer placements and most take on part-time administrative and sales staff. These opportunities provide valuable insight into the current property or lettings market. Part-time vacancies in estate agencies are sometimes advertised on the resources listed on our Part-Time Jobs page.

Internships

Finding companies 

Find companies that interest you and get in touch - with a named contact. Be specific about why you are writing to them and what you’re looking for. Show your enthusiasm for the sector and highlighting any relevant skills. Don’t give up if you don’t get a reply – follow up with a phone call or email to show that you’re keen.

See Researching Employers for more information on sourcing and researching companies.

Surveying

Finding work experience

Several large companies offer internships, for example, Siemens, Sir Robert McAlpine and BAM. Applications generally open around September, with closing dates as early as October and November.

See also Sociable surveyors. It provides experience of the commercial property industry through paid internships in London and overseas.

Internships

See Internships, Placements and Shadowing for more sources of internships.

Finding companies

Most work experience comes from searching for surveying firms and applying speculatively. Find firms that interest you and get in touch, always with a named contact. 

Be specific about why you are writing to them and what you’re looking for. Show your enthusiasm for the sector and highlight any relevant skills. 

Don’t give up if you don’t get a reply – follow up with a phone call or email to show that you’re keen.

See Researching employers for more information on sourcing and researching companies.

Specialist recruitment agencies

Finding Jobs

Use the following resources to find advertised vacancies and also research employers for speculative applications.

General

Vacancy sites

Find jobs and additional vacancy source websites outside the UK on GoinGlobal. 

Graduate & entry level jobs

Property

Surveying

Specialist recruitment agencies

Finding companies 

Find companies that interest you and get in touch, always with a named contact. Be specific about why you are writing to them and what you’re looking for. Show your enthusiasm for the sector and highlight any relevant skills. Don’t give up if you don’t get a reply – follow up with a phone call or email to show that you’re keen.

You can start finding companies by:

  • logging into MyCareer - click on ‘search organisations’ under the Vacancies tab
  • using the LinkedIn Find Alumni tool to see where Newcastle graduates are working for inspiration

Property

Surveying

See Researching Employers for more information on sourcing and researching companies.

Study & training

Property

Most areas of property are open to graduates of any degree. See profiles in Roles & Skills to see entry requirements for each profession.

Surveying

Although some areas of surveying are open to all graduates, for others you may need degree or professional qualification. This should be accredited by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).  Check profiles in Roles & Skills to see entry requirements for each profession.

See Further study for more information on finding, funding and applying for courses or come and talk to an adviser. No appointment needed.