Property & Surveying
Property and Surveying
About
Careers advice
- Prospects: Property and construction
- TARGETjobs: Property and Quantity surveying and building surveying
- TARGETjobs: Property 2019 casebook
- Property - AGCAS industry insight
- CITB: Go Construct - careers in construction
- Reed: How to make your move into Chartered Surveying
The Guardian
- Building a career in property & construction (Feb 2015)
- How to get into property (June 2012)
- Routes into chartered surveying (Q&A) (May 2011)
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
- Propertymark
- Propertymark Qualifications
- NAEA Propertymark
- Institute of Residential Property Managers (IRPM)
- The Association of Women in Property
- The Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM)
Surveying
- Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) - includes information on careers in surveying and provides global information.
- The Survey Association - includes Becomeasurveyor.co.uk
- Chartered Institute of Civil Engineering Surveyors (ICES)
- Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE)
- Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV)
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
- National Careers Service
- TARGETjobs - auctions: graduate property specialism
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
- Search for vacancies on MyCareer – log in to sign up for personalised email alerts
- Careers Service: Internships, placements & shadowing
- Student Ladder – internships for first and second year students
- Rate my Placement
- TARGETjobs
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.
- Rightmove – property directory
- NAEA – directory of estate agents
- Commercial Property Register - agent directory
- Property Auction – property auction house directory
- Find organisations on My Career - click on ‘search organisations’ under the Vacancies tab
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
- Search for vacancies on MyCareer – log in to sign up for personalised email alerts
- Student Ladder – internships for first and second year students
- Rate My Placement
- TARGETjobs
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.
- RICS Find a Surveyor
- Local Authority Building Control (LABC) – public sector departments
- Find organisations on My Career - click on ‘search organisations’ under the Vacancies tab
- Making Contacts – advice on how to find and approach people for help with your career
- LinkedIn Find Alumni tool – see where Newcastle graduates are working for inspiration
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
- Careers in Construction
- Propertyweek4jobs.com
- EG Property Jobs
- Constructor.co.uk
- CIOB: Construction Manager jobs - includes opportunities in surveying. Also includes an A-Z of employers
- Fish4jobs
Find jobs and additional vacancy source websites outside the UK on GoinGlobal.
Graduate & entry level jobs
- MyCareer
- TARGETjobs: Property
- TARGETjobs: Quantity surveying and building surveying
- Prospects
- RICS Recruit
- CareerStructure.com - specialist recruitment site with a dedicated Graduate Zone
- Building 4 Jobs
Property
- The Negotiator
- IHBC Jobs etc - historic building conservation vacancy site.
Surveying
- RICS Recruit
- Fish4jobs: Construction
- CAAV Jobs - rural practice surveying vacancies.
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
- Rightmove – property directory
- NAEA – directory of estate agents
- Commercial Property Register - agent directory
- Property Auction – property auction house directory
Surveying
- RICS Find a Surveyor
- Local Authority Building Control (LABC) – public sector departments
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.