Life as a Quantity Surveyor

As the financial crisis of 2008 crippled markets worldwide – the collapse of the over-inflated housing bubble condemned many industries. Unfortunately, foreclosure became second nature and capital less abundant. The construction industry, which prospered during the period of the housing boom, was now in a dire situation. Building was no longer a priority as businesses were too focused on trying to stay solvent. This created a downwards spiral in the demand for skilled labour in the construction industry – subsequently, hitting Quantity Surveyors (QS). More than a decade on from this crisis the effects from the financial crisis is still prevalent with a distinct shortage of quantity surveyors in today’s construction industry – it makes this an ideal job, whether you’re at the critical stage of deciding what career to choose or if you are a qualified QS and considering a return to the industry you’re in luck!

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The UK government has put a target to build 300,000 homes every year, so the demand for Quantity Surveyor has never been better! What is great about this high demand is that it goes hand in hand with a very attractive pay cheque. In terms of advancement, it is usually quite easy to move up as you gain experience in this field. As you build your qualifications, you can begin playing a prominent role in construction projects.

Knowledge and Skills of a Quantity Surveyor

No job is stuck in time and a Quantity Surveyor is not an exception – the role of a Quantity Surveyor has continued to develop through the years and, a competent Quantity Surveyor must be able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills bellow.

Knowledge	Skills
Construction Technology	Management
Measurement	Documentation
Construction Economics	Analysis
Financial Management	Appraisal
Business Administration	Quantification
Construction Law	Synthesis
	Communication

Benefits of being a Quantity Surveyor

Other than the demand that comes with this career – there are many other great benefits that come with being a Quantity Surveyor.

A Diverse Market

The construction industry as a whole offers a diverse and fast-paced job market, offering a broad array of opportunities open to QS’. In fact, for QS’, there are a number of job environments to choose from – from residential, to large-scale infrastructure projects and developments ranging from offices, attractions, transport, rail and road projects. Considering the current nature of the construction sector including the UK’s need for increased house-building, as well as the large-scale projects (such as Hinkley Point C) in the pipeline – it’s an exciting time to be working in such a diverse construction market.

Additionally, as a QS, you can decide whether you take an office-based position for a consultancy or decide to work on site with a contractor.

Training

It doesn’t take too long to train to become a Quantity Surveyor, which is often a big perk for professionals. It’s also relatively easy to secure a role as an apprentice Quantity Surveyor and work your way up that way, which is often a favoured approach. Alternatively, after obtaining an initial bachelor’s degree, it takes another year to become a fully-fledged Quantity Surveyor and jump straight into the field. Due to the diversity of the sector, on-the-job training can continue through your entire career as you progress your abilities through experimenting with different directions in the QS field. For example, it’s common for QS’ to transition from contracting to client side or vice versa at some point in their career – of course, this offers a great chance for on-the-job training and progression so it’s unlikely the job will ever get boring.

Positive Outlook

With the amount of directions in which you can take a Quantity Surveyor career in, it’s an ideal platform for future career development – it’s a career with the potential to sidestep into a number of other prosperous construction roles such as project management or development management.

Additionally, thanks to the promising future of the construction industry as a whole with a range of projects and infrastructure needs throughout the UK – you’re promised a rewarding future.

We have a wealth of knowledge within all areas of the Construction market and pride ourselves on the level of service we are able to offer both clients and candidates.

If you are interested in discussing any Construction and Engineering roles available or any hiring requirements, please contact us today.

How Quantity Surveying has adapted over time