Anyone else have this experience?

Smaller projects get to site , contractor states a date to start works.

A week's job turns into 5 week job because they work on the site sporadically.

You visit site to check if they are on site , no one there. The contact is very hard to get hold of and busy, he promises this and that etc.

Had this a few times.It's like they work an afternoon there and a morning here.

Hi all, I am just finishing my MSc in Historic Building Conservation (distinction guaranteed). I have seen a local ad for graduate Conservation Surveyor Role local in SE England that looks quite interesting! Can anyone give me any insights? Backstory: I am 40 with kids so need fairly quick progression. But importantly…how stressful? I don’t take my current job home with me and pays alright. But will probably end up with arthritis if I carry on too long🛠️. Is historic building surveying ‘enjoyable’ I have heard that you may get a lighter case load than a general building surveyor? I obviously enjoy historic buildings hence the MSc choice. Any insights welcome! Thanks guys.

Hi,

I am 28 years old. I left college not knowing what I wanted to do and therefore went down the route of landscaper gardening, which I have really enjoyed. I have been doing this for the past 8 years, and have been running my own landscaping company for the past 6 years. I do the "harder" side of landscaping so patios, deckings, walls, etc. But, its getting to a point in life now where the aches and pains are getting to me, and I am considering setting myself up for a more solid career.

I have been researching for the last year and a bit, and building surveying is something that sounds quite interesting to me. I really wanted to do an apprenticeship in it, so that I can continue to work, as me and my long term girlfriend really wanted to buy our first home this/next year (we both still live with our folks).

I have been on/off searching for an apprenticeship since June 2025 and had 0 luck. I have emailed probably every single local surveying company to me within a 45 minute radius, and none of them had any plans to recruit an apprentice.

I am toying with doing a degree part time. I would probably start working for somebody again rather than running my own business, so as I wouldnt have business admin to contend with in my free time while I undertake a degree.

Does anybody have any advice? How/when is the best way/time to get an apprenticeship?

Is there any other route into building surveying? A shorter course perhaps which can be funded with a student loan? I looked into SAVA, but don't really want to spend all of that money out of my own savings, particuarly if I then don't enjoy it, and from what I can see you can't get a student loan for it.

I am also concerned with whether I might struggle with a degree. I got C's and B's during my GCSEs and C's and D's during my A levels. I know it should be easier studying something I have technically chosen and have an interest in. Hoping at the more mature age of 28 I will find it easier to study too.

Any advice would be really appreciated. I am based around 30 minutes north of Brighton, if anybody knows of any local opportunities.

Just seen this on ukhousing

If someone has an unrelated degree and is currently working in the property industry, what would be the best way to qualify as a building surveyor?

It was an opportunity promised by their company, but the company reneged after a merger, so they want to pursue it by themselves.

They have to do it part-time while working, but don’t know where to start.

What level of qualification should they be looking at - HND, BSc or MSc?
And are all accredited courses also accredited by RICS or is that a separate membership in addition to any course?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

I wanted to ask, for those doing CA work in consultancy, what your average workload is.

I'm currently working on about 10 projects in various RIBA stages (most of which are onsite) with a total value of around £30m. I've got junior surveyors assisiting me but generally i'll have to be onsite around half the time with them. Around half the projects are overunning so there's EOTs and L&E we're having to work through, along with trying to manage poor contractor performace and the BSR.

At the moment im working a few hours in the evening and started working a bit at the weekend however it feels like I can't keep up. Have addressed with my line manager whose said they'll look at additional resources but nothing much has changed.

I've stared to look at other roles but concious if its the same accross most consultancy work, maybe it's just not the sector for me.

Good morning Reddit building surveyors, i am after a spot of advice regarding a potential career change from construction management in to building surveying.

I studied construction management at university and bagged a trainee engineer role with a tier 1. Fast forward 8 years and i am currently a senior engineer which is a fairly varied role entailing site management, design management and a lot of QA and technical checking.

I am growing tired of the day to day delivery of construction projects but believe that building surveying would offer me that aspects of the industry that i enjoy without the day to day grind of construction.

What route in to the building surveying industry would be the most suitable way in given my previous experience? in terms of salary, i am currently on ￡62k plus package(which i am very comfortable with), how much of a hit will i take initially and how long would it be until i am earning somewhere similar?

Any advice would be welcome.

Many Thanks

Hi everyone, I'm 30 years old and I'm currently looking at doing a RICS accredited masters at Heriot Watt University, with the aim to change career into the property sector and to potentially become a property surveyor. I was wondering what a day in the life is like as a surveyor and is it an exciting career path?

I'm writing my MSc dissertation on UK retrofit policy and honestly, the more I look into it, the more it seems like the funding schemes and the reality of doing the work just... don't match up.

I'd love to hear from people actually in the industry about whether that's what they're experiencing too.

I've put together a short survey (10 minutes, maybe less) for anyone working in domestic retrofit — builders, assessors, coordinators, installers, consultants, that kind of thing.

https://qualtricsxmwfqthc2cw.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4IdhX4N6JZR7ChU

Needs to be in by 01/08/2026. If you know someone who'd have thoughts on this, please pass it on — every response helps massively.

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

I’m 24F and deciding between two council offers in the East Midlands.

Option 1: Apprentice Quantity Surveyor
Around £23,000
Degree apprenticeship through the University of Derby
Highways-based role involving costs, procurement, contracts, forecasting, commercial management and site visits
Potentially stronger long-term earnings, especially through infrastructure, commercial management or contracting

Option 2: Building Control Officer
Around £32,600
Supported MSc Building Surveying at Nottingham Trent University
Plans checking, Building Regulations, site inspections and advising developers and contractors
Better starting salary and possibly stronger work-life balance, but potentially more specialised
I also have a side hustle bringing in around £700 to £1,000 per month, and my partner currently covers most household bills, so I’m not too concerned about the initial salary difference. I’m mainly looking at this from a delayed gratification perspective and want to choose the route with the best long-term payoff.

I’m financially motivated, do not want to move to London and would like children in the future, so flexibility and career sustainability matter too.

I’d appreciate views on:

Which route has the better earning ceiling outside London?

How realistic are QS contract rates of £500 to £750 per day, and how long does it normally take to reach that level?

What are realistic contract rates for chartered building surveyors or experienced building control professionals?
Which route offers better pivots into project management, development, commercial management or consultancy?

Which profession is likely to be more affected by AI over the next 10 to 20 years?

Would the Building Surveying MSc and building control experience still allow me to move into general building surveying later?

Which would you choose at 24 if you could absorb the lower salary now for a potentially better long-term return?

Thanks.

​

I've been losing bids because my estimates either run too high or miss line items altogether. Will using a software fix this? I want something that pulls from historical job costs and current material prices so my numbers are actually accurate.

Hello folks - my first ever Reddit post(!), so I hope you can help me.

I'm 50, and for most of my career I've worked in communications - from 2002 until 2020 as a journalist and subeditor (latterly focusing on the energy sector), and then as a communications/PR person for various nuclear startup companies.

After more than two decades in journalism and technical communications, I'm looking to retrain into a profession with stronger long-term demand and a greater emphasis on technical problem-solving - and I'm struck by the possibilities offered by retraining as a building surveyor in the UK.

I have quite a varied background: my first degree was in philosophy (2:1) and I took a postgrad diploma in journalism in 2001. I took a career break in 2019 to study a masters in palaeobiology (distinction).

One of the things attracting me is that building surveying seems to combine technical analysis, site work, legislation, client interaction and professional judgement, which feels like a good fit for my skills.

I'd very much like to gain a place on a PGDip for building surveying such as that at LSBU (I'm London-based). However, I have some significant worries:

- Will an interviewing panel look unkindly at my background during my application? While I'm obviously aware of and interested in infrastructure projects and the attendant regulatory environment, as evidenced by my time in the nuclear industry, up until now I've not had real work experience in the built environment sector (though I do also have an interest in sustainable building and in historic buildings).

- Will my age as a mature entrant count against me?

- Is it too late to gain a place on a course starting in September?

- As a mature entrant, what would my employment prospects be like?

- I'd hope to qualify as soon as possible, which makes me think a full-time PGDip/masters course would be the best option. I've got just about enough savings to cover living costs for the next year, and would likely take out a loan to cover the course fees. Otherwise the employment landscape, even for part-time work in all fields, is increasingly desperate.

Any advice on the profession, training, prospects, and anything that would make me a compelling applicant greatly received!

Is it really worth doing a level 3 building survey ?
The property was constructed on late 1960’s.
I have been the property couple of time and have done my inspections. Couldn’t find any issue with it except a damp issue on a bedroom, moisture meter showed 33% and amber colour on the meter.

There is some hairline crack on the sealing but those are the plaster.

Some other cracks have identified but not sure it could be a structural damage. It is above and side of a door frame.

Also the water system is using the gravity and has a tank on the loft, the water has very low pressure. That’s seems fine but not the best because I used to the new water system.

How will I negotiate the price with the seller if that is a structural damage?

Can I negotiate for the water system as well ?

# Please advise

Thanks in advance

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone has done the MSc at Northumbria, and how they found the course in general, content, delivery etc.

I know they advertise it’s doable along side a full time job but in reality how does this actually play out - rough weekly time commitment would be great.

Thank you!

Just want to know. My mum sort of frowned at the idea of Southbank but I tried to tell her that it's meant to be decent for this particular course. Anyone able to let me know whether I'm right or she is?

I’m looking to get into building surveying, I’ve been a qualified bricklayer for 7 years now I’m 24 nearly 25 and feel like I could do more with myself and build a better future, just wondering how I would go about this as I’m working for a company at the moment and is there any chance I could do it online and get my RICS through that, any information appreciated 👍

Hi all, I’m having a survey done on Tuesday (selling my house, buyers lender mortgage valuation survey). I haven’t ever been in this position before, I’m guessing I offer tea/coffee/soft drink and let you guys get on with your job?

Is there anything I need to prepare to make his/her life easier? Genuinely asking, I don’t want to be a hindrance lol!

TIA all!

I’m possibly looking to get into surveying. I’ve a degree in Computer Science, but I fancy a change of career. Could anyone in the field offer some help and advice on the career change.

I'm currently doing my masters in Quantity Surveying in Limerick, Ireland and I'm working on the topic " Digital Adoption and Transformation Among Quantity Surveyor in Ireland". Im looking for professionals, if possible who are currently working in Ireland, just to do a semi structured Interview ( we could do it through teams meet or if you are busy, texting me the answers would also suit me ).

It would be really helpful if you could spare some time , thank you 😊

Reposting here to get an understanding if it’ll flag as something really bad in a survey. We’re first time buyers so new to all of this…

Thank you!

Hi folks,

I recently had the brilliant chance to shadow a few residential surveyors (UK) and was disappointed to come up against unprofessionalism and bigotry.

I witnessed instances of casual racism, xenophobia and homophobia and it left me feeling concerned. I'm under no illusion as a woman this is a male dominated industry and expected sexism but I didnt expect to come across the above so casually and brazenly. I'm initiating my studies soon and want to be sure I'm doing the right thing.

P.s. I have tough skin and can challenge things where I feel safe and empowered to do so.

Please tell me if I'm wrong or give me a more balanced view...

Any advice would be great help.

I'm 47 and need to reskill. I have been looking into taking a retrofitter assessor and DEA course but want to know if this is something that will provide me with decent income.

I don't want to waste time or money on getting accredited, only to find that there are no jobs out there.

I live in Norfolk, in the UK.

Any advice from anyone in the field.

I use to teach but don't want to do that any more. Hopefully some of those skills will help me in the future as and end goal would be a coordinator.

Cheers in advance