Becoming a Surveyor
In this related article we looked at what it means to be a part of the Surveying industry, and how it is often misunderstood.
Here consider what it takes, rather than what it means, to be part of the industry, and the surprisingly high standards required to become, and remain, a Surveyor.
Many people are surprised to hear just how difficult it is to become a Surveyor, in that it takes a minimum of five years before you can sit your exams and qualify:
- A vocational 3-year undergraduate, or a 1-year vocational Masters course plus a non-vocational undergraduate degree:
- Typical “vocational” undergraduate degrees will be quite broad, but may well also specialise in engineering, land management or planning/development.
- A one-year Masters course is the equivalent of the legal profession’s “conversion course” (the Graduate Diploma in Law). There are a limited number of Universities offering these Masters degrees, and competition for them is high, as well as the fees. Anyone who attends such a course is fully committed to life in the property sector.
- 2 years of work experience, prior to a one-hour in-person exam, the Assessment of Professional Competence (“APC”):
- After completing your studies, the real work begins to become a Surveyor. First of all you will need to choose your pathway from the following: Arts and Antiques; Building Control; Building Surveying; Built infrastructure; Commercial Property; Environment; Facilities Management; Geomatics; Management Consultancy; Minerals and Waste Management; Planning and Development; Project Management; Property Finance and Investment; Quantity Surveying and Construction; Residential; Rural; Taxation Allowance; Valuation, or; Valuation of Businesses and Intangible Assets.
- Although Surveyors are highly specialised creatures, the APC training is generally broad-based and requires an understanding of a wide range of “mandatory competencies”, the chief of which is the ethical code that Surveyors must comply by. This ethical code is enforced regularly, with sanctions and fines designed to safeguard consumer protection.
- Although reprimanding existing Surveyors is a useful tool, the APC is a rigorous test designed to prevent anyone who may threaten consumer protection from describing themselves as a Surveyor. Pass rates are typically around 50%.
Once qualified, all Surveyors are required to submit a statement illustrating they have had at least 24 hours of Continuing Professional Development (in effect “studying”) to ensure they remain up to date and informed.
These training requirements are comparable with the legal, financial and medical profession. If in doubt, trust a Surveyor to protect your interests, it is what they are trained to do.
