How I Became a Chartered Surveyor With Seriously Bad A-Levels

[@kbrp5493]

Weirdly, I also received BCC in my A-levels, and I sometimes randomly have flashbacks of opening my results remembering that heart sinking feeling. Fast forward today, I hold a law degree (2:1) and a Masters in QS (Commendation) whilst currently sitting my APC. How life works out when you preserve hey... Good luck on your APC!

[@planitproperty5807]

Amazing! What a fantastic story and great work on not giving up. It is crazy how at 18 we're sold the story that those grades will dictate our lives, but it absolutely does not have to be the case

[@adamanthony7465]

Non pressured, heartfelt allowing the wind to direct .. taking the road as it comes ..a wonderful example to a somewhat lost 55 year old...from a place a long way from here. Thank you for your openess.

[@planitproperty5807]

Thanks you so much for your lovely comment Anthony!

[@adamanthony7465]

😊

[@flatcapchap]

This might be the most useful video I’ve seen in a long time as I’m considering a career change. Good to know my Planning degree might come in handy after 20 years of not using it! Thanks for taking the time to create it.

[@Kerajaykainamu]

I searched for New Zealand this came up even though it is not NZ still a very informative video Thankyou sis 🔒

[@Freddie-Moses]

I wanted to spend 4 years in Uni, 3 years doing the APC, work in a high stress environment for a wage that can't afford me a mortgage so I became a Chartered Surveyor. If I could do it all again then I would have done something else.

[@planitproperty5807]

Haha so true! I think you have to be really passionate about it and love what you do to be a surveyor

[@coolmonkey619]

Done something like 2hat though

[@offgrid8979]

Thanks for sharing.

[@oliviamckee6706]

Surveying is a new idea that I’ve been thinking of going into after my undergraduate in geography. I’m curious, as long as the degree is RICS certified it will take me down the line of surveying or does it need to be a specific course? Love this vid, I love to hear people’s journeys! 😊

[@planitproperty5807]

Amazing! I think the geography undergraduate is the most common way people get into surveying. And yeah absolutely, you just need to have a RICS accredited degree. To be honest, the most important thing will be the work you end up doing in your grad job as not only will this form your APC submission but it will also give you insight into what it is actually like to work as a surveyor. Good luck with your degree! 😊

[@oliviamckee6706]

@@planitproperty5807 thankyou for your reply - it has been really helpful! Another quick question 🙈😂, in your opinion is the maths involved with being a surveyor advanced or manageable with practice? (Just from your own experience of course, I understand that your can’t speak for everyone 😊)

[@Umar_1994_]

@@oliviamckee6706 are you going for Building surveying or Quantity surveying? I did Building Surveying and it's very manageable/easy maths wise.

[@oliviamckee6706]

@@Umar_1994_ I am interested in building surveying so this is good to hear. 😂 would you say drawing is a necessity in building surveying?

[@planitproperty5807]

@@oliviamckee6706 don't worry about it! So there are numbers involved. K can only speak for my pathway which is planning and development where I have to be able to understand development appraisals which are financial models, but its very manageable and any difficukt calculations you're doing you will have a calculator for. I wasn't great at maths at school (literally just scraped a B) and I find it's a manageable amount of self calculation

[@walesxscarlets]

If BCC are bad A-Level results then god help me 😂 I had DD. I'm 28 and a self employed carpenter with nvqs in architectural joinery and diplomas in Carpentry and joinery and Im looking into going to university to become a building surveyor.

[@planitproperty5807]

Oh fantastic! Best of luck with uni! I think I caveat in the video that BCC are not bad grades at all and are definitely something to be proud of, as is DD! But the requirements to get into university to study real estate or planning are usually much higher hence the click bait-y title

[@walesxscarlets]

@@planitproperty5807 fair, I'm going to an open day mid October to South Wales University to try and see if actually working on houses for the last 10 years might help my lack of grades.

[@walesxscarlets]

Update, I went to the open day at Pontypridd University yesterday and it turns out my A level results are good enough to do the course 😂 but I have to do a foundation course or a hnc surveying course

[@planitproperty5807]

@@walesxscarlets Congratulations!!! This is amazing, well done you. And having also been to uni in South Wales I can guarantee you will have an amazing time. You should be really proud of yourself 😊

[@MrJaaaa1234]

Great Video im doing my APC in Building Surveying Iv done the MCIOB so I'm.a chartered professional.

[@f3penang287]

A chartered builder. Free letters in my opinion.

[@aminsalah2278]

Thank you for sharing this. Please I need a sample of BOQ of any project. ? Can you ?

[@Jakecameronmowatfitness]

Is it hard being a surveyor as in stressful difficult, and what do you actually study at university and what is the day of your life like ?

[@planitproperty5807]

Hi, thanks for your comment. Erm like any job it can be stressful, particularly if you are the kind t let work stress you, but it can be very rewarding seeing projects coming to fruition! I studied city and regional planning and I have a video coming soon on what a day in my life is like :)

[@jt305]

I wasn't academic either was unsure studied politics at uni cos I had an interest didn't do well. in a chartered surveyor apprenticeship now at 28

[@BaaBoom1996]

Hi I have recently subscribed I love how honest and genuine you are :) I have 1 years experience as a Geospatial Surveyor and am currently working towards my MRICS in Real Estate. I would love to specialise in Development Surveying and Planning roles, whilst working towards my APC, however my current masters is not RTPI accredited (just RICS). Therefore, I don't know if this change in career path is possible - do you have any suggestions as to how I can get there? Would be greatly appreciated thank you!

[@planitproperty5807]

Thanks for subscribing! I don't think it will hold you back if you're looking to go down the development and planning surveyor route as they will be looking for an MRICS candidate, but if you wanted to become a pure planner without doing the surveyor element there may be less doors open. In saying that though job descriptions often say MRTPI preferable and I have worked with senior planners who don't have their RTPI accreditation. It's also worth noting there are routes to chartership with the RTPI without having to have an RTPI accredited degree - I have a video on this last point coming soon which hopefully will explain more

[@janniahevans5200]

Cardiff is everything, I agree!

[@mobeenkhan5052]

Hello Evelyn, I wanted to pursue a career in surveying. But have no formal qualifications. What’s the best route to go on. Thank you

[@fardeenshahid5005]

Hi, I'm in my second year of doing a levels and I want to get into quantity surveying, and the best way I think for me to do that is to undertake a level 4 or higher apprenticeship in QS. And so I have applied to some apprenticeships offering a level 4 qualification however no companies have replied back, I am still on the lookout for more QS apprenticeships that I can apply for but I think the main reason why I'm being ignored by these businesses is because i have no work experience what so ever and so my question is if you have any work experience recommendations or virtual courses that I should look into that is appropriate for a QS role and will make me stand out in front of the employer.

[@planitproperty5807]

Thanks for your comment, apologies for the delay in my response. In my view (and I think a lot of employer's) when you're starting out in your career or looking for your first professional job, any work experience can be transferable so working in a pub or a shop. Of course that's much easier said than done especially in this market, but I think any experience you can get will give you something to talk about. If you're able to it might be worth seeing if you can do a week's shadowing at a local firm to get a bit of unpaid work experience to have something to talk about, companies are usually quite open to these sorts of things (where they don't have to pay you) so maybe send some emails to local firms and see if there is anything they can offer. Best of luck!

[@Infinity-dp8sc]

i’m 16 and i’m thinking to do chartered surveyor apprenticeship degree after college

[@planitproperty5807]

That's fantastic! I think the apprenticeship route is a great way into the industry, nothing beats real life experience

[@amaansuleman3713]

What a levels do you suggest to do a charted surveyor degree apprenticeship?

[@amaansuleman3713]

Lool I have the same idea as uu

[@planitproperty5807]

@@amaansuleman3713 I'm not sure if there are any specific A levels that apprenticeships require, but if I could go back in time I think I would choose economics, law geography and english. I think economics and geography are very useful for surveying and law and english have useful transferable skills but they are also things I enjoy and I personally think you should always study something you enjoy to keep up momentum!

[@Samsungphone2]

How would you rate it now? What are thr hours like and average pay thanks

[@AnotherScratchGolfer]

Hey, I'm an estate agent of twelve years. Has its ups and downs, but I see surveying as my next role. One year on from your video what advice would you give to someone looking to get into that role - can you point me in the direction of getting relevant qualifications etc.? Appreciate your help.

[@utsavsarma1393]

How much was your first salary??

[@High_Chief_McDonald]

I plan on becoming a chartered surveyor in the UK, I've applied for a postgraduate diploma and it's in process... Is it possible as an international student from Nigeria to become a member? What are the processes involved?

[@joe249xo6]

Hi, I’m just going into sixth form to begin my a levels (and also from a small northern nothing-happens kinda place 😂) and hope to afterwards complete a Degree in quantity surveying and get rics accreditation. I have a question, I’ve signed up to do English literature and language, product design and business studies as my a levels, do you think that not having geography for a level (or gcse as I chose history over it) would hold me back at all when applying to universities for the degrees? Thank you for the video! And congrats on how far you’ve come:)

[@planitproperty5807]

Hi, thanks for commenting! When I applied for a pure planning degree there wasn't a requirement for Geography A level, they just wanted specific grades. I think a couple of the unis I was applying for stated a preference for Geography but no requirement. That was a while ago though so I'm not sure if things have changed. I know certainly surveying masters don't require any specific undergrad degree and you get people applying from all kinds of backgrounds!

[@joe249xo6]

@@planitproperty5807 okay that’s great, thank you for the reply!

[@rowanclyde9731]

Hi I hope you don’t mind me asking you but I just graduated with a degree in biomedical science but got an offer to study real estate masters at LJMU which is RICS accredited degree, should I try and acquire work experience during my studies or just apply for grad jobs after the completion of the masters ? Thanks!

[@planitproperty5807]

First of all congratulations! That's a fantastic achievement graduating from Biomedical Sciences and then being offered a place on a Masters course. Weirdly one of my colleagues also did this exact route thinking at first he wanted to be a doctor then becoming a surveyor. My view is work experience is invaluable and if you can get some, even just a couple of weeks unpaid work experience (much easier at the moment because it is all remote so you don't have to try and live in a big city with no income) then it will not only look great on your CV but will also enhance your learning. I don't know about you but I learn best from doing so putting what is taught into practise has been the best way for me to learn. I hope that helps! and Good luck with the Masters!

[@rowanclyde9731]

@@planitproperty5807 thank you soo much! Really appreciate this piece of advice, made me feel more confident! Good luck with your future career and KZbin!! 👍🏼👍🏼

[@ea8777]

Hi hope you don't mind me involving myself into this conversation, but I am in a very similar situation as you Rowan! I also study at LJMU doing biomedical science (3rd year) and was looking at doing a MSc in Commercial Building Surveying. I was wondering, have you started your MSc in real estate? If so, do you find the change from a science degree to real estate challenging e.g. different content/exams/ect.?

[@veritybentley6405]

Nice one gorl tbf

[@sandzisomlangeni3566]

Hey, are Physical sciences required for planning and development surveying... Thank u so much for the video

[@planitproperty5807]

Hi there, when I was applying to university I don't think there was a subject requirement, but I believe some want Geography. I've not heard of anywhere requiring physical sciences but best to check where you are looking to apply first :)

[@OsannaDavis-S]

Which Council did you at as a Contractor?

[@planitproperty5807]

Hi there, as I'm sure you can understand I don't want to publicly shame anyone on the internet. If you send me a message on Instagram @planitproperty I'm happy to discuss :)

[@madlaz5795]

Hi I am going to do a chartered surveyor degree apprenticeship can I go straight into a trainee real estate agent after? What can we do after?

[@planitproperty5807]

Ooh that sounds interesting! I must admit I don't know much about the apprenticeship routes to qualification, but in my personal view work experience is more valuable than qualifications when applying for jobs so doing an apprenticeship should make you stand out when applying for jobs. Best of luck with it all!

[@pakinfotv883]

Plz tell me best schools, college or university for chartered quantity surveyor

[@lib5084]

Kingston university, Reading University, lsbu

[@Jakecameronmowatfitness]

How long did it take you from getting your degree to becoming a chartered member ?

[@planitproperty5807]

I graduated 5 years ago in 2016 and I'm hoping to become chartered in 2022. But I took longer than people who go straight onto a grad course who normally do 2 years after graduation until chartership

[@coolmonkey619]

Do you make 100k now?

[@electric0618]

How can one get in contact with you in regards to discussing what the career is like? I believe this career would be good for me but I would like to check my presumptions against reality to make sure I am not deluded.

[@MrGmanVids]

Great comment, resinates with me highly. I would be keen to know what personality traits/interests make a good Building Surveyor.

[@nassras3583]

Would u say studying planning and urban studies isn't an employable degree ?

[@planitproperty5807]

Quite the opposite really. Probably the biggest reason I chose my degree in the end was because of the employability opportunities that came with doing the placement year. A career in planning is quite specialist so you have to have a planning degree, but if you get to the end of it and decide that you want to do something else like any other degree there are lots of transferable skills!

[@talkswithtash3686]

What do you propose is the first initial step ? I have a irrelevant degree in sociology and I’ve worked in interior design compliance for over a year and now I’m looking to progress

[@Hazardous975]

As you already have a degree you could do a conversion course. Then start working and do your apc

[@user-vg9fd2zr2v]

Reach out to Colliers

[@obajemihicharlesrotimi5293]

Pretty Lady with interesting stories. Nothing good comes easily at times but just say to yourself I can do this