Rural surveyors advise farmers and other clients on how to handle their businesses.
You will be involved in business/resource management and consultancy for the land, property, and construction industries, in addition to offering professional and technical help.
Estate management and professional consulting will be among your tasks, and additional job titles include land agent, forester, environmental consultant, and property manager.
Responsibilities
Throughout your apprenticeship, you may help:
- survey and value areas of land like farms and rural buildings
- advise clients on legal and tax issues
- look after accounts, manage applications and produce financial forecasts
- plan how land is used and negotiate access to land with other companies
- find creative ways to repurpose old buildings.
Salary
- The salary for an apprentice rural surveyors is around £26,250.
- As a chartered senior rural surveyor with experience, you can earn in the region of £40,000 to £50,000.
- At director/partner level salaries can reach £60,000.
Working hours
While standard working hours are usually 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, in practice your average working week would be between 38 to 40 hours.
You’ll need to fit in with clients’ work patterns, which can involve evening or weekend work, depending on their agricultural demands.
Working environment
You could work on a country estate or on a farm.
Your working environment may be outdoors in all weathers and you’ll travel often.
Qualifications
Qualifications you can achieve as an apprentice rural surveyor include:
- Level 6 Chartered Surveyor – Entry requirements for this level include 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship. This qualification takes 60 months to complete.
Skills
On a rural surveyor apprenticeship, you’ll learn:
- maths knowledge
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- knowledge of geography
- analytical thinking skills
- customer service skills
- knowledge of computer operating systems, hardware and software
- legal knowledge including court procedures and government regulations
- excellent written communication skills
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently.
Employers
Private chartered surveyor firms employ most rural practice surveyors—these range in size, with some being small enterprises and others having many branches around the UK.
The National Trust teaches trainee rural surveyors and hires surveyors at the director level in each location. Property development companies, utilities, charities, rural organisations, and national parks are looking for fresh hires. There are also few opportunities to work as a professor in agricultural universities and in ministries of central and local government and conservation organisations.
Professional development
The Assessment of Professional Competence is your road to professional certification and chartered status after finishing a degree or postgraduate course (APC). The RICS website provides details on the different certification paths.
The APC is organised around specific tasks pertaining to your profession of surveying. You will be expected to perform a range of appropriate job assignments and a log book throughout your training. At the end of the training session, you will write a written report that will serve as the basis for an oral examination by an assessment panel. If you pass the test, you will be entitled to call yourself a chartered surveyor.
You must complete the relevant continuing professional development (CPD) activities during your degree to stay current with industry changes and keep your skills sharp. RICS, CAAV, and your workplace can all help.
Technical surveyor membership (ASSOC/RICS) is open to anybody with a relevant degree and 12 months of experience, a relevant HND and two years of experience, or four years of industrial experience.
Career prospects
Your professional development begins when you choose the firm or organisation where you will complete your APC. Your career possibilities become more constrained when you commit to rural practice, but development may be swift. Obtaining chartered status provides you with more opportunities for responsibility and progress.
Large firms with significant rural practice interests may sometimes have the opportunity to specialise in a highly specialised aspect of rural practice, such as land agency or pure agriculture. Alternatively, they may provide the chance to work on cutting-edge projects, such as exploring the impact of renewable energy sources on land-based economies.
Smaller businesses can give a broader breadth of experience but fewer opportunities to develop highly specialised knowledge and abilities.
Transferring between the public and private sectors is possible, albeit the public sector has declined since numerous former consultants have founded private enterprises.
You can operate as an agricultural consultant with sufficient agricultural knowledge, advising farmers on all aspects of their business.