My route to becoming a RICS qualified surveyor

There is no right or wrong route into surveying and I am a prime example of this.  From graduating in a straight Agriculture degree, I found myself going into a Rural Business Adviser role, some parts of which I enjoyed; however, it was not what I ultimately wanted to do.  Of course, to become a Chartered Surveyor, you must have qualified in a Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) accredited degree; Agriculture, BSc (Hons) is not one of them.

This is where I found myself applying for a role within the Armitstead Barnett team, to finally kick start my career goal in becoming a Chartered Rural Surveyor.  I took it upon myself to apply for a taught part-time master’s degree in REALM (Rural Enterprise and Land Management) at Harper Adams University, where I got an unconditional offer to start in September 2022.  The degree is spread over 3 years, where you attend one week in four.  There is opportunity to complete a dissertation, or they offer another course where you just complete the modules, known as MProf, which is also RICS accredited.

I always thought that I was at a crossroads when it came to achieving my career goal, due to the fact my undergraduate degree was not RICS qualified, and I thought I couldn’t find a way into the profession.  This just shows that no matter what route you choose to start off with, if you put yourself out there and can demonstrate that you are enthusiastic about your career by applying to become a RICS, or a CAAV member, or getting a role within a surveying company, that you are on your way to achieving your goal.

Since starting in January 2022, Armitstead Barnett have not stopped being supportive in everything I do.  I have been exposed to many different experiences, such as large borehole claims, valuations on both land and property, property sales, farm dispersal sales, clerking/auctioneering at the livestock market and the list continues. The mix between office and client visits is flexible as you create your own diary, and the opportunity to accompany the professionals during visits has been useful.

Based in the Garstang office, I mainly work along side the partners James Fish and Richard Furnival, beneficial seeing that they are assessors for both RICS and CAAV exams!  Support and guidance is crucial when completing your APC and exams, so it is important you join one of them and attend the seminars and events they put on offer.

There is always a way, whether it takes you a couple of years or months, there is a route to get into Rural Surveying.   If I, or Armitstead Barnett, can be of any guidance to you, then please do get in touch.