Surveying equipment on tripod overlooking forest

How this role makes a difference

There is much more involved in a building than simply the materials used to build it. For instance, the regulations new buildings need to follow, specifications that are built into agreements, where land ownership boundaries lie, and which repair works on older buildings are necessary before they are ready to use or sell.

Surveying technicians help to gather the relevant information on buildings, land, and construction sites, to produce a complete picture of how they stack up against regulation, specifications, size and quality. This information is used to inform the construction, renovation, buying, and selling processes. You could be the technician who helps to ensure everyone understands their property and land in detail.

The kind of work you’ll do

Collecting information from the inspection of buildings, land and construction sites
Taking measurements of buildings, land or plans
Recording and analysing data
Meeting with other professionals and customers to obtain and share information
Completing costing exercises based on the data you’ve collected
Producing reports and recommendations
Assessing buildings, land and construction sites against building law and industry standard

What you can bring to the role

An interest in the property and construction industries.

A mind that enjoys gathering and analysing information.

The ability to complete tasks accurately and produce detailed, thorough reports.

A knack for communicating with a range of different people and working in a team.

The confidence to use new technology and create things on computers.

A natural tendency to look at an issue or idea from all angles before coming to a conclusion.

This role could also be right for you if you have any of the following interests:

- exploring problems and finding answers

£ 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 , 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Average salary per year *

£ 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 , 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Average salary per month *

Data powered by LMI for all
*according to ONS

Future career opportunities

With experience and further training you could become a chartered surveyor with a professional qualification. Or you might decide to specialise in a particular kind of property or to focus on land.

Another possibility is becoming self-employed and working as a freelancer, so you can work on a wide range of different projects.

How to get into this role

There’s no perfect career path or ideal way into your dream job.

But if you’re interested in education and training options that could be relevant to this role, you might want to consider:

A T-level in Design, Surveying and Planning for Construction after you finish your GCSEs
An apprenticeship as a Surveying Technician after finishing school or college

Schools and colleges each have their own career guidance plan and can provide detailed information, advice, and guidance on options and next steps.

A little more about the role

Exciting features...

As a surveying technician you could work on all kinds of properties, helping people to understand what they involve and contributing to estimates for construction and development work. You might produce surveys on 38 storey office blocks, or on a development of 200 different sized homes. Your speciality could be sports arenas and leisure centres, or retail parks with multiple restaurants and 15 screen cinemas.

Other job titles...

Building Surveying Technician
Commercial Property Surveying Technician
Residential Property Surveying Technician
Land Surveying Technician
Valuation Surveying Technician
Consultant Quantity Surveying Technician
Consultant Project Management Technician