Everything you need to know about being an apprentice in the UK

Check you meet the eligibility criteria for apprenticeships. Typically, apprenticeships are open to individuals aged 16 and over who are not in full-time education. However, specific requirements may vary depending on the apprenticeship and the employer.

There are several ways to find apprenticeship opportunities – visit the following sites:

• The National Apprenticeship Service (https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship), where you can search and apply for apprenticeships in England.
• Apprenticeships.scot (https://www.apprenticeships.scot/) to search and apply for apprenticeships in Scotland.
• Apprenticeships.wales (https://www.apprenticeships.wales/) to search and apply for apprenticeships in Wales.
• Apprenticeships.org.uk (https://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/) to search and apply for apprenticeships in Northern Ireland.
• Check the various job boards –
  • Surveying, construction & property jobs | RICS Recruit
  • Up to 20,000 Apprenticeship Vacancies Available | NGTU  notgoingtouni.co.uk)
  • GetMyFirstJob | Apprenticeships, Degree Apprenticeships, Work Experience & Graduate Jobs

Also try company websites for apprenticeship vacancies in surveying firms or construction companies in your country.

• Contact local surveying firms directly to inquire about apprenticeship opportunities. Networking and attending industry events can also be helpful in finding opportunities.

• Level 3 Providers: Surveying technician (level 3) - apprenticeship training course (education.gov.uk)
• Level 6/7 Providers: Training providers for Chartered surveyor (degree) (level 6) (education.gov.uk)

You apply for an apprentice in the same way that you apply for a job so once you find an apprenticeship opportunity that interests you, prepare your application materials. This typically includes a CV and a cover letter highlighting why you're interested in surveying, your relevant skills and experiences, and why you're a good fit for the apprenticeship.

Follow the application instructions provided by the employer or apprenticeship provider. Make sure to tailor your application to the specific apprenticeship you're applying for and submit it before the deadline.

If your application is successful, you may be invited for an interview. Prepare for the interview by researching the company, practising common interview questions, and preparing examples to demonstrate your skills and experiences.

Some apprenticeship programs may require you to complete assessments or aptitude tests as part of the application process. Make sure to prepare for these assessments if they are included in the selection process.

If you're successful in the interview and assessment process, you'll be offered the apprenticeship. Review the terms of the apprenticeship contract carefully and make sure you understand what's expected of you before accepting the offer.

Once you've accepted the apprenticeship offer, you can begin your training. This typically involves a combination of on-the-job training with your employer and off-the-job training, which may include attending college or training sessions.

Most importantly remember to stay proactive and persistent in your search for apprenticeship opportunities.

It may take some time and effort, but securing an apprenticeship in surveying can be a rewarding step towards a career in the field.

To enrol onto the APC or Associate please complete the enrolment application, which is available online.  Apply to join RICS 

Gateway is the period of time between an apprentice completing their training and commencing their end-point assessment (EPA). To enter Gateway, the apprentice must have completed and achieved the minimum requirements necessary to undertake the EPA. Once the employer, training provider and apprentice are all in agreement that they are ready to enter Gateway, all of the required evidence should be submitted, along with the Gateway declaration form by the training provider to confirm this.

Whilst it is the responsibility of your provider to share the gateway components with RICS, the evidence they will require is –

• Level 2 English and Maths
• 96 hours of CPD in the last 24 months and 400 logbook days (48 hours of CPD in the last 12 months if you are a Level 3 apprentice)
• Proof of your degree/diploma
• Gateway form signed by you, your provider, and your employer to confirm you have met minimum requirements for EPA.

Apprentices can access all services offered to candidates. Support can be found at Candidate Support - UK and Ireland (rics.org) There are Introductory webinars to support candidates which are available on demand.

There are also regular informal candidate drop-ins, hosted on Microsoft Teams, which are a great way to speak to a member of the team about any assessment-related questions you may have. No question is too small or silly. And there are interactive webinars designed to offer you process support and best practice tips throughout the various stages of your assessment journey. Sessions include Hit submit, Ask the assessor, Final countdown (to interview), and Keys and Pitfalls of the APC. Lionheart also offer support such as help with Work Life Balance/ Stress Management, advice if you're dealing with referral during the APC process and are not sure what steps to take next, Presentation practice, Workshops & Webinars, Counselling, Coaching and APC Ambassadors LionHeart - APC Support

The APC is the Assessment of Professional Competence. It is your End Point Assessment. Once you have completed your structured training and demonstrated competence in all required areas, you will undergo a final assessment interview with a panel of experienced chartered surveyors. During this interview, you are expected to demonstrate your knowledge, skills, and professional judgment across a range of topics relevant to your chosen pathway.

The APC or Associate Assessment is your EPA.

As soon as you enrol on to the APC you need to maintain a 400-day diary. RICS does not require you to keep your diary offline and you are able to record diary entries directly on to the platform. However, when extracting your submission documents from the platform, only the number of diary days per competency will be included. Therefore, if you are required to share specific entries with your provider/employer, you can maintain an offline version and there is a template available here.

You can use the preview submission document to download an overall view of the number of diary/logbook days recorded however you will be unable to download the individual entries against each competency.

Both APC/Associate mentors and APC/Associate counsellors play crucial roles in supporting candidates through the Assessment process, but they have distinct responsibilities. An APC or Associate mentor is typically an experienced chartered surveyor who guides and supports the candidate throughout their Assessment journey.

The mentor provides advice, feedback, and encouragement to help the candidate develop their professional skills and competencies. They assist the candidate in setting goals, planning their training and development, and preparing for assessments.

They will also help the candidate reflect on their experiences and progress, identifying areas for improvement and addressing any challenges that may arise.

They serve as a mentorship figure, offering guidance and support based on their own knowledge and experience in the profession. An APC/Associate counsellor is a Chartered Surveyor, or for Associate apprentices they can be an AssocRICS, who acts as an official representative of RICS and provides guidance and support to candidates during the assessment process.

The counsellor's role is to ensure that the candidate meets the requirements of the APC or Associate assessment and RICS standards.

They review the candidate's progress, provide feedback on their competency development, and verifies that they have fulfilled the necessary training and experience requirements. They also act as a liaison between the candidate and RICS, ensuring that all administrative requirements are meet and that the candidate is fully prepared for the final assessment.

They play a key role in signing off on the candidates’ completion of the APC/Assessment process and recommending them for chartered status with RICS. In summary, while both APC/Associate mentors and APC/Associate counsellors provide guidance and support to candidates, mentors focus more on day-to-day support and professional development, whereas counsellors have a formal role in assessing and verifying the candidate's readiness for chartered status.

When you enrol as a candidate you will have access to a Qualification Package which includes an hour’s formal CPD session called APC Mock Interview. During this session you will learn how assessors behave during the interview, how assessors question candidates on technical and mandatory competencies, how assessors listen during a case study presentation, what to do if you don’t know the answer to a question, the depth and variety of technical questions the assessors may ask you (for levels 1, 2 and 3.), and what an acceptable answer from a candidate is. Amongst your colleagues you should be able to find someone who is chartered and who has been through the process and may be willing to offer you mock interview practice. Matrics, regional groups of early career professionals, may also offer mock interview sessions. RICS Matrics UK

Yes, and you must use these when submitting for assessment. Both templates should be downloaded via the Assessment Platform.

Access Arrangements (rics.org)

The KSBs are mapped against the competencies and so all knowledge should be transferrable. If you email careers@rics.org they have Excel documents showing how they correlate.

The ethics module which is now referred to as the RICS Professionalism Module will take you around 3 hours to complete.

If you fail the professionalism module, you will need to wait 24 hours before attempting again. It will re-set overnight and you will get a whole new set of questions.

No. And you can take it as many times as you need to. We only record your successful attempt.

Please use this link RICS Professionalism Module to view an overview of the topics covered in the module.

The EPA consists of making your submission via the assessment platform (Summary of Experience, Case Study, CPD, log book days etc) and then an online interview. The interview is 60-minutes long and will be conducted by 2-3 assessors.

The interview usually covers a range of topics related to your chosen pathway, including technical knowledge, professional ethics, and practical experience. You will give a 10-minute presentation on your case study demonstrating your ability to communicate effectively and present complex information clearly. The assessors will pose questions about your case study allowing you to demonstrate your ability to analyse and apply your knowledge and skills to real-world situations. They will also ask you questions which allow you to demonstrate a thorough understanding of professional ethics and standards relevant to the surveying profession. This includes adhering to the RICS standards of conduct and maintaining integrity and impartiality in your work. Overall, the RICS final assessment is designed to ensure that you have the necessary knowledge, skills, and ethical standards to practise as chartered surveyors effectively. Passing the assessment is a significant milestone in becoming a qualified member of RICS.

You will need to complete a diary of structured training days, a record of CPD, a summary of experience, a case study and completion of the professionalism module.

The interview lasts 1 hour and is structured as follows:

• 3-4 minutes - introduction by the chairperson
• 10 minutes - your case study presentation
• 10 minutes - case study and presentation questioning
• 25 minutes - assessors' questioning
• 10 minutes - chairperson's questioning, with a focus on mandatory competencies, ethics and Rules of Conduct
• 1-2 minutes - chairperson closes the interview, including your opportunity to go back to any questions

• Answers that demonstrate level 3 reasoned advice where required
• Good knowledge, backed up by examples and experience
• Professional presentation (verbal/non-verbal)
• Effective communication
• Logical responses
• Thinking on your feet
• A competent surveyor!

You need to ensure that you have read your pathway guide thoroughly (Sector pathways (rics.org)). Please refer to the apprenticeship handbooks for detailed information on all aspects of the EPA.

See the answer to question 11. Otherwise, read the pathway and competency guides - this will give you an idea of the potential areas of questioning.

Know your submission - as part of your preparation, make a list of your examples for each competency with a simple list of bullet points to remind you about the key issues and outcomes from each.

Be aware of potential hot topics or market issues. Have an opinion about what is going on and how it impacts your role. Gain market awareness through reading RICS Modus and the property press - anything that helps you to understand the wider market conditions and economic climate in which you work. Arrange a mock interview (or as many as you can manage!) - ideally speak to your employer to arrange one in-house, arrange a peer questioning session with friends and colleagues and arrange a formal mock interview with to simulate conditions on the final assessment day itself.

Read through your submission to identify any areas you may want to clarify or where you may be asked challenging questions. Ask others to read through as well to identify any issues or opportunities for you to give great examples. Practise answering questions - ensure you are logical, concise and clear. Listen carefully to what you are being asked - don't tell the assessors everything and anything you know, just provide them with the answer they are looking for (and don't end up tying yourself in knots!). Know your ethics inside out. Revise well and make sure you know the basics - knowledge is power - you will feel far more confident in answering questions based on your experience if you know the knowledge behind your responses.

When this will take place will be dependent on the window you submit in and the date for which your interview is arranged. Assessment dates - UK (rics.org) It will take place virtually via MS Teams.

The final assessment is an hour long however you will be preparing your submission for 24 months leading up to the final assessment.

The APC is an assessment of competence - i.e. the final sign off in a long journey of recording your experience - not a test or exam. You are not expected to know everything, but you are expected to demonstrate that you are a competent surveyor who could set up in practice as a sole trader the day after qualifying. You will be asked questions about your case study, summary of experience and CPD record. The chairperson's questioning at the end will focus on the competencies, plus any other areas that the chairperson feels have not been fully explored during the preceding assessors' questioning. The assessors' questions will cover the full breadth and depth of your chosen competencies. For level 3 competencies, the questioning should start at the highest level and explore your specific examples and experiences (as included in your summary of experience). If the assessors feel that you are weak in a specific area, then the questioning may subsequently move down to level 2 and level 1. Do not be put off the if the assessors' move on to another competency level - time is limited during the interview and they need to ensure that they explore your full scope of competencies. Be familiar with your submission - if you know what's in there, you can start to think about what you may be asked. This is because the questioning will be based on your submission and should not be hypothetical in nature. In addition, remember that you could be asked about anything you've written down. This includes your CPD record - so if you attended an activity then make sure you can briefly discuss what happened and what you learnt from it. The assessors' questioning should give you the best opportunity to demonstrate that you have given reasoned advice in real world situations. Make sure you answer questions with examples where you can, these can be additional examples you haven't included in your submission (e.g. due to limited word count) if you feel that they are relevant and appropriate. There is also no such thing as a list of stock questions as the assessors' questions are tailored to your experience. You can explore the potential areas you will be questioned on, e.g. in the Landlord & Tenant competency you are likely to be questioned on rent reviews and lease renewals. Your answers should discuss specific examples you have included in your submission, backed up by knowledge and experience. For example, for lease renewals you will want to be aware of notice procedures, interim rent and compensation under the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954.

If you are successful, you will not get any feedback. If you are referred (fail) you will get a referral report (detailed feedback).

Candidates who are referred have the right to appeal. You cannot appeal simply because you disagree with the assessors’ decision about your competence. The appeal panel does not question the merits of the assessors’ decision. It looks at the way the final assessment was conducted, and will allow the appeal only if, on the balance of probabilities, there was fault in the process. It does not reach any conclusion about the candidate’s competence to practise: it considers only administrative or procedural matters. Appeals are considered by an RICS appeal panel of chartered surveyors who have no connection with you or your employer, and no previous knowledge of your final assessment interview. The appeal panel has no powers to admit a candidate to RICS membership: if an appeal is approved, the original final assessment interview is disregarded, and you will be given a fresh interview. You have 21 days in which to appeal. 

If you are following the Level 3 apprenticeship, successful completed of the EPA will result in AssocRICS status.

If you are following the Level 6 apprenticeship, successful completion of the EPA will result in MRICS status.

Retakes are not covered under the apprenticeship levy so you will need to discuss with your employer/provider regarding who will cover these fees. RICS will bill the provider for the retakes, but they may need to recuperate these fees from you or your employer.

Yes – you will be able to resubmit for assessment in the next available assessment window, but you will need to discuss this with your provider/employer.

You are allowed three attempts under the apprenticeship scheme. Any attempts after this, you will need to undertake as an independent candidate.

All fees relating to the RICS assessment/candidacy will be covered by your apprenticeship provider. You will only begin to pay fees once you pass your EPA – you will then be required to pay yearly membership fees to keep your RICS membership. (Professional fees 2024 (rics.org).