Construction surveying: Your guide to becoming a construction surveyor

Construction surveyors make vital decisions every day that impact our lives and keep our country functioning. They help build houses, offices, stations and sports stadiums, and reimagine our city skylines. Construction surveyors keep traffic and people moving and develop the infrastructure to run our homes. They boost the green credentials of our towns and cities, and help create safer and happier communities, so it’s fair to say they play an important role.

If you want to find out more about this profession, RICS answers the most-asked questions about construction surveyors right here.

What is a construction surveyor?

The people working in the construction surveying industry have a vital role to play in every construction project. Construction surveyors are there at the start of a project to determine its scope and requirements.

They make sure everything is above board when it comes to regulations and the law, and they keep the project moving in line with a specific scope, budget and timescale. Surveyors are some of the most important individuals in the construction industry and they adhere to globally-applicable standards in construction and infrastructure.

With five key types of construction surveyors, there are plenty of opportunities for a career in the construction surveying industry.

Types of construction surveyors

In the world of construction surveying, there are five main specialisms.

Building surveyors are responsible for assessing the quality of buildings, advising on options for repair, maintenance or restoration. They’re involved in developing new buildings, surveying existing buildings and maintaining buildings of historical or architectural importance. You can find more information in our building surveyor guide.

As the financial guardian of a successful construction project, a construction quantity surveyor evaluates its financial impact and profitability. To secure value for money on each of the projects they work on, quantity surveyors must be experts in the art of costing a building at all stages, as well as being able to ensure a project meets legal and quality standards. Read our quantity surveying guide to learn more about this specialism and how to get involved.

With a central role in the development process, project management surveyors drive the successful completion of projects. From helping develop the project brief to appointing and coordinating the project team, project management surveyors make sure everything is delivered on time and on budget.

Building control surveyors design buildings to make sure they comply with applicable regulations and laws. They then make sure that these regulations are followed during construction, covering areas including fire safety, public health, conservation and accessibility.

Working on construction projects that help build the infrastructure of our country, infrastructure surveyors ensure the effective running and connection of our cities. Typical projects that infrastructure surveyors work on include road, rail, electricity and broadband.

What does a surveyor do in construction?

On a day-to-day basis, your role will vary depending on the type of construction surveyor you choose to become. During your surveying career, it’s likely you’ll:

undertake on-site property surveys and follow up with specific recommendations
prepare budgets and schedules and ensure projects are completed to these
liaise with clients to determine their requirements for the construction project
ensure legal regulations are followed during the construction process
prepare insurance assessments and claims
negotiate contracts and work schedules
assign work to subcontractors, overseeing their work at all stages
value completed work, overseeing bills and arranging payments
analyse outcomes and write reports throughout a project, and
advise on contractual claims and disputes.

Most construction surveyors will have a typical working week of 37–40 hours a week, although this can vary depending on the specialism you choose. The route you go down will also impact where you spend your working days.

Project management surveyors, infrastructure surveyors and some quantity surveyors may be present on the construction site and will be very hands-on. They will be required to deal with subcontractors and other specialists on-site during a project. This means a hard hat, high-vis jacket and most of your working day spent in a site office. With other construction surveyor roles, where you may be involved in working with architects and engineers as well as preparing designs, you’ll spend more time in the office with less frequent site visits.

With such a varied role, construction surveyors are highly skilled when it comes to communication, numbers and data. Interpersonal skills, patience, initiative and a creative approach to problem solving are all important too.

How to become a construction surveyor

To become an RICS-qualified construction surveyor, you must demonstrate surveying knowledge gained through both your educational studies and industry experience.

Once you’ve completed your A levels/Highers (or equivalent), you can choose to study for an RICS-accredited surveying degree. There are over 500 courses available in the UK, with options including surveying, construction, civil engineering, commercial management and building engineering. You’ll need two or three A-levels (or equivalent) depending on the course.

If you already have a relevant undergraduate degree, you can take an RICS-accredited postgraduate degree to convert onto the surveying path.

To become a surveyor, you also have the option of studying for a construction-related qualification with a training provider or college. This includes a level 3 diploma in Construction and the Built Environment or a T Level in Construction Design, Surveying and Planning.

If you have GCSEs (or equivalent), you can apply for a surveying apprenticeship and a diploma in surveying. You’ll learn skills on the job, boost your knowledge and gain essential experience. Anyone aged 16 and over can apply for an apprenticeship. During your apprenticeship, you’ll be required to complete a minimum of 30 hours per week, split between training and on-the-job learning.

Associate and chartered RICS qualifications

Once you start working, you will most likely get your employer to support you through your RICS qualification. At this stage, you will need to choose your surveying pathway and gain your industry experience in that field. For construction surveyors, this will either be:

building control: associate and chartered
building surveying: associate and chartered
infrastructure: chartered
project management: associate and chartered, or
quantity surveying and construction: associate and chartered.

RICS associate qualification

This is the entry-level RICS qualification and offers the chance to progress to full chartered status. To be eligible for associate status, you will need either:

1 year of relevant experience and a relevant bachelor’s degree
2 years of relevant experience and a relevant higher/advanced/foundation qualification, or
4 years of relevant experience (no qualifications required).

RICS chartered qualification

This is the most common way to qualify, as most people already have surveying-related qualifications and work experience. To be eligible for chartered status, you will need either:

relevant experience and an RICS-accredited degree
5 years of relevant experience and any bachelor’s degree, or
10 years of relevant experience operating at an advanced level by seniority, specialisation or in academia.

Construction surveyor salary: How much could you earn?

The salary you earn as a construction surveyor will depend on a range of factors. Your qualifications, skills and experience will all play a part, as will your location (salaries in London will be higher on average), employer and the sector you work in. Your construction surveyor pathway may also have an impact.

For example in the UK, building control surveyors can expect to earn between £22,000 and £60,000 a year,¹ while the average salary for building surveyors is £52,500 with potential earnings up to £70,000 and six figure sums for some partners and directors. Quantity surveyors can expect to earn around £27,000 when they first graduate,² with the average salary for those with chartered status around £43,000.³ For infrastructure surveyors, those in graduate roles will earn on average £25,000 while senior chartered surveyors can earn in the region of £40,000 to £70,000. Project management surveyors can expect an average salary of £45,654.⁴

As your career progresses, you will likely work to performance-related targets with bonuses to enhance your earning potential, as well as enjoying a car allowance, pension, private healthcare and life insurance.

For up-to-date surveyor salary information, please visit RICS Recruit.

Are you ready to learn more about the world of construction surveying? Discover more about RICS and what our qualifications can mean for your future career as a construction surveyor.

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