How to become a Chartered Surveyor

Chartered Surveyors deal with the management, purchase, sale or leasing of land and property, as well as valuing and surveying a wide range of residential and commercial properties, in the private and public sectors.

If you’re a homeowner, you'll be familiar with Surveyors who value properties and carry out building surveys. Chartered Surveyors can be involved right at the start of a property project - when a client is buying land, planning, and building and at the other end of a property project, a Chartered Surveyor might oversee a building that’s being demolished. Essentially the rigorous training and practical work Chartered Surveyors experience, allows them to offer impartial, expert advice on many different property issues.

In the UK, a Chartered Surveyor must hold recognised qualifications and experience. Chartered Surveyors also get regular updates and assessments from their governing body - the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

To become a Chartered Surveyor, a Chartered Building Surveyor or a Chartered Quantity Surveyor, you must pass a series of professional exams. Only members and fellows of the RICS are allowed to call themselves 'Chartered Surveyors' and tend to use MRICS, FRICS, AssocRICS after their names.

To qualify as a Chartered Surveyor, you need to complete a degree accredited by the RICS. You’ll then spend time in employment undergoing your Assessment of Professional Competence (APC). You are then granted Membership of RICS after your APC Final Assessment.

You can take an accredited conversion degree or postgraduate master’s degree in Real Estate, Estate Management or Surveying after your first degree. You can also choose to take an apprenticeship route following your National 5/Standard Grades or equivalents.

After qualifying there are many different types of businesses and organisations where you can kickstart your career as a Chartered Surveyor. Many property firms such as Allied Surveyors Scotland offer apprenticeship schemes or graduate programmes. Chartered Surveyors often find their first industry job in the likes of surveying firms, estate agencies, house builders, construction companies and property developers.

Ultimately, becoming a Chartered Surveyor is hard work. Upon graduating with a RICS accredited degree, it takes a dedicated mind and determined work ethic to complete the additional stages of development that will then propel you to Chartered status.

We are always on the lookout for talented individuals to join our team, so if you’re interested in becoming a Chartered Surveyor, then please get in touch with Head Office on 0141 330 9950 or visit our email recruitment@alliedsurveyorsscotland.com to learn more.