Assistant quantity surveyor

Assistant quantity surveyors help quantity surveyors in working out the cost of building projects. The work involves estimating the quantities and costs of materials and labour, for example. They also take measurements on-site once a project is under way so they can calculate actual costs.

Work activities

Assistant quantity surveyors assist quantity surveyors in costing building projects at all stages from planning to completion. Before a project begins, assistant quantity surveyors estimate quantities and costs of materials, labour, plant, taxes and the likely maintenance costs for a new building or civil engineering project. Assistants work out, for example, the amount of steel and concrete required for a bridge, or the quantity of glass for an office block. When a project is under way, the assistant goes out to the construction site at various stages of the project and measures the work that has been completed. They keep detailed records of all measurements; these are then used to calculate actual costs.

Personal qualities and skills

As an assistant quantity surveyor, you should:

• Have good communication skills to talk with quantity surveyors and other members of the construction team.
• Enjoy working with numbers as you will need to make calculations quickly and accurately.
• Have IT skills.
• Be able to pay attention to detail.
• Have an interest in how buildings are built.
• Be able to understand technical drawings.

Pay and opportunities

The average salary for an assistant quantity surveyor is £25,000, according to job site Payscale (based on 509 salaries, January 2024). You will typically work standard full-time hours, Monday to Friday.

Employers include central and local government departments, construction and property companies, specialist surveying companies and industrial and commercial concerns. Opportunities for assistant quantity surveyors occur with employers in towns and cities throughout the UK.

Where are vacancies advertised?

Vacancies are advertised on all the major job boards, and on the Government’s Find a Job service.

Entry routes and training Entry

There are a number of ways you could become an assistant quantity surveyor:

• Join an organisation as a trainee after school or college.
• Take a level 4 (higher) apprenticeship as a construction quantity surveying technician.
• Study for a degree in quantity surveying or another relevant subject like maths or construction.

Trainees and apprentices work and alongside each other. You would be expected to study for work-related qualifications in surveying, property and maintenance or construction and the built environment.

Higher-level qualifications like HNC or HND in quantity surveying could help you become a surveying technician. If you want to qualify as a quantity surveyor, you’ll need a full degree or postgraduate qualification.

Qualifications

Look out for courses including the words quantity surveying, construction or the built environment in the title. Always take care that you apply for the correct course: building surveyors and land surveyors do something completely different from quantity surveyors.

For entry as a trainee to a relevant level 3 course, the usual requirement is four to five GCSEs at grades 9-4, including English, maths and a science subject.

To start a higher apprenticeship, you’ll generally need two A-levels plus GCSEs in English and maths.

To join a relevant HNC or HND, you will usually need:

• At least one A-level.
• GCSEs, or equivalent qualifications, including English and maths.

To apply for a degree course, you will typically need:

• Two to three A-levels.
• GCSEs at grades 9-4, including English and maths.

Other qualifications that may be accepted as an alternative to A-levels include:

• BTEC level 3 National qualifications.
• International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma.

Adult opportunities

It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

Relevant experience includes work in an accounts or finance department.

Colleges will usually consider applications from candidates who do not meet their usual entry requirements. You should check the admissions policy of individual colleges.  Late entrants can progress as technical members (AssocRICS) of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. A range of colleges and universities offer courses in Surveying. Study can be part time/flexible or via distance learning. Courses have been developed in partnership with industry.

Related careers

• Builders’ merchant
• Civil engineering technician
• Quantity surveyor