Career change MSc Quantity Surveying

Looking for advice I’m looking to change university course and do postgrad quantity surveying. Anyone ever done this and how easy is it to get a job? I’m 38 years old and a bit worried about making the switch

Any advice appreciated

I've worked with loads of quantity surveyors, what are your previous qualifications and work experience?

Hi, I have an honours degree in electrical/electronic engineering and have worked on a construction site as a trainee electrician. I also have sales experience form working in the customer service sector. I left the position as an electrician due to having to relocate and couldn’t because of my young daughter

You should be a super attractive candidate. Any reason for doing a masters rather than just applying for some jobs?

To be honest I have no clue who to apply to or what I can offer. I must admit I’m not very good at selling myself. I thought by getting the qualification i would be a more attractive candidate for a trainee QS..would love to do a little voluntary experience with a company to see if its a fit and had sent a request to a couple of companies but got no reply 😢

Which part of the country are you in? Have you tried agencies? I'd also check on reed.co.uk - set up searches for 'quantity surveyor' and 'commerical manager'.

I’m in Scotland...I did some
General search’s and all
companies seem to be looking for RICS qualifies etc where can I find agency names...I’ve honestly got no clue who they are 🤦*♂️

Well, from a quick check Hays seem to have a large market presence in Scotland. Basically you can look for specialist QS agencies as they might have a client looking for someone who can support them with admin while they learn something. A lot of people I've known just got an entry level admin job through an agency (generally one that supplies building/ construction staff), then got taken on permenant and worked their way up.

Ah I see great I shall check them out and call no harm in doing so. Thanks for your help really appreciate

I think this has already been covered, but it's well worth approaching as many local contractors to see if they are currently looking for (or would consider) a trainee/assistant based role where you could undertake the degree part time, or masters if you already carry a degree. Many firms prefer this method rather than taking on graduates that do not have the work experience, or work experience limited to one year with a tier 1 contractor, and they can train you 'their way'. Do not believe that better wages are achieved with bigger companies, in a smaller firm you can become more valuable and undertake a more varied role especially with your existing technical knowledge. As you already have a strong electrical background it would be well worth approaching M&E contractors as you could have a lot to offer here.

Laura.

Hi,

yeah thats the only way I’d do this postgrad course. The course doesn’t offer any placement which is a bit crap. Any of you know if I’d get a quantity surveyor job after doing the postgraduate if I didn’t gain experience during the masters?

Why not get a job and do the masters part time? Are you sure the masters will make you more employable?

Whether you get a job will depend a lot on location and how busy the building industry is. Given you've worked in the sector do you have contacts you can speak with for local advice?

Yeah would Defo be doing it part time. The masters would certainly make me employable as I have no qualification needed for QS yet.

You have an engineering degree! Thats a great qualification for entry level QS job. I've looked on Indeed and found several jobs you could apply for and only looked at the first few pages. Yes - you'll get rejections where they find someone with more experience, but it gives you a chance to contact companies which are recruiting. Maybe they have a different job, or a temporary position you could fill?

Yeah defo...Can I ask what the jobs were you found was it trainee QS or something else? Thanks for your help btw

I've worked with loads of quantity surveyors, what are your previous qualifications and work experience?