How to become a chartered surveyor

To qualify as a chartered surveyor, you must first complete a degree accredited by the Society of Chartered Surveyors (SCS) or Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). If your degree is from another discipline you can still become a surveyor by taking an accredited property degree or postgraduate conversion course. You can get a full list of accredited degrees on the websites.

You must also complete the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC). This is a structured practical training programme, which takes about two years to complete in the workplace, so you will need to be prepared to combine work and study. The training structure is based on a set of skills known as ‘competences’, which are a mix of technical and professional practice skills along with interpersonal, financial, business and management skills. When looking for your first job you should check whether your employer has an approved APC training programme.

Upon successful completion of the APC, you become a member of the SCS and the RICS. Achievement of chartered status will accelerate career progression in the profession. You could also consider self-employment or working overseas as this is a globally recognised professional qualification.