Quantity surveying

[TheJollyCoralEagle]

Thoughts on quantity surveying? My son is considering it for Uni. As far as I know it's a respected career, RICS is widely recognised overseas, there is a shortage of quantity surveyors so it's in demand, the renumeration is generally on par with engineering (actually slightly higher than civil engineering), but entry requirements for the best Unis offering it are much lower than for engineering. Loughborough which is the top ranked Uni for quantity surveying in the UK (and top 100 in the world) only requires BBB whereas you are generally looking at AAA+ for a top ranked engineering degree. Am I missing something or is it one of those careers that flies slightly under the radar?

DH a QS. Bloody loves it. He did the degree apprenticeship route which his place still offers a couple of spots each year but gets most recruits from the full time degree (I think they all have work experience so maybe placement). He's biased but says degree apprenticeship students better. No shortage of job ops at the moment.

Agree entry requirements much lower than engineering (probably why my DD did it as he has quite low school grades- more interested in sport, alcohol and girls at 17). We tease him about which uni he went to but in reality it was a well taught practical degree with great job opportunities. Works a bit at home since pandemic and what I overhear project wise seems interesting. I'm guessing salary highs way lower than engineering. Doesn't appear to be a stress job but DH so laid back that its hard to tell.

I’ve worked with a lot of qs’s and was a commercial manager for a while. I think its a really good career choice.

You might consider whether doing and engineering degree then moving into a QS role is also an option?

Oops - didn’t answer your question - I think it’s a career lots of people haven’t heard of so dont think about. Maybe that’s not fair and it’s more that middle class professionals haven’t heard of it.

Thanks for feedback. Yes, all sounds positive. My only concern (and you alluded to it) is the choice of Unis. We went to the Loughborough open day and my son was slightly underwhelmed given it's reputation (unpopular opinion I know, but it's also quite close to home and he wants to spread his wings a bit)
His preference now is for either Oxford Brookes (he really enjoyed the Open Day) or potentially Northumbria. He was dead set on engineering (but doesn't enjoy a A level physics) hence the switch to QS.
He is predicted good grades so he (and I) feel that he is potentially underselling himself by not attending a Russell Group/Top 20 uni (especially since most of his mates are aiming for Russell Group)
At the end of the day though it's what you enjoy studying , having a good uni experience and probably most importantly where you are going to find employment for which the prospects are really good for a QS degree.

Yes it seems to fly a bit under the radar. And the fact that Russell Group/top tier unis don't offer it (apart from Loughborough) could also be a factor as the draw of a Russell Group degree is significant (in general)or middle class professional parents.

i know a few QSs through my job, most seem to do it as a parent has done it so it does seem to not be widely known. For Building Surveying and Fire Safety Engineers there are major shortages of professionals die to the Building Safey Act requirements.

It was awhile ago, bit worked with some. Very, very highly paid at thr time

@TheJollyCoralEagle If RG universities don't offer the subject then surely employers in the field aren't going to be bothered whether you went to an RG university…?

Highly recommend. I work in the industry and we are always looking for QSs. They are very well paid.

DS2 just graduated from Loughborough in QS and starts work in Sept with a well known company onto their grad scheme on £37k.

majority of his course have jobs secured.

Course is not as heavily maths based as engineering but still a challenging degree, lots of coursework and assessments pressure plus a long dissertation in final year.

No of course not. Just kudos for attending a "better" university than the ones offering quantity surveying, especially if you had the marks to attend a "Tier 1" university. Like I said though student experience and employability is the most important thing.

Any particular unis in demand apart from Loughborough? Or is it much of a muchness as they are all accredited by RICS? My son is keen on Oxford Brookes. Although I know Reading and Northumbria are well regarded too.

DH is a QS. Pays well, quite stressful but he is very senior and manages a lot of staff.
He went to uni in Manchester.
It’s a decent career choice and plenty of jobs available

My DDs boyfriend is doing a degree apprenticeship in this. He loves it and works for a well known housing company.
Company car, all course fees paid and good wage at 20.

Just kudos for attending a "better" university than the ones offering quantity surveying,

Yeah, that's not really a 'thing' in most of the real world. Only on MN 😀

Oxford Brookes and Reading have long been considered good places to study QS – DH went to Reading back in the dark ages and although he isn't a QS, lots of his friends are. They have all had successful and enjoyable careers.

@TheJollyCoralEagle most of grads are UWE or Reading but it's not biased.

My DS has just graduated from UWE. He loved the course. I think it is just not a particularly well known career, but within the industry is well thought if and well paid. He is a bit laid back so only just getting round to look for a job, but entry level opportunities seem to be paid more than many graduate openings.

My relation is a quantity surveyor in the civil service. He worked in the private sector with architects for years but now helps to build schools. He says his job involves so many different skills and areas of knowledge and has always loved it.

My understanding is that technical and vocational degrees awarded by those institutions which are considered to be leaders in their field are much more highly valued within their related industry/profession than more general degrees from other 'good' universities.