Overview
What is a Rural Surveyor?
Rural Practice Surveyors provide practical and strategic knowledge to clients involved in rural land and property. This role shares many skills and activities with real estate, but its focus is on the maintenance and enhancement of a healthy rural environment and the functioning of a vibrant rural economy.
Whilst Rural practice Surveyors will be expected to have a broad base of knowledge, they may also become specialists, in areas including agriculture, auctioneering and valuation, forestry, property management and environmental issues.
How much do Rural Surveyors earn?
The average salary of an Rural Surveyors is usually between £25,000 – £60,000 a year.
Skills
What’s required for the role?
- Excellent communication skills
- The ability to negotiate between different parties
- Experience working in a team
- Comfort working in a team
- Comfort working with a wide range of stakeholders and clients
- People management and leadership
- Numeracy skills
- Data analysis and researching
- Problem-solving skills
- Commercial and business awareness
Details
What does a Rural Surveyor do?
A rural surveyor will have a wide range of responsibilities in their role, including:
What is the work environment like?
Work in rural surveying is split between the office and traveling to and in the estate or region. In a hands-on role, you may be outside a great deal, regardless of the weather.
Rural Practice Surveyors can work in the public sector, in private practice or directly for corporate or private landowners.
Usual office hours apply, although some flexibility will be required as you will need to fit in with your client and some weekend work may be required too.
You can expect to travel around the geographic area you work in and will require a full driving licence.
Opportunities
Is rural practice a good career?
If you have a genuine passion for rural interests, an interest in the countryside and you enjoy being outside in your work, you could be ideal for a career in rural practice surveying.
There are a wide variety of different assets Rural Surveyors can work with, from farms, livestock markets and residential and stately properties to sporting rights, rights of way and access, forestry, industrial units and workshops, making this a more diverse role than many people would expect.
Rural surveying is full of potential avenues for development and progression, with senior positions as well as the option of self-employment. It’s also considered one of the most gender-diverse professions in the sector, owing to its added flexibility over other surveying pathways.
However, despite these opportunities rural practice has struggled to attract talent from younger generations, leaving it at risk of losing much of the skills and talent its ageing workforce possesses.
Become a Rural Surveyor
Who can work in rural practice?
Anyone with a genuine interest and passion for the countryside can launch a career in rural practice. At UCEM, students from across the world have undertaken their studies and gone on to forge compelling careers in the built environment. Find out more about their experiences below:
How to become a Rural Surveyor
To work in rural surveying, a non-cognate or Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)-accredited degree is often required. Most surveyors will work towards chartered status with RICS.
A RICS-accredited degree apprenticeship is another alternative pathway into this profession, giving you the combination of practical experience and professional qualifications you’ll need.
