subject: What property job is right for me? [print this page] What property job is right for me? What property job is right for me?
Property can be an exciting and modern sector to work in, however when you first approach it, the range of specialisms and roles can be confusing. Here is a basic guide about the specialisms available to someone starting out in the industry.
The main areas of property are planning and development, property management, project management, rating, valuation, auctions, asset management, fund management and agency. These cover the commercial, residential and rural property sectors, and each offer different responsibilities and skills.
The type of property job you are most suited to is very much dependent on your personality, with those boasting business heads and logical thinking skills working well in fund or asset management, and more hands-on, creative workers best suited to development or planning roles.
The success of those working in the property industry varies greatly, depending on the economic climate - which boosts the sector when strong, and damages it when weak. However the property market is one of the most reliable, as people will always need somewhere to live or work from. The average starting salary is around 20,000, and working via commission schemes is often an integral part of salary packages offered.
There are around 153,000 working in property jobs throughout the UK, with many of these people having studied a property-related course at university - such as building surveying, or construction/estate management. For those that are not graduates, or who studied something different to property, it is necessary to take an RICS-accredited conversion course, giving you the technical skills and knowledge required to work in property. Once this is complete, the option is there to become a chartered surveyor - which means taking a two-and-a-half year course, often paid for by employers.
Large scale projects, such as the construction of event areas for the London 2012 Olympic Games, often provide exciting and challenging roles for those working in property, however there are good opportunities across the UK for those wishing to break into the industry.
