Career Zone
Career ZoneCareer Research and PlanningEmployment sectorsProperty and housing

Property, Housing, Surveying and Town Planning

The property industry offers a varied number of employment opportunities for a multitude of degree disciplines and skill sets. Career prospects can be lucrative and progressive. Occupations in this sector include policy officer,  project manager in social housing, estate and facilities management, estate agent, quantity surveyor, property surveyor, valuer, town planning, urban design and landscape design.

With an estimated worth of £5.2 trillion, the UK property industry is larger than the banking, leisure, communications, and transport industries. Globally, 70% of wealth is connected to property, from providing a place to live and work to enjoying leisure activities and shopping, it is the platform for most business and commerce.

Careers Advice 

For specialist areas of the property and construction sector, including architecture, engineering, surveying and town planning, you'll need an accredited degree at either undergraduate or postgraduate level.

For more information on careers and jobs in the construction industry, go to the Engineering pages. 

Making Contacts

Making contacts is essential for success in this and other sectors. Career conversations with those working in the sector will help you learn about the realities of the role. You could start by speaking with the experts – find out what they did after graduation and contact them for advice using the Career Mentoring Scheme or Ask an Alum.

Events

Recruitment fairs, open days, talks, and events give insights and opportunities to make contacts.  Use Handshake to find regular events organised by the Careers Zone.

Information Resources

Industry News

Property and Housing

Built Environment / Surveying

Planning and Urban Design

Roles and Skills

The following job profiles include descriptions of typical duties, entry requirements and case studies.

Property and Housing

Skills employers look for:

  • excellent communication, interpersonal and negotiation skills
  • confidence, patience, and flexibility
  • commercial awareness and a keen interest in property and housing
  • project management, organisational and planning skills.
  • time management skills and the ability to multi-task
  • IT skills

 Policy Officer 

 Estate Agent

Facilities Manager

Historic Buildings Inspector/Conservation Officer

Letting Agent

Property Auctioneer / Valuer

Residential Property Manager

Built Environment

Skills employers look for:

  • analytical and problem-solving skills
  • confidence, initiative, and the ability to negotiate.
  • a practical and logical approach
  • excellent verbal and written communication skills
  • an ability to motivate and work effectively in a team.
  • maths and IT skills

Construction Manager

 Building Control Surveyor

Building Surveyor

Commercial/ Residential Surveyor

General Practice Surveyor

Planning and Development Surveyor

Property Developer

  • TARGETjobs - land/property development and regeneration

Quantity Surveyor

Rural Practice Surveyor

Planning and Urban Design

Skills employers look for:

  • strong design, drawing and drafting skills.
  • a creative approach, paired with an analytical mind and strong problem-solving skills. 
  • practical skills with the ability to work with accuracy and attention to detail.
  • project management, organisational and planning skills.
  • IT skills and a proficiency in computer-aided design software
  • leadership and the ability to work effectively in a team.

Planning and Development Surveyor

Town Planner

Urban Designer

Landscape Architect

Garden Designer

 

Gaining Experience

Property and Housing

Several large companies offer internships, for example, Savills and Grosvenor. Applications generally open around September, with closing dates as early as October and November.

Estate and lettings agencies sometimes offer placements, and most take on part-time administrative and sales staff. These opportunities provide valuable insight into the current property or lettings market. Find companies that interest you and get in touch - with a named contact. Be specific about why you are writing to them and what you’re looking for. Show your enthusiasm for the sector and highlighting any relevant skills. Don’t give up if you don’t get a reply – follow up with a phone call or email to show that you’re keen.

Built Environment and Surveying

Several large companies offer internships, for example, Siemens, Sir Robert McAlpine and BAM. Applications generally open around September, with closing dates as early as October and November. See also Sociable surveyors.  who provide experience of the commercial property industry through paid internships in London and overseas.

Most work experience comes from searching for surveying firms and applying speculatively. Find firms that interest you and get in touch, always with a named contact. Be specific about why you are writing to them and what you’re looking for. Show your enthusiasm for the sector and highlight any relevant skills. Don’t give up if you don’t get a reply – follow up with a phone call or email to show that you’re keen.

Planning, Urban Design and Landscape

Getting into town planning is competitive. Relevant ways of getting experience could include:

  • internships with large companies, for example, Savills and DHA (openings around September)

  • planning assistant jobs, which allow you to gain extensive experience but are competitive.
  • administrative jobs in planning departments, advertised on sites such as Local Government Jobs or jobsgopublic
  • volunteering for organisations such as Planning Aid England where opportunities include consultancy and community engagement.

RTPI offer guidance on finding and applying for work placements in the UK. 

Find companies that interest you and get in touch, always with a named contact. Be specific about why you are writing to them and what you’re looking for. Show your enthusiasm for the sector and highlight any relevant skills. Don’t give up if you don’t get a reply – follow up with a phone call or email to show that you’re keen.

Try the following sites to find planning consultancies to approach:

Use the following directories for contact details of local government planning teams:

You could also consider approaching government departments or other organisations with responsibility for planning, land use, or related areas such as protecting the natural environment, for example:

Volunteering with non-profit environment and landscape organisations can help you to develop relevant skills. For example, Groundwork have projects to get involved in. 

Speculative applications are commonly used to gain landscape architecture experience. Search for government departments, traders and non-profit organisations to contact using the following resources:

Gardencentreguide.co.uk – lists garden centres and plant nurseries in the UK.

Job Vacancies

Places where you can find job vacancies.

National newspapers carrying job advertisements for this field include The Guardian (Wednesdays).

Also try specialist recruitment agencies

Professional Bodies

These represent people working in the sector, providing training and networking opportunities. They often provide careers support for students and graduates. They also provide development for people already working in the sector. Follow them on LinkedIn, or visit their websites for news, contacts, work experience and vacancies.

The main professional associations for this sector include:

Property & Housing

Surveying & Built Environment

Planning, Urban Design & Landscape

 Find professional bodies outside the UK on GoinGlobal by selecting ‘Professional and Personal Networking’ on each of the individual country guides.

Postgraduate Study and Professional Development

For more information on further study and to find a course that interests you, see