Case studies: Minerals surveyor: Rebecca Shaw

Rebecca Shaw is a graduate minerals surveyor with a private sector firm of chartered surveyors.

After I graduated in sociology from Exeter University, I originally wanted to go into teaching so I worked as a teaching assistant for a year. However, I’d always been interested in property, architecture and the built environment but didn’t know that you could take a degree that would enable you to start training as a surveyor.

I spent my second year after Exeter gaining as much work experience as I could and luckily got experience within the commercial department with Savills, Cambridge. I then applied to Oxford Brookes for a place on the MSc in Real Estate Management, which is a one-year RICS-accredited conversion course and started there in September 2007.

You start applying for jobs really early on in the course. The big companies, DTZ, Knight Frank, CBRE, Savills, etc. all want applications in very early. So you’re only in the MSc for about a month before you have to start churning out all the applications. Interviews and assessment days then take place in the new year.

I applied for the big firms but the economic climate made all the large companies tighten their belts and so very few graduates were being offered a place. I continued to apply throughout the year of my MSc and in July 2008 I was offered a position as a graduate mineral surveyor with Matthews & Son.

I’d have to say that the MSc degree helped in securing my job which gave me the skills, grounding and understanding to work as a graduate surveyor; and as I’m training for my assessment of professional competence (APC), you can’t become a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors without an accredited degree. I was also told by my company that my A-level in geography helped in securing my job.

My job is so varied; I don’t think there is a typical working day! I can be at my desk sorting out planning applications, preparing valuations or negotiating rating with the mineral valuers; or I’ll be out on site inspecting quarries for planning, valuation or rating purposes. But a typical day is always varied and always mentally stimulating.

The really great thing is I’m based in the London office but as I deal with minerals I can be in a compensation meeting in London and the next minute I’m up in Yorkshire or down in Devon. You certainly get to know the UK in my job! The other most enjoyable part is the sheer diversity of work you do. I also enjoy the social aspect in that you’re always talking to and meeting new people, clients, surveyors etc.

As for the most challenging parts, I’m still ‘learning the ropes’ so to speak, so it’s sometimes challenging taking on so much new information and prioritising work load. Also, rating requires good negotiating skills which I found quite scary at first but now I’ve had more experience I really enjoy it.

The best thing about working in minerals is that you get to travel the UK, although one of my colleagues has even worked in America on a job. For me on a personal level, I really like dealing with planning issues for quarries once they are finished with. Knowing that I have had an input in the restoration proposals gives me a real sense of achievement.

As for what advice I would give to students who want to get into this as a career, I’d have to say that work experience is very important, not necessarily in minerals but, for example, in the commercial property sector, would really stand you in good stead for interview. Also, studying an undergraduate degree in geography or geology would certainly be beneficial but not fundamental, but having an RICS-accredited degree is a must.

I’ve only been in the job for nine months but the amount of experience and how much responsibility I’m given has certainly increased. Matthews & Son are also paying for me to study for another MSc, this time in mineral surveying. It’s a distance learning course that is part time over two years. Obviously, I’m still training so my role will develop further once I pass my assessment of professional competence – hopefully in 2010!