Estate agent : Career development

There is scope for progression to senior levels within large corporate, multiple branch estate agencies. This may involve moving to a larger branch or company and so mobility may sometimes be necessary for career development. The work will typically involve managing more people.

In smaller agencies, after working as an assistant sales negotiator, it may be possible to become a senior sales negotiator. Gaining experience of selling different types of properties, letting properties for customers and the selling of land are all ways in which an estate agent can increase their promotion prospects. With experience, you may then be promoted to the position of branch manager of a small area office. This will involve managing staff in the branch, acting as a senior sales negotiator and also as mentor to junior sales negotiators. After branch manager, there is often a bottleneck in promotion opportunities.

Another option is to go down the route of self-employment, becoming a partner or sole principal of your own firm. There are opportunities to study for professional qualifications and some of these may come in useful if you are thinking of setting up your own company.

Graduates on graduate recruitment programmes usually train to become surveyors and will be expected to gain a Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)  accredited qualification, which is often sponsored by your employer. Agency work forms part of a structured training scheme to complete the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC). Both are necessary in order to become a chartered surveyor.

As of December 2007, all residential properties for sale in England and Wales must be marketed with home information packs (HIPs). Parts of the HIP can only be produced by qualified home inspectors or domestic energy assessors and some estate agents may choose to take further training to develop their career into one of these roles.