Graduate Surveyor Nick Coultish sets out his experiences after working with the team for a year.

“With signs of growth in the regions' property market in early 2015, Scotts Property advertised for an ambitious “General Practice Surveyor” looking to undertake the qualification to become a Chartered Surveyor, based in the firm's Hull office.  Twelve months have now passed since I joined the firm and I thought it might be an ideal time to share the internal development process with you.

During my first twelve months I have gained experience across the retail, office, industrial, leisure and development sectors including agency, acquisition and valuation in an active client facing role.  Personal highlights include negotiating my first sale, achieving my first successful letting, learning the principles behind basic valuation techniques and also witnessing the growing excitement in Hull generally building towards City of Culture Status in 2017.

The firm's commitment to its staff is evidenced by their investment in my personal development.  Although I have a Geography degree from the University of Hull, in order to become a Chartered Surveyor, I have to secure a qualification that is recognised by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). The firm enrolled me on an MSc Real Estate course at the University College of Estate Management, based in Reading, on a distance learning basis. The resulting qualification will allow me to progress onto the RICS Assessment of Professional Competence (APC), the pathway for qualification as a Chartered Surveyor.

Scotts has a Structured Training Programme which covers not only Graduate Surveyors but also others within the firm who are looking at additional training or qualifications, perhaps in a supporting role.  For example one of my colleagues has recently undertaken the necessary training to be awarded World Host status for Customer Service.

Luckily Lawrence Brown, the firm's Managing Partner, is also a Chairman of Assessors for the RICS APC.  This means that he is at the sharp end of any changes in the assessment programme and can make sure that my day to day colleagues know where I should be concentrating my learning and experience.

Scotts has an excellent record of Graduate Surveyors who have previously passed the APC.  The quality of the in-house development is further proven by the fact that some of my senior colleagues have been through the whole process from the start and are still with the firm whilst other previous employees now hold positions client side, at firms including Heron Foods and Wykeland.  I think this demonstrates the calibre of surveyor the firm seeks to produce.

Following a well-trodden development path I am confident that I will do well.  Don't get me wrong, juggling study and work responsibilities can be difficult but when the coursework and assessments get too much, I know I can rely on my colleagues for quality advice and support!

I'm looking forward to eventually calling myself a Chartered Surveyor! “