QUANTITY SURVEYING

A quantity surveyor (QS) is a professional working within the construction industry concerned with building costs.The profession is one that provides a qualification gained following formal education, specific training and experience that provides a general set of skills that are then applied to a diverse variety of problems. Predominantly these relate to costs and contracts on construction projects. Other areas in which QS find employment include property surveys for hidden defects on behalf of potential purchasers, running estates, valuing the mineral deposits for mining companies, selling property and even Leasehold Reform Act work.There are around 75,000 professional QSs working in the UK. 

The professional institution with which most English-speaking quantity surveyors are affiliated is the UK-based Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Others are the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), Quantity Surveyors International (QSi) and Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (ICES). Those who are qualified members of the RICS are allowed to use the term "Chartered Quantity Surveyor" or simply "Chartered Surveyor". 

The QS usually reports to Project Manager or Project Director and provides advice in the decision-making process throughout the management of a project from initial inception to final completion. The QS handles estimating and cost control, the tendering process and, after contract award, the commercial interface. QSes should be able to carry out estimating and measurement of construction works prior to tender, producing the bill of quantities; produce tender documentation and manage the tender process; clarify and evaluate tenders; and manage the resultant contract through monthly valuations, variations control, contract administration and assessment of claims.

Pay "For a chartered surveyor of 15 years' experience, probably you'd be talking about £50,000-60,000, I'd guess. And because I'm involved with estate agency too, I tend to get paid a bit more."
Hours 9am-6pm on weekdays.
Work/life balance "Talking as a surveyor, normally it's quite predictable, and pretty good. But for me personally, because I do what I do, I can't really leave my work at work."
Best thing "The people I work with. They're a good bunch."
Worst thing "You're expected to get it right, and you normally do, but you only get noticed when things go wrong. You can't win, really."