A Quantity Surveyor (QS) works in the construction field, analyzing and assessing (surveying) the costs related to building construction and design. This is a mid-high level position, that requires a fair amount of education to obtain. The capacities that Quantity Surveyors operate in vary from employer to employer, and country to country. They can have very specialized or very general fields of expertise.
There are many duties that a Quantity Surveyor can have as part of their job. They usually work out in the field, and perform the following functions:
cost/benefit analysis
planning management
cost planning
change control
cost estimation
dispute resolutions
control construction costs
They generally work as part of a team, which consists of a contractor, the client, the architect and the engineer. Quantity Surveyors have a reputation for fairness and dispute resolutions. They know how much it costs for labor and materials. It is their job to understand the big picture of a construction project, and how any changes will affect the cost of the project.
Salary
The beginning salary, depending on the job, is anywhere from 25,000 USD – 38,000 USD per year. Between $37,000 and $75,000 is a typical senior salary. Those who are partners at privately owned companies stand to earn a significantly higher salary than others.
Benefits or being a Quantity Surveyor can include shift and site differentials, paid on top of their salary. They also commonly receive health care benefits. A pension and a company car are not unheard of, either.
Training and Folk House Plans Education
Quantity Surveyors receive at least a Bachelor’s degree in college, sometimes going on to graduate school. They must complete supervised working before they can be licensed. Also, they attend frequent meetings and trainings that keep them up to date in the field, after graduating. These may include private trainings, seminars, events, conferences, workshops and other programs. A great deal of learning is required for this specialized field, but opportunities abound.
Employment Opportunities
Opportunities for people trained in the field of quantity surveying exist ALL over the world. It is more common to see jobs available in the UK, South Africa and India, than it is to see them in the US, but the opportunities there are expanding rapidly.
There are three major types of employers for Quantity Surveyors. They are:
Private practices: a group of surveyors that go into business together and seek out contracts.
Civil contractors and engineers: some have a specific surveying section of their business. This allows them to always have a QS on staff.
Government agencies: employ Quantity Surveyors to work on local, state and federal building and engineering projects.
Large international contractors will sometimes employ Quantity Surveyors under the title of Cost Engineer. Also, any person or corporation with a large amount of properties may feel it necessary to hire a QS.
Job opportunities that are related to quantity surveying include, but are not limited to; building surveyor, contracting civil engineer, facilities manager, urban general practice surveyor, and more.
An ideal person for a Quantity Surveying job would be someone interested in construction and engineering. They must have an interest in and be good at math calculations and spatial reasoning. Many quantity surveying jobs involve travel, so one should either like to travel or at least be flexible about their location.
Being a Quantity Surveyor is an excellent job opportunity. The pay and benefits are very competitive, with not much manual labor involved. Because of all the skills required, one must be educated and continue their quantity surveying training, but the perks of the job make it well worth it.
