Residential Surveying: The Next Career Move for HM Forces Personnel.
Daniel Hopla enrolled on the Diploma in Residential Surveying and Valuation in November 2021, joining us for our intake in Milton Keynes. We caught up with Daniel to find out how he found his experience training as a residential surveyor with Sava, and what he’s been up to since qualifying.
What was your background before training as a surveyor?
I had a successful military career specialising as a combat tracker, later becoming an instructor training British and foreign agencies. This is where I developed and honed the skillset of acute observation and interpretation of evidence.
What was your motivation for becoming a surveyor?
When approaching the end of 22 years’ military engagement I was looking for a new career. I considered my interests and background and realised that I had a lot of transferable skills that I could use as a surveyor.
The main driving force to choose surveying over any other profession was through a bitter experience with an Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) retrofit installation in mine and my wife’s 1970s semi-detached house. This was a government supported energy saving upgrade to replace the original storage heaters. So, we set out to future-proof our home, trusting the available advice and recommendations. The work was completed by a national company who claimed to specialise in ASHP installations. It turned out that they did not specialise and instead shoe-horned the ASHP in such a way that it would never work adequately, let alone efficiently.
After two cold years trying to resolve the poor-quality installation, I was determined to enter the surveying profession to help people understand more about their homes or future homes, so that they could avoid horrendously stressful and expensive problems.
“Sava provided a window of opportunity into an exciting new career.”
What made you choose Sava as your route into the profession?
I discovered Sava from a magazine advertisement. After looking into Sava in more detail and reading into the diploma, I was confident that the qualification was attainable within the reported training and assessment periods. Sava provided a window of opportunity into an exciting new career.
How did you find the training experience with Sava?
Overall, I enjoyed the learning experience. The content was interesting and relevant but you do need to personally invest a considerable amount of effort and time (as the old saying goes, you get out what you put in).
What was the highlight of your Sava experience?
I enjoyed the training days – both the in-class sessions and those where we went out on site. Overall, it was a good learning environment.
What have you been up to since qualifying?
I was offered a job when coming to the end of the assessment phase. Since then, I’ve been in full-time employment with Peer | King Surveyors, an SME in Norwich. My boss was impressed with the level of training I had received and the standard of work produced throughout the assessment. He has supported me with further mentoring to increase my knowledge base. I routinely complete property valuations and Level 2 and 3 surveys.
What has been your career highlight so far?
I have an interest in older buildings, so when the opportunity arose to receive mentoring during a Level 3 survey of a 16th century grade II listed timber frame house, I snapped it up. I enjoyed every minute learning about its construction and assessing defects in relation to its age and setting.
What advice would you give to those considering a career in residential surveying?
If you have an interest in property and a desire to help people to make well-informed decisions regarding what is likely to be the biggest financial investment of their lives, this can be a very rewarding career and worthwhile pursuing.
Can you describe the impact the diploma has had on your life?
Without the Sava diploma, there is no other possible way I could have entered the surveying profession. I have too many other commitments to have considered the university route.
Since qualifying through Sava I have entered a new profession as a residential surveyor and valuer which I am thoroughly enjoying, and I can see that I will be able to enjoy this new career for years to come.
Would you recommend the Sava diploma to others?
I certainly would. It offers the optimum blend of academic and vocational learning, which proves to be effective and can be completed within a reasonable timeframe.
If you are a serving or veteran member of HM Forces, there is provision to use Enhanced Learning Credits to contribute towards funding the Sava diploma, which is registered with ELCAS.
A comment from Peter Kulpa (MRICS), Daniel’s employer and Director of Peer | King Surveyors:
“I had been a Chartered Surveyor for over a decade, but as I had not done the Valuation competency to Level 3 during my APC, I undertook the Sava Level 6 diploma to get my Valuer Registration. I found out first-hand how practical the training is; Sava’s vocational approach is tangible, accessible, realistic, and well-grounded in the sort of hands-on inspection and reporting work that closely mirrors what ‘real’ residential surveying is actually like.
“Daniel was impressive from our very first meeting. It was clear that although he had come into the Sava course with no background in residential property, he had been well-equipped to take on the role. We not only hired him but also hired one of his friends from his Sava cohort, and both of them absolutely hit the ground running. They are huge assets to our firm.
“We are growing quickly and recruiting surveyors for our Norwich office; we would be delighted to hear from Sava graduates or those near the end of their course”