Jamie Hiller – A Sava Graduate.
Jamie Hiller is a Sava graduate who joined the Diploma in Residential Surveying and Valuation as an Estate Agent, he now works for e.surv Chartered Surveyors.
We recently caught up with Jamie to get an understanding of his experiences with the Sava diploma and the Q&A is summarised below:
Q) What made you consider a career in residential surveying?
A) As an Estate Agent, it seemed like a natural progression. I wanted to challenge myself and felt that although I had a good basic knowledge of property, I wanted to know more. I was also spotting issues that surveyors were picking up, and my intrigue meant that I wanted to know what was causing these issues.
Q) What is it in particular that drew you to Sava and the Diploma in Residential Surveying and Valuation?
A) I did a lot of research and for me, there were two main elements. The first was the flexibility of being able to work whilst studying and learning. I was initially worried about the assessment stage. It was extremely daunting when you first looked at it, but when you broke it down into bitesize chunks and planned what needed doing and when, it wasn’t as bad as I expected!
The second was that it was purely residential. A lot of the other courses covered Residential Property, but not in the depth that Sava did, and as I had no intention of using any commercial knowledge, I felt this was the best pathway for me.
Q) Would you recommend the Diploma in Residential Surveying and Valuation to others looking to pursue a new career? (If so, why?)
A) The course caters for both sides of the coin, people who have a reasonable knowledge of property and those who are just starting out on their journey. The trainers worked at the speed of the group and if there was something that seemed to be troubling the group, they would spend more time on this and ensure that everyone understood what/why/how before moving on to the next section.
Q) What would you say has been the highlight of the qualification process so far?
A) As strange as it seems, I actually really enjoyed the assessment process. The lectures were good, but I found that I did most of my learning when my assessor came back to me with questions, which I had to research further. This helped to broaden my knowledge and allowed me to improve vastly.
Q) Do you have any plans now you have qualified?
A) I have taken a position with e.surv Chartered Surveyors on their ‘Sava Graduate’ intake. I have been with them for 3 months now and am hopefully going to be going ‘live’ (out on my own), very soon. The qualification really is gaining traction in the industry. I must say e.surv have been fantastic and they have supported me fully and they respect the Sava course hugely.
The Sava Diploma in Residential Surveying and Valuation could be the career progression you are looking for. Click here to find out more: https://sava.co.uk/education/diploma-residential-surveying-valuation/