Hayley Smith – Sava Graduate.
Happy International Women’s Day!
At Sava we are celebrating successful women who aren’t afraid of a challenge. Each year more women are qualifying into the Surveying profession, with the number currently at 15% (RICS 2019). We are always keen to bring diversification into the industry and hope to see these numbers rise in the future.
One inspirational Sava graduate we can celebrate is Hayley Smith who was a graphic designer before starting her journey to become a Residential Surveyor. We caught up with her to get an understanding of her experiences on the Diploma in Residential Surveying and Valuation, the Q&A is summarised below:
Q) What made you consider a career in residential surveying?
A) I have always had an interest in properties, how they are built and how to best maintain them. For my high school work experience I shadowed a surveyor for a week and found it extremely interesting. When I decided to change careers I thought back to that time and decided to go for it.
Q) What is it in particular that drew you to Sava and the Diploma in Residential Surveying and Valuation?
A) The fact I could study and work at the same time with practical/vocational skills being at the forefront of the diploma. I thought this was the best way to learn the actual job of being a residential surveyor & valuer
Q) Would you recommend the Diploma in Residential Surveying and Valuation to others looking to pursue a new career? (If so, why?)
A) I’d definitely recommend the course. It gives you the foundations to learn the technical aspects and put them into practice with your case studies. The amount you learn over the course is immense but it all slots together to allow you to become a competent surveyor.
Q) What would you say has been the highlight of the qualification process so far?
A) The assessment phase was my favourite part. My assessor was highly skilled and allowed me to grow my knowledge base and consider different elements that could influence my report and the decision process for clients.
Q) Do you have any plans now you have qualified?
A) I’m currently undertaking a RICS MSc in Building Surveying in order to increase my knowledge and experience which will allow me to go on to under take the APC and one day hopefully become MRICS. Without the Sava diploma, my assessor and my mentors, I wouldn’t have been able to undertake this opportunity to complete a master’s degree. In the future I’d like to teach and hopefully become a Sava assessor as well.
Q) What tips would you give learners who go through the process?
A) Find a mentor straight away – mine were fantastic! Seeing actual properties with defects and gaining knowledge from them was invaluable to me during my training. Practice writing reports from what you have seen even if it’s just on defects you pass on walks. I can’t even glance at a property at the traffic lights now without analysing it and trying to follow the trail.
