Maria Jacobs – A thriving Sava Graduate.
Maria came to surveying from a Commercial Energy Assessor background and with a degree in Civil Engineering from her home country. She worked in our technical support and audit team before taking the plunge and joining the Sava Diploma in Residential Surveying and Valuation. She is now a qualified Residential Surveyor and Valuer and works for Morgan Sloane Chartered Surveyors.
Paul Holford FRICS, Director at Morgan Sloane Chartered Surveyors told us what a great surveyor Maria is and how well she has integrated with the Morgan Sloane team:
“Maria has been with Morgan Sloane Chartered Surveyors for around 18 months and has demonstrated just what an excellent, diligent and competent surveyor she is. She has an exceptional eye for detail and her methodology is superb. Her Sava training and previous work with Sava has undoubtedly stood her in good stead for her working life as a residential surveyor. She can manage her own diary and work the hours/days she wishes with us here at Morgan Sloane which is something a lot of residential surveyors strive for, fitting us around her family commitments. I have several Sava graduates working with me and find that the course and training they are provided with sets them up ideally for working as a residential surveyor.”
We recently caught up with Maria recently to get a better understanding of her experiences:
Q) What made you consider a career in residential surveying in the first place?
A) I obtained my degree in Civil Engineering from the country of my origin. Unfortunately, this is not recognised by the RICS thought they did advise that by taking a bridging course or distance learning course, I could become an RICS member. I loved working with Sava on commercial energy efficiency, but I needed to stretch myself further and the opportunity to become a residential surveyor was perfect with my engineering background.
Q) Would you recommend the Diploma in Residential Surveying and Valuation to others looking to pursue a new career? (If so, why?)
A) Yes, absolutely.
It provides an excellent foundation and knowledge base for the residential surveyor, with the assessment process preparing a surveyor thoroughly for their future employment.
Q) What would you say was the highlight of the qualification process?
A) The diploma opened doors to the AssocRICS and ACABE membership, facilitating the strong knowledge foundation provided to us during the course reaps its fruit in confidence, client and employers’ satisfaction, and professional growth.
Q) How are you finding your current role as a Surveyor?
A) I absolutely love it. My current role empowers me to organise my diary, allowing me to balance my work, family, and personal commitments.
I enjoy the variety of properties seen each day – I am always seeing something different and learning something new.
Also, being able to pro-actively plan my day means that I can afford to stay at the property as long as required so that I always leave knowing that I did the best job I could.
If there is one thing I miss from my old life I think I would say it is the office buzz. The role of residential surveyor is primarily individual and I work alone. But I am lucky at Morgan Sloan as our director understands this and organises multiple training days and company lunches so we can bond as a team as well.
I have been qualified for almost 5 years and I am now in the process of looking to become a Chartered Surveyor.
Q) What tips would you give learners who go through the process?
A) Stay focused and take it one step at a time. Don’t rush to the next assessment without learning from the last one – the knowledge, speed, and confidence will naturally grow. And take on board feedback from your assessor. It might seem harsh sometimes but they want you to be the best surveyor that you possibly can be and they are on your side! And in the end, all the hard work will be repaid multiple times!