Retraining After 40: Is It Too Late?.
If you’re over 40 and finding yourself craving a more flexible, rewarding or fulfilling career, you’re not alone and you might be asking yourself if it’s too late to retrain after 40. The short answer is no — it’s absolutely not too late. In fact, it might be exactly the right time to make the move into residential surveying.
With more surveyors leaving the profession than entering it, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has highlighted a growing skills shortage, just as demand for surveying services continues to rise. The UK housing market needs residential surveyors to keep it moving by inspecting people’s homes for defects and uncovering issues that homebuyers, homeowners or housing providers might want to know before investing in that property. And if you’re over 40, you’ve likely picked up a thing or two along the way if you’ve ever owned or rented a home – experience that will come in handy as you use your detective skills to diagnose issues like damp, mould and structural movement.
Whether you’ve always had a passion for property or you’re simply ready for a fresh challenge, retraining as a residential surveyor in your 40s or 50s is both possible and increasingly common.
What Makes Residential Surveying the Perfect Mid-Life Career Change?
Residential surveying is an exciting career that suits people with life and work experience. It’s a role that demands attention to detail, good communication skills, and the ability to work independently – all qualities that often come with age and experience.
So, what else can you expect if you retrain as a residential surveyor later in life?
- High salary prospects: Once qualified, residential surveyors enjoy strong earning potential, with some earning six-figures, and others benefiting from bonuses and commission.
- Flexibility: Surveying offers the flexibility to work around your life. Many employed surveyors benefit from flexible working or home working and can manage their own diaries, so if you’re still raising children, you can shape your schedule accordingly. If your children are older or grown up, often you can take on more work.
- Independence: Many surveyors go on to work for themselves or become consultants — giving you control over the type of work you take on and when you do it.
A Training Route Designed for Career Changers
At Sava, we understand that changing career later in life requires a different kind of training. That’s why the Diploma in Residential Surveying and Valuation was created as a career-change qualification specifically designed for people looking to enter a new profession alongside existing work and life commitments.
This isn’t a traditional academic course. It’s a professional, vocational qualification, meaning it focuses on the practical skills and knowledge you need to succeed in the real world.
Upon completion, you’ll gain direct entry to professional memberships with two of the most respected institutions in the built environment:
- The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
- The Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE)
For many, these memberships are key to becoming a recognised, qualified professional in the residential surveying field.
Learning that Fits Around Your Life
The Sava diploma is delivered part-time via blended learning, combining online learning and virtual classrooms with in-person training sessions. This flexible approach means you don’t have to put your life on hold to retrain – and you can be qualified in as little as 24 months.
Whether you’re working full-time, managing family responsibilities, or easing out of another career, the structure of the course allows you to study in a way that fits your circumstances.
And you’re not on your own. Our dedicated training team is here to support you every step of the way.
Many of our learners come to us with a long-standing interest in property. Maybe you’ve spent years watching the housing market, renovating your own home, or helping friends and family with property purchases. Maybe you’re an Estate Agent or Property Manager looking to level up. Residential surveying allows you to turn your passion into a professional qualification and, in turn, a fulfilling new career.
It’s Never Too Late to Retrain
Retraining after 40 may feel daunting, but it’s also exciting. You’re bringing a wealth of experience to a new profession, with the chance to build a second career that fits around the ‘you’ of today, not the ‘you’ of 20 or 30 years ago.
We’ve helped hundreds of people just like you take that next step – people who were ready for a change, ready to build something new, and ready to discover a profession they love.
Residential Surveyor, Ian Birdsey, retrained as a surveyor through Sava at the age of 54 after a fruitful career in IT and communications. He said:
“To become a surveyor the options are essentially go to university or complete the Sava diploma. Degrees are great but quite focused on theory; with surveying you need practical experience to do the job properly.”
“I’m also too old to drop everything for university and then apply for graduate schemes. I needed a route where I could start working from day one after qualifying, and vocational training was the practical way for me to do it.”
When asked how the Sava diploma has impacted his life, Ian said: “It’s completely changed my life for the better. My standard of living has vastly improved. I have the expertise and confidence to go out and offer a service that people want and that makes a difference, which is a great feeling.”
So, if you’ve ever thought, “I’d love to do something with property” or “I wish I could start over and do something I enjoy”, now could be the right time.
With the Sava Diploma in Residential Surveying and Valuation, you can transform your career into something special. It’s not too late – in fact, it’s just the beginning.
Interested in retraining as a residential surveyor?
Learn more about the Level 6 Diploma in Residential Surveying and Valuation include how it’s delivered, course dates and more by visiting Sava’s course page or contacting one of our expert course advisors:
Call Sava: 01908 442158
WhatsApp: Chat today (open 9am – 5pm)
Email: hello@sava.co.uk