Achieving RICS chartership is a significant milestone for any construction professional, but doing it early on in your career could set you apart.
We recently spoke with a newly chartered Assistant Quantity Surveyor, Jamie Davison, who has shared his experience of completing the process just a few years into his career. From balancing work and development to the long-term benefits of chartership, his insights below offer valuable guidance for anyone considering starting the RICS journey early on.
But first, a bit about Jamie…
Jamie started his career with us on a 13-month placement as part of his university course. After successfully completing his degree, he joined our Graduate Programme and has since progressed to the role of Assistant Quantity Surveyor. Now fully cemented into our Yorkshire business unit, he is currently working on a capital works project in Leeds.
Chartership builds credibility and trust
Jamie spoke of the RICS chartership as being the highest professional standard for a Quantity Surveyor, offering a clear signal of competence and trustworthiness and how it’s not just a qualification, it’s a reputation enhancer.
Whilst academic qualifications are valuable and essential to pursuing your career in construction, chartership for me is the badge that shows clients, subcontractors and employers that you are a competent professional that they can trust. Trust is the most important part of building those working relationships which is why I see chartership as such a valuable asset to a construction professional.''
The process integrates naturally with the day job
Rather than being a separate burden, Jamie explained how working on RICS requirements aligns closely with everyday responsibilities.
Working on competencies is a natural part of the day job. The list of competencies and achieving the levels can seem daunting when you first see what’s involved in the APC (Assessment of Professional Competence), but in reality, you gain the necessary experience whilst doing your day job, so this area is quite manageable.’’
CPD (Continuous Programme Development) is similar. You would be surprised how many CPD hours you do throughout the work calendar, so my focus was on making sure that I had exposure to enough hours of formal CPD relevant to my competencies. This can be through in-person or online training and webinars so it’s very accessible.’’
Completing the Morgan Sindall graduate programme and working towards my next job role came naturally alongside the chartership process, as the experience I gained through my day-to-day work formed the basis of my chartership submission.’’
For me, the key is not seeing the chartership process as something extra to your work. If you view the two as interlinked, the process feels a lot less like hard work and it benefits you when you come to prepare your case study and for your interview.’’
Strong internal support is crucial
Support from line managers, mentors, and mock interviews played a major role in Jamie's success, showcasing how a supportive work environment can make a significant difference in helping graduates navigate the chartership process confidently.
My line managers have always been supportive of my chartership, allowing me time to prepare my submission and for my interview when I needed it so on a day-to-day basis, I never felt pressured to make it a low priority.’’
In terms of other support, a mentor is allocated to all candidates within the regional business, so you have someone who has been through the process before to guide you and offer advice which is invaluable when compiling your submission documents.’’
Once you’ve submitted for assessment, mock interviews are heavily encouraged and offered within the business. These were the biggest help I received from the business, as they give you a picture of what the actual assessment is like, help build your confidence and identify areas to improve so you can go into the assessment fully prepared.’’
Starting early gives you a strategic advantage
Starting during a university placement gave Jamie the time to understand the process and build experience without the pressure of senior responsibilities.
The main thing I’d advise is start sooner rather than later. I started my chartership process at the start of my placement year from university, which focused my development across all areas of the quantity surveying job. It was also at a time where I could dedicate more hours to understanding the competencies and what the RICS process is like. The further you progress in your career, the more responsibility you take on - and with that comes a busier, faster-paced day job. That means less time to dedicate to preparing your chartership submission, which is why starting as early as possible is so valuable.’’
Starting early also adds value to your CV/employability, as being chartered in your low to mid-twenties really sets you apart on paper from other surveyors without the professional accreditation.’’
The other main piece of advice I would give is to use your colleagues and the resources you have available. The business is supportive of its people pursuing chartership and the people in the business want to help, so don’t be afraid to speak to colleagues and management about their experience with the process.’’
Chartership opens doors
Beyond recognition and financial incentives, chartership offers global mobility and career flexibility. For those considering consultancy or international roles, it’s a passport to broader opportunities.
The main benefit as I said before is the professional accreditation and the trust in your competency you gain from clients, subcontractors and employers by having the RICS membership.’’
Again, it bolsters your CV and shows you care about professionalism & ethics and shows you are willing to put in work to further your career which are all key attributes employers look out for and what colleagues want in the people they work with. There is also a financial incentive with Morgan Sindall which is a bonus.’’
More broadly, chartership gives you wider opportunities in your career. RICS chartership is recognised in 140 countries globally, so if working abroad is something you want the option to do it opens that door straight away. If you wanted to go into consultancy at any point too, chartership is much more of a requirement than a nice-to-have as it is in contracting, so that opportunity to diversify is open to you as well.’’
Long-term skills development
The process itself has helped Jamie develop valuable skills like communication and managing workload as well as building his confidence, crucial for future leadership and career progression.
’The main skill I gained was managing a longer-term priority alongside all the short and medium-term priorities the day job has. This is useful when you gain further responsibility as your career progresses, so it’s a valuable skill that I’ll use and continue to build on throughout my career in my day job.’’
I’ve also gained valuable interview skills from completing the final interview as it is a very unique and quite intense assessment. This has definitely helped me build the skills and confidence needed for communication with clients, which is a skill that’s quite hard to develop early in your career given the lack of exposure you get to clients as a graduate, apprentice or even assistant.’’
The other skills are simply the experience in my day job I gained across the competencies. The RICS competencies are the foundation of what the quantity surveyor does, so everything I’ve learned and will continue to build on as I go through my career will always be used on a daily basis.’’
In conclusion…
Jamie’s journey from year-out placement to chartered professional in just a few short years is a brilliant example of how early commitment and the right environment can shape a successful career. By starting his chartership early, embracing every opportunity to learn, and leaning into the support around him, Jamie has accelerated his development and built a strong foundation for long-term success.
It’s a reminder that when ambition meets opportunity - and is backed by a supportive team - the path to progression can be faster and more fulfilling than you might expect.
Pursuing chartership or professional accreditation is just one of the many ways we support your career development at Morgan Sindall Construction. If you're looking to grow with a business that invests in your future, explore opportunities on our careers page.