JOB prospects for newly qualified surveyors seem to be reasonably good although, in common with other professions, there is a trend towards more contract work being offered.
"Employment prospects are better than they have been for a few years, but having said that, they are not fantastic," says Tony Smith, chief executive of the Society of Chartered Surveyors.
Jobs are related to cycles in the construction and property industry. England was always a good source of jobs but that market has dried up and Smith says that, in fact, a number of surveyors have returned from England to seek work here.
Tom Dunne, acting head of the department of surveying and building in DIT Bolton Street, is even more positive about the improvement in the jobs scene here. "We are moving to a point where jobs are quite readily available," he says. John Flynn, director of Limerick RTC's quantity surveying degree, agrees. He says that 97 per cent of course graduates are employed.
Limerick RTC runs three degrees in the surveying area: quantity surveying, building management and valuation surveying. The valuation surveying degree is new - it was previously a diploma course. The first output from that course will be this summer. Previously, most of the graduates of the diploma went to colleges in England to do degrees, says Brendan Williams, course director. "That's what industry wants," he says.
The three degrees offered by Limerick RTC are four year sandwich courses with students spending third year in a work placement.
"It's a fantastic system, It really opens the students' eyes to the real world. It helps them mature," says Flynn. This year is counted towards the work experience requirement of the Society of Chartered Surveyors (SCS).
DIT Bolton Street offers two courses in the construction area - a four year construction economics degree and a three year certificate/ diploma in construction technology. The college also offers a certificate/diploma in auctioneering, valuation and estate agency and a degree in property economics.
Tom Dunne says that the majority of people who do diploma courses will go on to do degrees either here or in England. Second level students who do not have the points to get into the degree courses should look at all opt ions available - many of the regional technical colleges have certificate courses in construction. "Getting your foot on the ladder is the important thing," says Dunne.
Chartered surveying is not a registered profession - practitioners do not have to be members of a professional body to work in the area. For those who wish to become members of the SCS, there are partical and full exemptions from the society's examinations for a variety of courses in the Dublin Institute of Technology and the regional technical colleges. In addition to the examination requirement, two or three years' supervised work experience is necessary to become a full member.
Tom Dunne notes that there is some overlap between property and auctioneering. There is also some overlap with professional bodies such as the Irish Auctioneers and Valuers Institute and the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers. Specialisation and qualifications will determine which bodies graduates will apply to.
