jobfacts

Chartered surveyors

SOC 2020 2454

Chartered surveyors conduct surveys related to the measurement, management, valuation and development of land, natural resources, buildings, other types of property, and infrastructure such as harbours, roads and railway lines.

Also calledLand surveyorGeographic information systems (GIS) surveyorGeomatics surveyorRural surveyorAgricultural surveyorBuilding surveyorand 31 more titles
Typical full-time pay£46,2002025 Provisional
People in the job67,000across the UK
Demand for workersElevated
New adverts a month1,700↑ 3.8%on last year · 111th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time chartered surveyors earn between £37,500 and £57,700 a year.

What full-time chartered surveyors earn, 2025
£46,200 typical£29,100lowest 10%£37,50025%£60,600top 20%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£37,500–£57,700)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£29,100
Lowest 20% earn less than£35,300
25%£37,500
Median£46,200
75%£57,700
Top 20% earn more than£60,600
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £46,200
London!£54,800
South East£51,400
West Midlands!£50,200
Scotland!£48,100
North West!£44,700
East of England!£41,500
South West!£41,200
North East!£40,600
East Midlands!£39,900
Wales!£38,300
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £46,200
London£54,800 (small sample)
South East£51,400
West Midlands£50,200 (small sample)
Scotland£48,100 (small sample)
North West£44,700 (small sample)
East of England£41,500 (small sample)
South West£41,200 (small sample)
North East£40,600 (small sample)
East Midlands£39,900 (small sample)
Wales£38,300 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £41,700
  • 2024 £43,900
  • 2025 Provisional£46,200
↑ 11% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 1,700 jobs for chartered surveyors are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as elevated.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (3 in all)
Show as table
Aug 20262,609
Jul 20262,357
Jun 20261,329
May 20261,381
Apr 20261,382
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20261,351
Jan 20261,759
Dec 20251,020
Nov 20251,706
Oct 20251,797
Sept 20251,747
Aug 20251,695
Jul 2025Not published
Jun 2025Not published
May 20251,968
Apr 20251,373
Mar 20251,600
Feb 20252,187
Jan 20251,585
Dec 20241,009
Nov 20241,315
Oct 20241,483
Sept 20241,596
Aug 20241,451
Jul 20241,560
Jun 20241,323
May 20241,655
Apr 20241,623
Mar 20241,680
Feb 20241,452
Jan 20241,936
Dec 20231,503
Nov 20231,607
Oct 20231,510
Sept 20231,533
Aug 20231,508
Jul 20231,623
Jun 20232,186
May 20232,063
Apr 20231,913
Mar 20231,749
Feb 20231,857
Jan 20232,151
Dec 20221,512
Nov 20221,956
Oct 20221,822
Sept 20221,768
Aug 20221,900
Jul 20221,863
Jun 20222,000
May 20222,143
Apr 20221,566
Mar 20221,887
Feb 20221,777
Jan 20222,225
Dec 20211,585
Nov 20211,712
Oct 20211,842
Sept 20211,978
Aug 20211,693
Jul 20212,222
Jun 20212,187
May 20212,233
Apr 20212,054
Mar 20212,563
Feb 20211,789
Jan 20211,990
Dec 20201,653
Nov 20201,727
Oct 20201,702
Sept 20201,301
Aug 20201,099
Jul 20201,051
Jun 20201,313
May 2020588
Apr 20201,066
Mar 20201,984
Feb 20202,123
Jan 20201,848
Dec 20191,620
Nov 20192,068
Oct 20192,176
Sept 20191,923
Aug 20192,128
Jul 20192,130
Jun 20192,125
May 20192,023
Apr 20191,318
Mar 20191,511
Feb 20191,473
Jan 20191,933
Dec 20181,176
Nov 20181,493
Oct 20181,387
Sept 20181,401
Aug 20181,430
Jul 20181,291
Jun 20181,280
May 20181,388
Apr 20181,319
Mar 20181,497
Feb 20181,416
Jan 20181,441
Dec 20171,187
Nov 20171,526
Oct 20171,438
Sept 20171,396
Aug 20171,548
Jul 20171,577
Jun 20172,118
May 20171,985
Apr 20172,049
Mar 20172,162
Feb 20171,796
Jan 20171,938
Is there a shortage of chartered surveyors?
Elevated

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment; in 2024 it was not high.

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsWell above usual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedUsual
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
72%against 27% for all jobs
DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London986
Birmingham215
Manchester201
Bristol, City of146
Leeds109
Glasgow City80
Cambridge68
Oxford62
Liverpool57
Gloucester56
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where chartered surveyors are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 87 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from Belgium, Croatia, Netherlands, ranking it 108th of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of chartered surveyors
3.3%!
27%!
19%!
23%!
19%!
9.1%!
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
16–243.3% (small sample)
25–3427% (small sample)
35–4419% (small sample)
45–5423% (small sample)
55–6419% (small sample)
65+9.1% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent81%
Higher education below degree!4.8%
A levels or equivalent!7.5%
GCSEs or equivalent!3.7%
Other qualifications!1.6%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent81%
Higher education below degree4.8% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent7.5% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent3.7% (small sample)
Other qualifications1.6% (small sample)

Main employers: engineering activities and related technical consultancy (27%), construction of residential and non-residential buildings (17%), real estate agencies (12%), development of building projects (6.9%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
81%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
3
from level 6, including degree apprenticeships
Apprenticeships take
4 to 5 years
typically

Routes in

Land surveyor

You can get into this job through:

University

You'll usually need a relevant degree or postgraduate qualification, accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

Relevant subjects include:

  • surveying
  • civil engineering
  • geomatics
  • geographical information science

You may be able to do a postgraduate conversion course if your first degree is not related to surveying.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths
  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
  • a degree in any subject for a postgraduate course

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do Geospatial and Mapping Science Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship, or a Spatial Data Specialist Level 7 Degree Apprenticeship.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a degree apprenticeship

Other routes

You could get a postgraduate qualification through a graduate trainee scheme.

You could also get a graduate diploma in surveying by distance learning, with the University of the Built Environment, if you're working for a surveying practice.

Registration and professional bodies

Registration
  • you can register with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors to become a chartered surveyor through the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) scheme
Professional and industry bodies

You can join the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors for professional recognition, training opportunities and to make industry contacts.

Further information

You can find out more about becoming a land surveyor from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and The Survey Association.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for land surveyor. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Rural surveyor

You can get into this job through:

University

You can study for a degree in surveying, accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors or approved by the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers.

Employers will often accept other subjects, such as:

  • geography
  • geographic information science
  • rural estate and land management
  • land use and environmental management
  • rural business management
  • environment and sustainable development

You can do a postgraduate conversion course if your first degree is not related to surveying.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
  • a degree in any subject for a postgraduate course

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do a Chartered Surveyor Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship.

This takes around 5 years to complete and combines on-the-job training with university study.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a degree apprenticeship

Other routes

If you have a degree, you may be able to join a graduate training scheme with a surveying practice. Your employer would put you through a structured training programme.

You can also study for a degree or postgraduate qualification in surveying or real estate management through the University of the Built Environment. These courses are done through supported online learning.

Registration and professional bodies

Professional and industry bodies

You can join the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors or the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers for professional development training and networking opportunities.

Further information

You can get more advice about careers in surveying from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for rural surveyor. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Building surveyor

You can get into this job through:

University

You'll usually need a degree or professional qualification approved by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in a subject like:

  • surveying
  • construction
  • civil engineering
  • building engineering

If you graduated in an unrelated subject, you may be able to do a surveying postgraduate conversion course.

Course entry requirements vary, so check with individual universities which degrees they accept.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
  • a degree in any subject for a postgraduate course

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do a Chartered Surveyor Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship with a construction or surveying company.

It may be possible to work towards this role by doing a Surveying Technician Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship. You would then need to follow this up with further training to qualify as a surveyor.

RICS has more information on surveying apprenticeships.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

Other ways in

Work your way up

If you have a relevant foundation degree or higher national diploma and are working, for example as a surveying technician, you may be able to study for more qualifications on the job to become a building surveyor.

Other routes

If you have a degree, you could do a postgraduate surveying qualification through:

  • a company graduate trainee scheme
  • distance learning with the University of the Built Environment

Registration and professional bodies

Registration
  • you can register with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors to become a chartered surveyor through the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) scheme
Further information

You can find out more about careers in surveying through the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Chartered Institute of Building.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for building surveyor. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Planning and development surveyor

You can get into this job through:

University

You'll usually need to do an accredited degree approved by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

Relevant subjects include:

  • surveying
  • business studies
  • economics
  • estate management
  • land and property development

If your degree is in an unrelated subject or is not accredited by RICS, you could take an accredited postgraduate qualification in surveying.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
  • a degree in any subject for a postgraduate course

College

You could take a college course and enter the profession as a surveying technician. After completing your course, you would do further professional qualifications or a degree apprenticeship.

Courses include:

  • construction
  • construction and the built environment
  • T Level in Design, Surveying and Planning for Construction
Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You can apply to do an apprenticeship, for example:

  • Surveying Technician Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
  • Chartered Surveyor Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship

If you follow the surveying technician route, you would need to do further training to qualify as a planning and development surveyor.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

Other ways in

Work your way up

If you have a higher national diploma or foundation degree in surveying or construction, you may be able to work as a surveying technician, and take further training on the job to qualify as a surveyor.

Other routes

You may be able to do a postgraduate qualification through a graduate trainee scheme with a company or through distance learning with the University of the Built Environment.

Registration and professional bodies

Registration
  • you can register with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors to become a chartered surveyor through the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) scheme
Further information

You can find out more about how to become a planning and development surveyor from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for planning and development surveyor. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Apprenticeships

3 for this job
Level 6About 5 yearsDegree

Chartered surveyor

You gain
Apprentices will be required to complete a Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors…
Employers may ask for
Apprentices will be required to complete a Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) accredited BSc/BSc(Honours) or (where the apprentice already holds…
Details on Skills England

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • surveys, measures and describes land surfaces to establish property boundaries and to aid with construction or cartographic work
  • surveys mines, prepares drawings of surfaces, hazards and other features to control the extent and direction of mining
  • surveys buildings to determine necessary alterations and repairs
  • measures shore lines, elevations and underwater contours, establishes high and low water marks, plots shore features and defines navigable channels

Skills

  • perform surveying calculations
  • process collected survey data
  • use geographic information systems
  • collect data using GPS
  • use CAD software
  • apply digital mapping
  • collect mapping data
  • compile GIS-data
  • conduct land surveys
  • create GIS reports
  • create thematic maps
  • operate surveying instruments
  • compare survey computations
  • create cadastral maps

Knowledge

  • cartography
  • geographic information systems
  • surveying methods
  • geodesy
  • geography
  • geomatics
  • mathematics
  • surveying

Suits people who like

  • Organising and following procedures
  • Practical, hands-on work

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for business, media and public service professionals, a group of 32 jobs that includes chartered surveyors.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 26%about 670,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20352.1 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

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