Construction Careers Advice with Womanthology

On Friday 30 September, RICS Recruit joined Womanthology for a Twitter Q&A on construction careers advice. The chat was hosted by Kath Moore, Managing Director of Women Into Construction.

If you missed the live chat or just want to refer back to Kath’s advice, we’ve assembled a comprehensive transcript of the questions and Kath’s answers below.

What types of jobs and employers are there in construction?

You can find any job role from engineers, surveyors, electricians and carpenters to lawyers, finance and media roles.

How can the industry tackle the lack of diversity in senior roles?

We need to tackle it through developing a pipeline and address the drop off of women in senior roles.

Has being part of the industry been what you hoped for?

I love the industry. It's interesting and exciting, but it can be difficult for women to progress. Women need to support each other and also have support from management to be encouraged and move forward.

How do I know which construction job is best for me?  

First of all, I'd ask: what are you interested in? Do you like designing or physically making things? Or you might enjoy maths and want to do calculations, so you may want to consider something like surveying/engineering. Construction is collaborative. Your job is about working with other people and building something as a team.

You can also search RICSRecruit.com to get an idea of what roles are out there.

What are the routes into construction careers?  

Routes in depend on the career. You could go for a construction related degree. Ideally get some work experience too. There’s the apprenticeship route too, which is a great way of getting in because your costs are paid for by the employer. Apprenticeships can be at trade level or at graduate level. Graduate level apprenticeships are particularly good. With graduate level apprenticeships you can save tens of thousands doing a degree and you can earn while you learn.

Will I be working in an office or on site?  

That will depend on your role. If you’ve gone for more of trade role you’ll be on site for most of the time. If your role is more of a back office function you might spend all your time in the office. If you’re a surveyor, you might be in the office and then go on site to check everything.

How much will I earn?  

Salaries vary. Construction is traditionally well-paid - e.g. people at project management level earn a good salary. People can expect more money in areas with skills shortages. You’d earn less in trade roles and back office functions.

The RICS 2016 Salary Survey has a detailed breakdown of salaries in the industry.