Career Options

The following are a number of the Career paths open to you as part of Construction and the Built Environment.

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Architect

An architect is trained and licensed in planning and designing buildings, and participates in supervising the construction of a building. An architect must understand the building and operational codes to which the design must conform, to not omit any requirement, produce improper, conflicting, ambiguous, or confusing requirements.

Architects must understand the construction methods available to the builder in constructing the client's building and structures, in order to negotiate with the client in producing the best possible building via a compromise between the desired results with the actual costs and construction schedule limits.

Salary circa: £30000—10% of project value

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Architectural Technician

Architectural technicians use their knowledge and expertise to make sure building designs are practical and useable. They work on domestic, commercial and industrial projects. You would support architectural technologists, architects and other professionals in the construction industry.

Your work would include, collecting, organising and investigating technical information for use during project development, preparing drawings, creating plans, developing specifications for construction work, using computer aided design (CAD) as well as traditional drawing methods

Salary circa: £15000—£20000

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Building Inspector

Building control officers, also known as building control surveyors, make sure that buildings meet construction regulations. These regulations cover areas like public health, fire safety, energy conservation and building accessibility. You would work on the planning and construction phases of a building project. Projects could range in size from a small housing extension to a large city centre redevelopment.

Your key duties would include, liaising with architects, designers, builders and engineers on planning proposals, suggesting ways to improve the cost-effectiveness of materials and energy use, carrying out regular inspections at each stage of the building process, maintaining records and issuing completion certificates. You would also be responsible for surveying potentially dangerous buildings that have been damaged by fire or bad weather. If necessary, you could approve their demolition. Other responsibilities may include authorising entertainment licences, and checking safety at sports grounds, open-air events, cinemas and theatres.

Salary circa: £21000—£40000

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Clerk of Works

As a clerk of works, or site inspector, you would oversee the quality and safety of work on a construction site, making sure that building plans are being followed correctly.

Your duties would include, performing regular inspections of the work on site, measuring and sampling building materials to check their quality, recording results either on paper or a hand-held PDA, identifying defects and suggesting ways to correct them, liaising with other construction staff, such as contractors, engineers and surveyors, monitoring and reporting progress to construction managers and clients.

Salary circa: £20000—£26000

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Civil Engineer

As a civil engineer you would plan, design and manage construction projects. Projects could range from the relatively small-scale, such as bridge repairs, through to large national schemes, like the building of the new Olympic stadium.

Civil engineering covers several specialist areas of engineering, so you could be employed in any one of the following branches, structural – dams, buildings, offshore platforms and pipelines, transportation – roads, railways, canals and airports, environmental – water supply networks, drainage and flood barriers, maritime – ports, harbours and sea defences, geotechnical – mining, earthworks and construction foundations. These branches can overlap, but in all areas, your typical duties could include, discussing requirements with the client and other professionals like architects, surveyors and building contractors, analysing survey, mapping and materials-testing data with computer modelling software, drawing up blueprints, using computer aided design (CAD) packages, judging whether projects are workable by assessing materials, costs, time and labour requirements, assessing the environmental impact and risks connected to projects, preparing bids for tenders, and reporting to clients, public agencies and planning bodies, managing, directing and monitoring progress during each phase of a project, making sure sites meet legal guidelines, and health and safety requirements.

Salary circa: £26000—£37000

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Structural Engineer

Structural engineers design the framework that holds a building or structure together, to make it strong and flexible enough to withstand the stresses put on it over its lifetime.

As well as designing new buildings, they also make sure that old buildings remain safe. As a structural engineer your work would involve, working closely with clients, architects, contractors and other professionals on construction plans, developing design ideas, using computer aided design (CAD) packages, investigating the properties of materials like glass, steel and concrete, and advising on which may be most suitable for the job, working out the loads and stresses on different parts of a structure like the foundations, beams, arches and walls, using computer simulations to predict how structures will react under different conditions, for example storm-force winds, earth tremors or sabotage, inspecting unsafe buildings and recommending options for repairs or demolition, making sure that projects meet legal guidelines, environmental directives, and health and safety requirements, preparing bids for tenders, supervising project teams and giving progress reports to clients and senior managers. You could work on a variety of projects, such as new offices and apartment blocks, sports arenas, bridges and tunnels. Your designs would have to be cost-efficient and allow the structure to fulfil its intended purpose, while still being visually appealing.

Salary circa: £24000—£40000

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Quantity Surveyor

Building surveyors advise clients about the design and construction of new buildings and the maintenance, repair, renovation and conservation of existing ones. Clients can range from home owners to large commercial and industrial companies with property assets. Your work as a surveyor would usually focus on three main areas – surveying, legal work, and planning and inspection.

Your duties could include, surveying properties, identifying structural faults and making recommendations for repairs, assessing damage for insurance purposes, for example as a result of fire or flooding, assessing dilapidation liability (who is responsible for building repair costs),advising clients on issues such as property boundary disputes, acting as a client’s advocate or standing as an expert witness during legal proceedings, checking properties to make sure they meet Building Regulations, and fire safety and accessibility standards, dealing with planning applications, and improvement or conservation grants, assessing homes for energy efficiency and producing Home Condition Reports (see the profiles for Domestic Energy Assessor and Home Inspector for details about these roles). Depending on the size of your company, you may cover all of these tasks, or you might specialise in just one. Other duties would include supervising a surveying team made up of assistants and technicians.

Salary circa: £23000—£38000

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Construction Managers

Construction managers, also known as site managers or site agents, supervise and direct operations on a construction project to make sure it is completed safely, on time and within budget.

As a manager on smaller sites, you would often have full responsibility for the whole project. On larger sites, you may be in charge of a particular section, reporting to the senior manager. Your duties would typically include, discussing plans with architects, surveyors and buyers before building work starts, planning work schedules for the job, using project management software, preparing the site by hiring staff, installing temporary offices and taking delivery of materials, working closely with the site workforce once building is underway, monitoring progress, costs and checking quality, making sure the work meets legal requirements and Building Regulations, reporting regularly to the client. You would also be the main point of contact for subcontractors and the public. As a senior manager, you would oversee several projects at the same time.

Salary circa: £27000—£40000