Summer jobs home and away: quantity surveying work placements in London and Romania

I did a week’s work experience placement with a small surveying company at school and really enjoyed it. I decided to study surveying at university and I completed two summer placements with Gardiner & Theobald during my first and second years. To apply, I submitted a profile of myself online, which was actually simpler than writing a CV and covering letter.

My first placement

At the start of my first placement, I went through an induction programme and was assigned to a team. My team was working on a project at Victoria Station and I helped with tendering and conducted valuations out on site under the supervision of an equity partner. This was a great introduction to surveying in the real world and I was encouraged to ask questions. In quieter times, the team even helped me with my university work! The company also arranged socials for all their placement students.

Going abroad

At the end of the placement, I spoke to the equity partner about how I was hoping to work abroad next summer and he suggested I speak to the HR manager responsible for the firm’s overseas offices. This was how I found myself on a placement in Romania. I encountered the same day-to-day tasks that I’d enjoyed in London but, because it was a smaller office, I got to take on more responsibility. The spoken language in the office was English and the documents were drafted in English too, but I did start to learn Romanian. Everyone was welcoming and the ex-pats out there took me under their wing.

Words of wisdom

Work experience placements supplement your learning so they’re definitely worth doing – always apply to the companies you’re interested in and keep in contact with the people you meet there.

Stephen Jolley was a vacation student with Gardiner & Theobald. He has a BSc in construction management and surveying from Reading University.