Carter Jonas LLP |

Dean works as an Associate Partner in the Birmingham Infrastructure team, with responsibility for managing teams, client relationships, the progress of client instructions and also for developing new business opportunities.

A day in the life of Dean

I live in rural Herefordshire and commute into Birmingham City Centre a few times a week. For me, a typical day would be:

5:15am – Get up, have breakfast, get ready and leave for work by 6:15am.

6:15am – Drive to Hereford Train Station to get on the earliest possible train for Birmingham.

7:10am-8:40am – Work on my laptop on the train, reviewing emails, reports and actions from meetings.

8:40am-8:50am – Walk from Birmingham Train Station to the office

9am–4:30pm - Work in the office, generally would involve:

• Team meetings
• Client meetings
• Working on client files/reports
• Contract management activities
• Business Development/strategy

4:30pm-4:40pm – Walk from office to Birmingham Train Station

4:50pm-6:20pm - Work on my laptop on the train, reviewing emails, reports and actions from meetings and updating timesheets.

6:20pm - Drive home.

7:00pm – Arrive home for an evening with my family.

Naturally, I live further afield to most, so my usual day is long, but this is a personal choice for my wife and I, and Carter Jonas have been supportive and flexible towards our needs.

I subscribe to the ethos, work hard, play hard, and therefore in outside of my office hours I will take time to socialise with the team on a regular basis, getting involved in the monthly office socials and events. I also enjoy getting involved in charity sporting events with the company such as golf, cycling and running. I also regularly enjoy going on long walks in the Herefordshire hills with my family.

Having finished my master's degree at Reading, I moved into a rental property in Cambridge with two other girls who are also in surveying.

7:45am-8am: My alarm goes off and I hit the snooze button for an extra 10 minutes in bed. Once I’ve fully woken up, I’m dressed and out the door by 8.30am/8.40am. My commute to work is a leisurely 15-minute walk in a scenic part of the city, during this walk I like to listen to my favourite podcast and grab an iced latte on route. If I manage to push myself out the door earlier, I can make it to an exercise class at the gym, which is (trust me) a really fun way to wake you up for the day.

9am-10am: As soon as I arrive at the office, I’ll have a flick through the daily newspaper (reading my daily horoscope is my favourite part). I then make a cup of tea and offer a tea round to the rest of my immediate team if I’m feeling generous. I settle down at my desk and catch up on some emails followed by making an action list for the day. Once a week we have a short team meeting whereby we discuss what work we have undertaken and any upcoming instructions or business development ideas.

10am-1pm : No day is the same in surveying, for example, some weeks I will be out on site 2-3 times a week. This could be inspecting a property or field, meeting with a client prior to marketing their property, or conducting viewings. Other times, I'm in the office 5 days a week focusing on emails and other professional work such as a valuation report. This variation is a great element of the job, it is mostly attributed to being in the rural division as we cover a wide range of services in our work. It helps keep the job interesting and is a good way of filling my APC diary.

1pm-2pm: A group of us in the office usually lunch together from 1pm to 2pm. In the summer months, we luckily have a well-maintained green space just outside the office to take our lunch outside in the good weather. If not, we all congregate around the lunch table for a good chit chat – this sociability is between colleagues is a real plus point to working in the office as it provides a nice break to your workday and helps build working relationships. There are a wide variety of food options near our office which can be tempting however I like to bring in my own lunch.

2pm-5.30pm : Back to work after lunch with another cup of tea in hand. The afternoons usually consist of finishing off any uncompleted jobs, catching up on my APC diary or site visits. For example, this afternoon, I launched a farmyard on the market and have been liaising with interested parties. However, last week I met with architects and a building surveyor to conduct surveys for a barn conversion I am overseeing. When it comes to the end of the day, I will usually check in with my colleagues what tomorrow’s priorities are going to be and if anyone is heading out on site. Then it is time to pack up and head out for the day.

Post work: A handful of us between divisions have been having weekly tennis matches at the nearby courts (my team is definitely winning by the way). If we aren’t going to play tennis then there are lots of options for afterwork activities in the city, such as the Young Professionals Matrics group who host several socials such as rounders, punting, quizzes, and pub ‘networking’ trips!

How did you start your career with us and why did you choose Carter Jonas?

I started my time at Carter Jonas on the internship, whilst things were still virtual! After an enjoyable week I was offered a place on the Commercial Pathway which I was hugely pleased about. Carter Jonas offers an excellent middle ground of responsibility and guidance which is perfect for progressing through the APC process. The people who work here also make the environment a positive one as everyone is super friendly.

What sort of work do you do and what are the skills required?

I am currently sitting in the Property and Asset Management team where I manage my own cases and have been given a lot of responsibility. The work is very varied having worked on Lease Renewals, Licences and Disposals, and often I will go on site inspections. Communication, problem solving and organisation are only a handful of the skills that are needed in this role of which I have developed enormously since arriving at Carter Jonas.

Is there a particular project you have enjoyed working on?

I am close to completing a Lease Renewal for a rugby club which has been in negotiations for over 5 years. It has certainly thrown at me some obstacles, so makes it even more rewarding to have nearly got this project over the line!

What makes Carter Jonas a great place to work?

The people, the environment and the work itself make each day enjoyable and a great place to start your career within property.

How did you start your career with us and why did you choose Carter Jonas?

I joined Carter Jonas as a Graduate in the Infrastructure team in March 2021 following the successful completion of my MSc Real Estate course at The Royal Agricultural University. After supporting my parents and their interests in respect of an infrastructure scheme close to their property, I decided to pursue a career in surveying and returned to study. I chose Carter Jonas because of its involvement in a wide range of infrastructure schemes including road, rail and utilities acting on behalf of landowners and Acquiring Authorities.

What sort of work do you do and what are the skills required?

My work is very varied – I can be liaising with landowners to arrange access for multiple ecology surveys on one scheme, assisting colleagues with valuations for properties as part of the acquisition process, undertaking negotiations for the acquisition of a property for a homeowner on another scheme, or compiling a compensation claim for a landowner.

Being organised and having an ability to manage a varied workload is essential as you can be working on several schemes and with different clients at the same time. Good communication skills are essential as well as an ability to empathise with affected landowners. The ability to develop good working relationships with colleagues, other surveyors and clients is also essential.

Is there a particular project you have enjoyed working on?

I have been working on a road scheme since I started working at Carter Jonas. It has enabled me to be gain an understanding of all aspects of the scheme, not just the acquisition process but all the different stages of the scheme. This includes meeting landowners to discuss the impact of the scheme on their land and property, ensuring statutory notices are in situ and evidenced, attending public information events, undertaking valuations for the land and property to be acquired and being involved in the negotiations.

What makes Carter Jonas a great place to work?

The people and the projects. Everyone has been really welcoming and supportive in my career so far and there have been a wide range of opportunities and projects to develop my skills and experience.

How did you start your career with us and why did you choose Carter Jonas?

After watching a live presentation at a university careers day, I noted that Carter Jonas were one of the largest companies, carrying out exciting and varied work for high status clientele. The employees speaking at the event seemed happy in their role, as well as professional and competent.

What sort of work do you do and what are the skills required?

The main body of my workload has been reinstatement cost assessments for commercial and residential portfolios. This entails assessing the materials and quality of a property, before calculating values per square metre (can be done physically or as a desktop study). The second largest segment of my work is in dilapidations. This entails inspecting the condition a tenant has left a property in, analysing the lease they have signed, and calculating their financial liability for returning it to the condition they agreed to.

The skills for these are:

• Observation – inspecting every element of a property and leaving no stone unturned!
• Logic and organisation – making sure to develop a process that ensures work is tracked and organised in a way that leaves your brain free to focus on problem solving, rather than keeping track of progress.
• IT – The desktop RCAs have developed my AutoCAD abilities greatly, even in the short time I have been here. These skills are sure to directly assist me in achieving higher grades on my return to university and help in my career.
• Personal Professional Skills – Site visits often entail meeting with clients. Understanding the balance of maintaining professionalism, whilst still conveying personability, is a skill that is greatly beneficial, and only becomes more important as you climb the career ladder .

Is there a particular project you have enjoyed working on?

• Stanley House, King’s Road – A site inspection for a £10 million renovation on a £40 million mansion in Chelsea. The scale and individuality of the property was exciting, however, seeing such a large and old property stripped down, ready for development, also taught me a lot about building pathology.

What makes Carter Jonas a great place to work?

• Scale and prestige – I came from a residential lettings/sales background in Sheffield. One of the elements of Carter Jonas I find most fulfilling is the scope and clientele of the projects you work on. In the office, there are always interesting client phone calls and talks between teams. Constant exposure to this, even from departments outside of your own, can teach you a lot about the industry.
• People! – I was met with a warm welcome and open arms when I started at Carter Jonas. The team were keen to ensure I felt at home, both at work, and in my new city.
• Challenge – The workload set for you can often be above your current skill level, however, the team allow you to have a go, and offer effective guidance and feedback to teach you the correct way.