Colin
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Registered: 4th Apr 02
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quote:
Originally posted by JayCarr
Colin, yeah i dont think i could do QS or anything like that. Seems a little boring imo.
Worst job ive ever had mate & ive had a few!! Ive now (after retraining) went back to doing 12hr shifts, working away from home, getting caked in dirt to earn my crust - thats how much I hated it!! 
Nup deffo sitting in a stuffy office working out bills of quantities is not for me.............id rather scrub toilets for a living!!
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Mad Moe
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Registered: 14th Jun 01
Location: Northumberland
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quote:
Originally posted by Colin
quote:
Originally posted by JayCarr
Colin, yeah i dont think i could do QS or anything like that. Seems a little boring imo.
Nup deffo sitting in a stuffy office working out bills of quantities is not for me.............id rather scrub toilets for a living!!
Were you training as a PQS? If so no wonder you hated it, there's no way I could do that for a living!
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Colin
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Registered: 4th Apr 02
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P meaning?
I was taken on without having any formal surveying or even any basic building management qualifications if thats what you mean - to fill a job. I ended up enrolling myself in a college course, went a few months 2 evenings a month but it was a load of pish also. I got trained up by the senior QS & one of the company directors, basically we were a plumbing & heating sub-contractor & I had to do everything for all our jobs from tendering for the jobs from drawing, also pricing leadworks, stair risers, by-law storage solutions, to setting up equipment schedules, buying all the materials, having regular site presence & also doing rates for our guys as they were on a job rate wage.
The job was simple enough but it was no end of hassle day in day out. House builders are an absolute nightmare to deal with - not something id recommend to anyone!!
[Edited on 19-05-2009 by Colin]
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Mad Moe
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Registered: 14th Jun 01
Location: Northumberland
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P = Professional QS, tend to be more office based, producing tender/contract documents and the like, couldn't think of anything more boring. I get involved with a lot of the things you mention and more but for a main contractor. Personally I find it really interesting working on all manner of different construction projects but each to their own I suppose.
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Colin
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Registered: 4th Apr 02
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Well I acted professional most the time  I wouldnt say the company was though, it was full of cocks, a rich fatcat owner & everyone except me was ready to suck his banger in hope of a pay rise.
I done all the paper work, making up contracts, dealing with all our insurance issues, any time there was a pipe burst (every bleedin week with that shite Hep20!!!) I was dealing with it. Big veriety to my job really.
I was probably 80% office based...........it really done my nut in, I wanted to be outside!! lol
Possibly if the scope was wider as yours obviously is & my daily conversation didnt consist of how much 22mm copper we needed for such & such a site, what bog seat Barratt has changed to now & not bothered to tell me until last second they could & how many hours Rab gets for fitting a shower..........it might have been better.
I work here now -
Sometimes the waves come right over the side & if the compressor trips on the nightshift theres complete blackout - now thats exciting!!
[Edited on 19-05-2009 by Colin]
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Mad Moe
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Registered: 14th Jun 01
Location: Northumberland
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Got a few mates who work offshore and must say it does sound quite good fun and the money side of things certainly appeals. Personally I dont think I'd like being away from my family and friends for long periods of time
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Colin
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Registered: 4th Apr 02
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Well there is the being away from home bit but 60k for working 2 weeks from every 5 is what appeals to me.
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corsa - gus
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Registered: 8th Jan 07
Location: Aberdeen, Scotland
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Don't become a QS, its what I do. Its crap. I have yet to meet a QS with any sort of life!
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micra_pete
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Registered: 23rd Apr 03
Location: West Yorkshire
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quote:
Originally posted by Nath
I work 'in' surveying. I work for Leica, but on the service side.
You weren't at that XCES event the other week were you?
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Daimo B
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Registered: 20th Mar 00
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Jay your work on the railways?
Whats it like? What do you do?
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Avey
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Registered: 4th Sep 02
Location: North West, Drives:Cosmic Grey CTR
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Im a QS for a small (ish) regional house bashing company & its pretty decent.
Things over the past 18 months have been pretty grim - we have merged with another office & lost approx 40 staff over the 2 offices (site & office based people)
Pretty busy at the mo, just tendering new jobs & what not.
The job itself is very varied & has its moments. Suppose with it being a 'smaller' company, we don't get bogged down with the political bollocks that you get with the likes of Barrats, TW & the like.
Although, that said, we are all on 4 days weeks & have been for 6 months - Fridays off for me tho 
As for looking for jobs - try Jobs in Surveying or construction online
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Avey
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Registered: 4th Sep 02
Location: North West, Drives:Cosmic Grey CTR
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In terms of qualifications I've got a Nat Cert & HNC in Building & Construction (2 years @ 1 day per week) & around 8 years in the job
Didn't realise I'd been doing it that long! Feel like a bit of a fossil now 
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Nath
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Registered: 3rd Apr 02
Location: MK
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quote:
Originally posted by micra_pete
quote:
Originally posted by Nath
I work 'in' surveying. I work for Leica, but on the service side.
You weren't at that XCES event the other week were you?
Not me personally, but some of our Sales guys were.
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micra_pete
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Registered: 23rd Apr 03
Location: West Yorkshire
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ah right  just wondered if I saw you
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Nath
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Registered: 3rd Apr 02
Location: MK
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I think thats where we launched our new product.
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micra_pete
Premium Member
Registered: 23rd Apr 03
Location: West Yorkshire
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that new 3d laser thingy?
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Nath
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Registered: 3rd Apr 02
Location: MK
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It was a total station, but there might have also been that. We only see Total Stations and Levels where I work. There's another department for Scanners and 3D Imagery.
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JayCarr
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Registered: 19th Dec 02
Location: Cambs Drives:M3 & X3
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quote:
Originally posted by VXR
Jay your work on the railways?
Whats it like? What do you do?
Yeah work on the railway for Balfour Beatty. My actual job description is Technical officer, but in real terms i'm a civil engineer/surveyor. I do a bit of surveying, stressing, tamping during the week and at the weekend we rip out old track and replace it with nice new stuff. So at the weekend i make sure we dig deep enough, install the track in the right place etc. Lots of reponsibilities, having to sign to say that the track is fit for trains. If one derails and people die and you signed it as fit, you're going down. I hate signing stuff, but have to do it.
Its a good job, i love it tbh. We do 37 hours mon-fri and that includes traveling time. Then work 10 single weekend shifts every 13 weeks, anything over that and we get £228 a shift or if you do 2 shifts in one weekend one is worth £228.
Working on the railway can be rank at times, being sprayed with human piss and shit when someone flushes the toilet is not a nice experience Lots of dead animals everywhere too. Other than that its all good!
Cheers for the help everyone 
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willay
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Organiser: South East, National Events
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Registered: 10th Nov 02
Location: Roydon, Essex
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its fucked that trains just flush onto the tracks.
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Hammer
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Registered: 11th Feb 04
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That is such an antiquated practice, you'd have thought they'd have moved with the times and got rid of waste in a sterile fashion.
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Mad Moe
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Registered: 14th Jun 01
Location: Northumberland
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quote:
Originally posted by corsa - gus
Don't become a QS, its what I do. Its crap. I have yet to meet a QS with any sort of life!
Including yourself?
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JayCarr
Member
Registered: 19th Dec 02
Location: Cambs Drives:M3 & X3
User status: Offline
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Found a land surveying job which looks really good. Seems perfect for what i want to do. Only draw back is is quite far away. I travel just as far in my current job but have a van as part of the job. This doesn't say anything about a van. Also, it suggest school leavers should be keen to apply, meaning they wont pay much i assume? Worth a shot though.
Anohter point, you can only apply online and the online application is shocking, keeps crashing and really shit to navigate round. I've found an email address, but its just some random person, not anything to do with vanacies. Should i just email him and see if he can point me in the right direction?
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Colin
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Registered: 4th Apr 02
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One of my mates is a land surveyor. Ive been away to a few jobs with him before seem alright.
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charcoalgrill
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Registered: 23rd Oct 02
Location: Bristol
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quote:
Originally posted by AndyKent
In the nicest possible way, you're sort of in the worst place qualification wise. You haven't got the right letters to be fully qualified but you won't be cheap enough to take on as a proper junior as you say.
Not sure what to suggest to you really
I've got an ONC in Construction (2 years), and a Diploma in Surveying Practise (2 years) and now on the first year of my 4 year degree. Seems like its taking forever, but I'm still on a decent pay for someone my age, so doesn't bother me in the slightest.
Will be 2012 before I qualify though
you sound just like me- where did you do the diploma? CEM Reading? and where are you doing the degree?
it all depends on the type of surveying you want to do- if its a typical defects survey i cant imagine theres not alot of that about. But theres always demands for QS's (which i agree with other people- brick counting=BORING), theres transverse surveying, conservation surveying, valuation (plus insurance purposes), and the list could go on...
I have lots of surveying friends- 1 deals in energy assessments, another is an estate agent as he claims there is normally more money in it, another is a project manager, and another works surveying (and measuring) buildings to then look at converting to flats or other uses.
I think it would be difficult to get a job in surveying right now without qualifications, especially as lots of people are being made redundant so more qualified surveyors going for whatever available jobs. Maybe an ideal to do part time studying whilst your still working, and when the economy picks up you can hopefully take your pick of the jobs.
Hope that was helpful
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AndyKent
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Registered: 3rd Sep 05
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Yes mate, did the diploma with CEM in Reading, and now doing their Building Surveying Degree at the moment
Don't tell me your on the same course?
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