The hours worked range between 7 to 9 hours a day and may involve some weekend work.

Although
most of the time is spend in office, some traveling and site visits are involved with each project. The
quantity surveyor must be able to work with people and materials as well as have an extensive
understanding of how tenders work.

JOb Description of a Quantity Surveyor

The quantity surveyor sometimes works with enormous amounts and large contracts and such must:

 Have an understanding of the tender process

 Must be able to work with people
 Possess excellent mathematical and accounting skills
 Should be an expert with regards to land, commercial and building laws
 Be analytical and organized
 Should be able to work as part of a team
 Be an outstanding manager and strategic planner
 Be computer literate
 Have report writing skills

Training
You need either a B.Tech or higher degree from a university or college. If you already have an accounting
or project management background, you may get accreditation through a learning-while-working program.
A post graduate qualification is a requirement if you aspire to become a chartered quantity surveyor.

Prospects
The demand for quantity surveyors varies according to the building and property market. There are
several openings every year at local government level. Developers and large commercial builders require
the assistance of quantity surveyors on a regular basis.

A Quantity Surveyor (QS) works in the construction field, analyzing and assessing (surveying)
the costs related to building construction and design. This is a mid-high level position, that
requires a fair amount of education to obtain. The capacities that Quantity Surveyors operate in
vary from employer to employer, and country to country. They can have very specialized or very
general fields of expertise.

There are many duties that a Quantity Surveyor can have as part of their job. They usually work
out in the field, and perform the following functions:

 cost/benefit analysis
 planning management
 cost planning
 change control
 cost estimation
 dispute resolutions
 control construction costs

They generally work as part of a team, which consists of a contractor, the client, the architect and the
engineer. Quantity Surveyors have a reputation for fairness and dispute resolutions. They know how
much it costs for labor and materials. It is their job to understand the big picture of a construction
project, and how any changes will affect the cost of the project.

Salary

The beginning salary, depending on the job, is anywhere from 25,000 USD - 38,000 USD per
year. Between $37,000 and $75,000 is a typical senior salary. Those who are partners at privately
owned companies stand to earn a significantly higher salary than others.

Benefits or being a Quantity Surveyor can include shift and site differentials, paid on top of their
salary. They also commonly receive health care benefits. A pension and a company car are not
unheard of, either.