Quantity Surveyor
Also advertised as: Assistant Quantity Surveyor, Commercial Manager, Cost Consultant, Cost Manager, Estimator, Quantity Surveyor
Controls the cost and contracts of construction projects from tender to final account.
What the job involves
Quantity surveyors price work, manage variations, value completed work and settle final accounts. It combines commercial judgement with construction knowledge, and degree apprenticeships mean you can qualify without paying fees.
Typical responsibilities
- Prepare cost estimates and tenders
- Value completed work and process payments
- Manage variations and contract change
- Control project cost and forecast final account
- Advise on contract and risk
Common employers
- Main contractors
- Subcontractors
- Consultancies
- Housebuilders
- Councils
Pay, hours and working environment
Typical pay
£26,000 – £34,000 a year
With experience
£45,000 – £70,000 a year
Typical hours
40 hours with site visits
Working environment
Office and construction sites
Remote working
hybrid
Demand for this work
high
Pay ranges are indicative guidance drawn from advertised UK vacancies and published careers information. They are not an offer, and actual pay varies by employer, location and experience.
Skills and qualifications
Core skills
- Cost estimating
- Contract knowledge
- Measurement
- Negotiation
- Commercial reporting
Transferable skills you may already have
- Estimating jobs
- Reading drawings
- Numeracy
Requirements employers ask for
- Cost estimating
- Contract knowledge
- Measurement
- Negotiation
- Commercial reporting
- No formal qualification required, but a degree or HNC is usual
Useful but not essential
- Estimating jobs
- Reading drawings
- Numeracy
- RICS accredited degree and chartership
- Level 6 Quantity Surveying apprenticeship
Helpful qualifications
- RICS accredited degree and chartership
- Level 6 Quantity Surveying apprenticeship
Ways into this career
A degree is only one route. Where an apprenticeship, work-experience or qualification route exists, it is listed here alongside the academic option.
Apprenticeships and work-based routes
- Construction Quantity Surveyor (Level 6)
Degree and college routes
- Related subject: Quantity surveying
- Related subject: Construction management
- Related subject: Civil engineering
Where this career can lead
next
Senior Quantity Surveyor
next
Commercial Manager
next
Commercial Director
The good parts and the hard parts
What people enjoy
- Degree apprenticeship route avoids fees
- Strong pay and chartered status
- Transfers between contractors easily
What people find hard
- Contractual disputes are stressful
- Deadline pressure at valuation dates
Common questions
- Do you need a degree to become a quantity surveyor?
- No. As well as degree routes, this career can be entered through an apprenticeship or by building experience and qualifications on the job. preferred
- How much does a quantity surveyor earn in the UK?
- Typical advertised pay runs from £26,000 to £34,000 a year, rising towards £70,000 with experience. Figures are indicative guidance rather than an offer.
- What skills transfer into this career?
- Skills that transfer well include Estimating jobs, Reading drawings, Numeracy.
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Where this information comes from
- National Careers Service
- Institute for Apprenticeships
Last reviewed 14 September 2026.
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