What is quantity surveyor?

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00:00 in today's video we'll be explaining 00:02 what a quantity surveyor is 00:03 the roles and responsibilities and how 00:05 you can become a quantity surveyor too 00:08 before we start if you're enjoying these 00:10 videos or found them useful in any way 00:12 please be sure to subscribe and hit the 00:14 notification icon to get alerts when we 00:16 upload new content 00:17 every wednesday so what 00:20 is a quantity surveyor usually at matron 00:23 we study many resources online and 00:25 physical books 00:26 to give you the best and most up-to-date 00:29 but whilst doing this video we 00:31 discovered that the explanation of what 00:32 a quantity surveyor is 00:34 is actually a little confusing so we 00:37 decided to tell you 00:38 in the most simple and easy to 00:40 understand way 00:41 a quantity surveyor is a professional 00:43 within the construction industry 00:45 concerned with cost procurement and 00:47 contracts 00:49 to make it even more simple the main 00:51 reason a company would hire a quantity 00:53 surveyor 00:53 is to accurately manage the cost on a 00:55 project and if managed correctly a 00:58 quantity survey should more than pay for 00:59 themselves 01:00 through the savings they make if you're 01:03 a qs 01:04 you're probably shouting at the screen 01:06 saying that's not all we do 01:08 and you'd be right the roles and 01:09 responsibilities of a quantity surveyor 01:11 exceed more than just ensuring the cost 01:13 on a project 01:14 is managed a normal day for a qs 01:17 may include estimating or forecasting 01:19 the cost of labour 01:21 plant and material required on a project 01:23 preparing tender documents 01:25 contracts budgets bill of quantities and 01:27 other documentation 01:28 tracking changes to the design or method 01:30 of working and adjusting budget 01:32 projections accordingly 01:34 procuring or agreeing on the services of 01:36 contractors or subcontractors 01:38 who work on the construction of a 01:39 project measuring and valuing the work 01:41 completed on sites 01:43 issuing payments to subcontractors 01:45 liaising with a client and other 01:47 construction professionals 01:48 such as site managers project managers 01:50 and site engineers 01:52 and selecting and sourcing construction 01:54 materials 01:56 now you know what a quantity surveyor is 01:58 as well as what they do on a normal day 02:01 how can you become a quantity surveyor 02:03 although not true in all cases 02:05 the majority of individuals fall into 02:07 one of the following two categories 02:09 one obtaining a degree here you would 02:12 study quantity surveying 02:14 in university usually spanning over 02:16 three years 02:17 the major advantage of this route is 02:19 that you'd be a fully qualified quantity 02:20 surveyor 02:21 at a very early age potentially by the 02:24 age of 21. 02:25 the major disadvantage is the cost you'd 02:28 have to spend 9 02:29 000 pounds a year to study this degree 02:31 in the uk you'd also not gain on-site 02:33 experience 02:34 unless you take a placement year between 02:36 your degree 02:38 two apprenticeship or part-time degree 02:41 here a company would hire you and pay 02:43 for your education 02:44 this degree is usually five years 02:46 instead of three as you'd be studying 02:48 part-time 02:49 the main advantage is that the company 02:51 is paying for your degree and you'll 02:52 also be gaining valuable on-site 02:54 experience 02:56 the biggest disadvantage is that you'd 02:57 have to juggle your work life 02:59 personal life and educational life all 03:01 at once which can be very stressful 03:04 please take note if you do decide to go 03:06 down this route the company would 03:07 usually set a clause in your contract 03:09 which states that you will need to stay 03:11 with the company for a set amount of 03:12 years 03:13 after you finished your degree or pay 03:15 back the cost to your employer 03:17 this means that if the contract 03:18 stipulates three years and the degree 03:20 takes five years 03:22 you'll have to stay with this company 03:23 for eight years in order to get this 03:25 degree free of charge 03:27 we'd love to hear your stories on how 03:29 you became a quantity surveyor 03:31 or if you're still in the process of 03:33 what made you choose this career path 03:35 also if there are any topics you'd like 03:37 us to cover in future videos 03:38 please tell us in the comments section 03:40 below matron 03:42 a commercial hub to your business