Property Apprenticeships

At LocatED, we’re committed to promoting the property profession as a potential career to everyone. We seek to ensure that there are routes into property that work for everybody – whether you’re a school leaver, someone more established in your career and looking for a lateral move, or returning to the workplace.

Following the success of our Graduate Surveyor Programme, we have partnered with the University College of Estates Management (UCEM) to develop an Apprenticeship Surveyor Programme.

This provides a mix of hands-on experience, structured learning, and development opportunities to support apprentices in completing the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC). Apprentices who pass the APC will gain membership to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and become Chartered Surveyors through the Commercial Real Estate pathway.

As an Apprentice Surveyor, you will follow a defined learning plan, which includes rotations in our acquisitions, disposals, technical & planning, development, and asset management functions, and time spent on placement at the government’s Valuation Office Agency. You will also receive ongoing one-to-one support and mentoring from senior members of LocatED, while playing a valuable role in helping our team meet its core objectives.

Our Apprentice Surveyors benefit from:

• 25 days annual leave plus bank/statutory holidays
• Matched pension contribution up to 6%
• Opportunity to earn up to 10% bonus in a performance related pay scheme
• Access to high quality training and professional development opportunities
• Life assurance cover plus Smart Health
• Two paid days each year to volunteer with a charity of your choice.

To join the programme, you will need:

• 96 UCAS tariff points (or equivalent) and English and Mathematics GCSEs at Level 4 (Grade C) or above
• Good oral and written communication skills
• Some IT capabilities in Microsoft packages.

How to apply

We will advertise apprentice vacancies here.

Melissa’s story

“As clichéd as it sounds, I have always had a passion for property and decided to give the Apprenticeship Surveyor Programme a go. As part of the programme, I am rotating around different departments in LocatED. I want to become a Chartered Surveyor, maybe even a Fellow – the sky’s the limit I have personally found apprenticeships to be an excellent way to gain general workplace experience, understand how a business works and improve my personal and social skills. Apprenticeships have changed over the years and in turn are becoming more diverse. For anyone thinking of doing something similar, I would say – give it a go!”

Brendan’s story

“When I joined LocatED working in Business Support, I found myself listening to the other Surveyors’ conversations and how they approached the acquisition of a site. This intrigued me and made me want to take on this apprenticeship. Also, the ability to be business-minded while building schools and giving back aligns with my values. I am a business graduate but went into a few roles that didn’t fit my personality or ambitions. I thought that at 28 I would be too old to apply but that wasn’t the case. Apprenticeships come in all shapes and sizes and the possibilities are endless. Age doesn’t matter; personal progression and development is an investment in yourself. I am only halfway through the apprenticeship, but I look forward to rotating around all the different teams. While it’s daunting, I very much look forward to the APC process and working on projects, taking on the responsibly for an acquisition or planning due diligence.”

Ben’s story

“I decided to start an apprenticeship as I saw it as a great route into become a qualified Surveyor, by allowing me to gain real world experience in the workplace while simultaneously studying towards an accredited degree. Having completed my A-levels I wasn’t entirely sure of pursuing the more traditional route of going to university, and after looking at a property apprenticeship I felt this was better suited for me. Being able to train and apply my learnings first-hand is something I found particularly appealing.”

Tom’s story

“My interest in property started back in secondary school, where I based my entire art project on looking at old industrial buildings and structures. But I needed to start working immediately, which overshadowed any further venture down that path. I went into hospitality and security, and then spent 12 years working in education. I felt that because I lacked a degree it was unlikely that I would further my career in education, and I had already hit the ceiling in the role I was in, in terms of progression. At the same time, my grandmother sadly passed away, but with my inheritance I was able to purchase and redesign my home, which reignited my passion for the built environment and inspired me to find out more about routes to pivot my career.

I was introduced to LocatED and the opportunities it provides in terms of pathways into property. I initially thought I’d be too old to partake in the apprenticeship as I thought it was more of a role for uni graduates, but I soon found out that age didn’t factor into any of the decisions when taking on an apprenticeship. This seemed like my new path…. a re-education where I could gain a degree at the end of it, be in a hands-on learning role and at the same time get paid! So, I applied, and with the amazing help and guidance from Julie, LocatED’s Chief People Officer, I was able to get myself onto a six-month BSc Access course in Estate Management, which on completion allows me to fully enrol in the Chartered Surveyor Apprenticeship program at UCEM while gaining all the on-the-job experience through LocatED.

The idea of going back to school for someone in their forties is obviously daunting. But I would say to anyone thinking about taking up an apprenticeship to just go for it. I am evidence that you don’t need to have gone to university, you don’t need to be young, and there are ways to bolster your existing qualifications to further, or indeed restart, a new career in an old passion.”

Non-Property Apprenticeships

We also support our team to undertake external apprenticeships, including in finance, HR and digital and technology solutions.

Alrick’s story

Alrick initially joined LocatED in 2016 as a Project Manager but has since pivoted his career to finance and is now undertaking an AAT accounting apprenticeship.

“All of my previous roles have had an element of finance and I have always wanted to go into the field on a more exclusive basis but felt I didn’t have enough experience to do so.  LocatED is the first company that has not only given me the opportunity to work in finance on a full-time basis, but to also help me develop my skills even further with the AAT accounting apprenticeship. The ultimate goal is to be a qualified accountant, although having a career in finance generally was my ambition and thanks to LocatED, I’ve now made that step.”