Apprentice Rural Surveyor
Sworders
WARE (SG11 2EB)
Closes on Friday 30 January 2026
Posted on 28 November 2025
Contents
Summary
We are seeking an enthusiastic apprentice to join our Hertfordshire team and work towards a degree and RICS qualification. You will gain hands-on experience across diverse projects whilst studying. We value a passion for rural matters, creative thinking and collaboration, and offer a supportive environment where your contribution counts.
- Wage
-
Competitive
Competitive wage offered
- Training course
- Chartered surveyor (degree) (level 6)
- Hours
-
Monday to Friday 9.00am - 5.30pm, additional work may be required outside those times during busy periods.
38 hours a week
- Start date
-
Monday 7 September 2026
- Duration
-
5 years
- Positions available
-
1
Work
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
What you'll do at work
Working with all our professionally qualified staff you will gain a diverse range of experience, be involved with complex and rewarding projects and quickly take responsibility.
You will work concurrently across different skill areas to ensure you have a varied workload, including:
- Diversification advice and appraisals
- Acquisition, disposal and leasing of agricultural, commercial and residential property
- Strategic development land - development agreements and sales
- Valuation and general professional advice
- Assisting Sworders' planning team in a varriety of projects
- Estate management
- Compulsory purchase, compensation, telecoms and utilities installation and maintenance
Where you'll work
3 THE GATEHOUSE
HADHAM HALL
LITTLE HADHAM
WARE
SG11 2EB
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
HARPER ADAMS UNIVERSITY
Training course
Chartered surveyor (degree) (level 6)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Information management - Provide data, information and advice for clients relevant to the surveying discipline.
- Health and safety - Recommend solutions to ensure safe and secure working environments.
- Construction technology - Provide advice relating to the construction technology of buildings and their materials.
- Law - Negotiate and agree terms for acquisition/disposal of property, standard forms of building contracts or other property related contracts and liaise with legal advisers.
- Consultancy - Manage instructions from engagement to completion.
- Building surveys – Undertake inspections and surveys and provide advice and recommendations to clients relating to building surveys.
- Prepare designs and specifications – Carry out the preparation of the design and specification of building projects from outline proposals to completion of the design and specification process.
- Administer contracts – Implement administrative procedures for the running of a construction project. Issue instructions, deal with payment provisions, manage variation procedures and deal with completion and possession issues and the issuing of certificates.
- Valuation and appraisal - Prepare capital and rental valuations of land and property for a range of formal and appraisal purposes and prepare client reports.
- Land, property and planning law - Negotiate solutions to issues affecting both owners and occupiers of land and property including at least two of management, sales, lettings, purchase and/or planning.
- Inspection and measurement – Undertake inspections of land and property and prepare related reports and advice. Use appropriate instrumentation to take measurements of land and property. Apply the appropriate guidance and use the appropriate basis to undertake measurements. Prepare and present measurements in an appropriate manner.
- Tendering and procurement - Provide advice and recommendations as to appropriate procurement routes and manage the tendering processes relevant to them.
- Costing and cost planning of construction works - Undertake the detailed quantification, costing and cost planning of complex construction works.
- Manage efficiencies of construction contracts – Manage the construction phase of a construction project. Carry out life cycle costing and apply value engineering processes. Prepare data, reports and forecasts.
- Information management - Provide data, information and advice for clients relevant to the surveying discipline.
- Health and safety - Recommend solutions to ensure safe and secure working environments.
- Construction technology - Provide advice relating to the construction technology of buildings and their materials.
- Law - Negotiate and agree terms for acquisition/disposal of property, standard forms of building contracts or other property related contracts and liaise with legal advisers.
- Consultancy - Manage instructions from engagement to completion.
Training schedule
Your degree will be the Chartered Surveyor (Rural) Degree Apprenticeship provided by Harper Adams University
More training information
- The course is block release, typically comprising one week block per month for eight months at Harper Adams in Shropshire and the remaining time in the workplace in Hertfordshire
- Harper Adams provide accommodation for part time students (at additional cost)
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade 4)
- Maths (grade 4)
Other in:
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- IT skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Customer care skills
- Problem solving skills
- Presentation skills
- Administrative skills
- Number skills
- Analytical skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Creative
- Initiative
About this employer
Sworders is an independent property consultancy with over 230 years of history. We have offices in Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Warwickshire and Devon. Our clients are predominantly rural landowners of all types from private individuals to commercial institutions and charities. We have a strong reputation for delivering added value through interdisciplinary working across surveying, planning and architecture. Sworders’ business model supports this approach, with a focus on coordinated outcomes for clients. Our ethos is to develop staff skills to allow employees to grow and succeed in their areas of interest. We value new ideas and thinking, with the team working closely together across offices and disciplines, to share expertise and provide staff with a range of opportunities. We actively encourage staff at all levels to contribute to business development. Sworders is valued by its employees for being a company whose size, structure and values enable staff to thrive and enjoy working in a friendly, fast-paced, innovative and non-corporate environment.
https://sworders.com (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
Sworders offers flexible working, a generous holiday allowance and a discretionary bonus package. We pay professional subscriptions and fund approved CPD.
After this apprenticeship
- Once you have completed your degree and RICS qualification, there is the opportunity to work with us as a qualified Surveyor
- We will also support you to achieve the CAAV qualification should you wish to do this
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
HARPER ADAMS UNIVERSITY
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000002112.
Apply now
Closes on Friday 30 January 2026
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