How to become an apprentice quantity surveyor: Josh's story

a young man stands on the platform next to a tube train in a London station

I work for TfL (Transport for London) as an apprentice Quantity Surveyor where I help manage the financial side of projects, which means negotiating and agreeing contracts with our suppliers, and assisting the commercial manager. My role is about making sure we are being money efficient and saving money for the business.

Every day is different. Each day I have different meetings with contractors. I am based within the office but also get to go on to site to visit engineers and get a better understanding of what we do.

I am passionate about spreading the word about apprenticeships, and ensuring that people know what the benefits are.

At first, I didn’t know what quantity surveying was! I did work experience in Engineering, Architecture and Project Management. I came across the apprenticeship scheme on the TfL website and read about what quantity surveying is and it seemed to include a bit from all the roles that I had looked at in my work experience.

a young man sits a table, talking in a meeting

I did Maths and Business Studies at A-level. At work, we use maths every day. We use spreadsheets and work with numbers as we try to be as cost-efficient as we can. Team work and time management are key. Completing your work as soon as possible and to the right standard is crucial, as are skills such as communication and people skills.

I didn’t feel university was right for me after I finished sixth form. The apprenticeship was the best decision I made. It is a step into the working world, but you are still given as much support as you need. Being able to work, learn and earn all at the same time is really efficient for what I want to achieve. I will get a degree with the course I am doing and will already have experience in the workplace.