Earlier this year, I was asked by the Director if I was interested in becoming a mentor to help those who are training to become surveyors and who have enrolled in the ‘Step up Scheme’ created by Gold Crest Surveyors. I thought this was a great opportunity to help people get the hands-on experience that is so important when learning. From experience, I knew how hard it was to find a surveyor who was willing to have me tag along on their surveys, so I jumped at the opportunity to help.
All of the trainee surveyors I would be mentoring are learning with SAVA which is a route I also took, so I felt I was in a great position to be their mentor. I have now been mentoring since March 2021 and it has been great to meet so many different people and help them on their way. I also found it encouraging that in a male driven industry, 50% of my mentees were female. Not only that, considering surveying has been seen as a dying profession, many trainees are young professionals from a variety of backgrounds which I thought was inspiring.
As expected, I was a bit nervous when meeting my first mentee and hoped I would be able to multi-task during the survey. When surveying, you get used to being in your own mind and following a routine, so having someone behind you can be a distraction. So, for anyone who is thinking about becoming a mentor, it is usually best to set out some ‘rules’ beforehand. I explained that I would basically say whatever I was thinking throughout the whole survey, if they had any questions specific to that area of the property or in relation to the defect I was talking about, then to go ahead and ask. Otherwise, if you jump to different parts of the property, it can throw you off your routine and could cause you to miss something. Once I finished the survey I would then chat to the mentee, talk about the survey, and answer any general questions they had.
Since March, 1 of my mentees has qualified and joined Gold Crest, with many more at the doorstep and on their way to becoming qualified. It feels incredible to be able to help people in this profession and I aim to carry being a mentor.
By Vishal Sharma.
