Accelerating ambition through a surveying apprenticeship with SRVO

Mike began his surveying journey in 2022, joining Cardoe Martin following a mid-career pivot after fifteen years in the education sector. Now part of SRVO, a new UK-wide property advisory business for commercial and residential real estate, Mike is continuing his career journey as a Building Surveying apprentice.

“I’d become disillusioned after working in a secondary school environment for the best part of fifteen years and I was looking for a fresh change and new challenge, where I could learn new skills and work with a wide of range of people, preferably non-teenagers! A good friend suggested I might enjoy surveying and encouraged me to apply for a role at what was then Cardoe Martin.”

Mike arrived at Cardoe Martin and was immediately onboarded into the Fibre Installation monitoring programme, and for the next two years was working alongside a team of experts working nationwide, ensuring that fibre installations by providers including Openreach, Virgin and Hyperoptic were suitably planned and executed. In that time, Mike has visited, surveyed and reported on hundreds of fibre installation projects within Multi Dwelling Units, on behalf of clients including freehold management, property managers and right-to-manage companies, and for residential blocks ranging from 4 units to 400 units, helping clients benefit from Govt subsidised fibre programmes to get them ready for the future.

“My work week changed overnight, and I was able to learn very quickly from a great team to contribute towards successful fibre installation across buildings as small as converted houses containing a handful of flats, to large developments with multiple blocks and hundreds of apartments. I was in my car, travelling all across the UK from Exeter to Newcastle and everywhere in between, visiting new places and working with a team to help clients get ahead of future change. I loved that my work was really hands on with clear goals and a clear path to successful outcomes for every asset.”

Now part of the SRVO team, and with a workload expanding to include services including BRCA survey reports, PIB Fire Floor Plans and Retail Measured Surveys, Mike is soon to embark on a MSc in Building Surveying as part of an Apprenticeship scheme through the University College of Estate Management. Combining on-the-job experience with a challenging academic programme, Mike will be able to work towards becoming a RICS accredited Surveyor in two and a half years.

“The apprenticeship also works towards my APC, which I’m very keen to do, as I can see how a career in surveying will keep challenging me and giving me a chance to do interesting work, get under the skin of many different kinds of assets and issues, and meet new people along the way.”

Apprenticeship schemes provide an accessible and rewarding route into a career in surveying, and at SRVO, there is a real focus on on-the-job learning and gaining real hands-on project experience across a huge client portfolio of commercial and residential assets. Mentors are assigned from within the company to help guide candidates through additional learning or challenging projects. With a clear and stated ambition to grow the business over the coming years, SRVO is always on the lookout for bright and ambitious team players to join the organisation!

Check out our careers page for more information on current opportunities.