How much do Quantity Surveyors earn?

[financialbloke]

I suppose this question is like asking how long is a piece of string, but what is the typical salary of a quantity surveyor?

What could they earn at the top end of the industry?

[Hugo85]

Difficult to answer as everywhere pays different.
I assume you are referring to a QS working for a main contractor rather than a PQS?

[financialbloke]

The former - working for a contractor

[Hugo85]

financialbloke said:

The former - working for a contractor

I would expect newly promoted £45k-£50k
Experienced QS £60k

[OldGermanHeaps]

That +backhanders.

[ClaphamGT3]

A contractors QS will earn anything from c. £50k as a senior surveyor up to several hundred k as commercial director of a decent sized, successful contractor. The latter roles are obviously few and far between.

PQS tend to be better paid. A Director/partner level PQS averages about £100-120k (BUILDING salary survey) but in a big practice it will be a lot more

[Hugo85]

ClaphamGT3 said:

A contractors QS will earn anything from c. £50k as a senior surveyor up to several hundred k as commercial director of a decent sized, successful contractor. The latter roles are obviously few and far between.

PQS tend to be better paid. A Director/partner level PQS averages about £100-120k (BUILDING salary survey) but in a big practice it will be a lot more

You’re light on your senior surveyor. I don’t know one on less than £70k

[Nemophilist]

At the company I work for, Assistant QS starts on £35k,
QS is £45-50, senior QS is £70-75k. Commercial manager is £95k, then commercial director £120k+

This seems to be typical for our competitors

[Evanivitch]

Not bad for counting bricks!

[DeanoC89]

I'm a Senior QS for a large Contractor that rhymes with Amazon Kindle. The bandings vary and are dependent on the type of job, the location of the job and your experience. I've worked for a few of the large Blue chip outfits over the years and a QS can earn anything from 40-50k and a SQS 50k-65k on average (both excluding company car/car allowance and bonus if applicable).

[IAN1967]

Nemophilist said:

At the company I work for, Assistant QS starts on £35k,
QS is £45-50, senior QS is £70-75k. Commercial manager is £95k, then commercial director £120k+

This seems to be typical for our competitors

I'd agree with those figures but depending where/who you work for the title changes, titles have never really bothered me its the £££'s that counts

After over 30 years as a QS i've been from Student Surveyor to Director and everything in between. Started my training with Taylor Woodrow in '85 and you could tell what level someone was at by the car they drove, don't see that anymore.

I'm currently titled Senior Quantity Surveyor but I think that's more to do with my age as i'm the only true QS in the company

[irfan1712]

Nemophilist said:

At the company I work for, Assistant QS starts on £35k,
QS is £45-50, senior QS is £70-75k. Commercial manager is £95k, then commercial director £120k+

This seems to be typical for our competitors

About this i'd say. Id say an Assitant QS starts at 30k though, and a Senior QS can start at c50/55k and upwards as basic pay.

Defo depends on what corner of the country your in (South Wales rates wont be near London).

Then there's the freelance world, where QS's of various levels can earn £250-£450 a day easily enough dependant on experience, but this obviously excludes company car or allowance, fuel, holiday and sick pay, etc etc.. and obviously staying on the right side of good old IR35.

with that said im an employed senior QS and i keep thinking about going freelance. Not so much because of the day rates on offer, but because i'd like to perhaps work a day or two less a week client dependant to focus on other aspects of life. Just like the job security of being employed, difficult weigh up.

[clarky92]

My father was a senior QS and hit his peak at 85k before winding down

[T1547]

Out of interest (and hope the OP doesn't mind the slight digression), how do these salaries compare with Building Surveyors?

For example

Newly graduated/passed APC
5-10 years experience
Senior
Director

[OzzyR1]

The RICS job site will give you an idea of both QS and BS salaries on offer at different levels of experience and across UK locations.

https://www.ricsrecruit.com/

[irfan1712]

clarky92 said:

My father was a senior QS and hit his peak at 85k before winding down

thats substantial for a senior QS. That to me is easily Commercial Manager territory.

[DickP]

T1547 said:

Out of interest (and hope the OP doesn't mind the slight digression), how do these salaries compare with Building Surveyors?

For example

Newly graduated/passed APC
5-10 years experience
Senior
Director

A fair bit below that of QS if the numbers given earlier in the topic are to go by! Say knock 10-20k off easily. That's my knowledge and experience anyway of having been in the BS sector for 7 years.

[ClaphamGT3]

DickP said:

T1547 said:

Out of interest (and hope the OP doesn't mind the slight digression), how do these salaries compare with Building Surveyors?

For example

Newly graduated/passed APC
5-10 years experience
Senior
Director

A fair bit below that of QS if the numbers given earlier in the topic are to go by! Say knock 10-20k off easily. That's my knowledge and experience anyway of having been in the BS sector for 7 years.

Although building surveying gives perhaps more options to segue into other, better paid parts of the profession like project management etc.