Typical Career Progression
| |
Position |
Remuneration |
Experience |
Education |
| 1st Promotion |
Surveyor’s assistant |
Nominal |
Nil |
Secondary School |
| 2nd Promotion |
Traineeship |
$35,000 |
On the job |
Concurrently with TAFE
|
| 3rd Promotion |
Survey Technician |
$45,000-$120,0001 |
TAFE & On the job |
TAFE Advanced Diploma |
| 4th Promotion |
Graduate Surveyor |
~$50K1 + Car |
University degree + on the job |
University degree |
| 5th Promotion |
Registered Surveyor |
$80,000+ |
University degree + registration |
Board Exam |
*The above table is to be used as a guide only
1 - Up to $120K in remote mining sites.
As a student you can work with a surveyor during school work experience. You’ll start out as a surveyor’s assistant or survey technician in the field. If you don’t get into university, it is now possible to do a 4 year traineeship (3 days/week work + 2 days/week at TAFE) or study a 2 year full time Advanced Diploma at TAFE.
You’ll progress to survey technician and be responsible for data acquisition and documentation. With some extra study you’ll become a party leader and begin to design surveys. In the office you’ll be using Computer Aided Design software to draft and design.
You can also use your TAFE qualification towards entry into a university degree and get a 1 year exemption for subjects you already know!
If you become registered, you’ll be legally authorised to sign plans redefining property boundaries. Registered surveyors progress to become company directors spending their time meeting clients, winning jobs, employing staff and running a business.
Typical accountabilities and responsibilities
| Field Work |
Arrange meetings with clients in the field. Carry out measurement tasks to specified accuracies. Adhere to certain regulations. Ensure correct and thorough documentation |
| Office Work |
Use CAD software to draft plans and calculations of field work; documentation and client liaison. |
| Meetings |
Onsite meetings with clients to advise and clarify requirements. Meetings with allied professionals on larger developments or engineering projects. Meetings with architects, civil engineers, project managers, solicitors, planners, council officials. |
| Maintenance |
A surveyor’s instruments must be maintained and calibrated regularly as well as caring for all peripheral equipment. This is often a task for more junior staff. |
| Compliance |
When designing new subdivisions or advising clients surveyors, must adhere to many regulations to ensure a suitable and legal outcome for clients. Surveyors are quasi-land lawyers |
*The above table is to be used as a guide only
Career Path & Employment opportunities
With rapid advances in technology, new career opportunities are constantly emerging. Surveyors and spatial information specialists completing their tertiary studies have one of the highest employment rates of any discipline, with attractive salary ranges. See the “what you do everyday” section above for career options.
About the Author
Craig Roberts
Senior Lecturer, School of Surveying and Spatial Information Systems, University of NSW.
The author of this occupation profile is a highly respected within industry but due to time commitments has a little more work to do to complete the profile. Please check back over the next two weeks.
Did you know over a course of about 11 years, the suns magnetic poles switch places? This cycle is called solarmax.