Placement year a big step towards my auctioneer ambition

Little did I know that a few years on I would be working as a trainee rural surveyor at a livestock market and rural professional office in Shropshire during my placement year at Harper Adams University.

From that first instance to securing my first week of work experience with a local rural chartered surveyor in Mid Wales my desired future career became some what clearer. As a farmer’s daughter with a keen interest in livestock, entering a land based/livestock orientated profession working with the farming fraternity was an easy decision.

I am often asked; so what does the work of a rural chartered surveyor involve? With the wide variety of work and the constant change in work driven by the evolving demands of the market place asserting a straightforward definition is rather challenging. In the broad sense the work of a rural surveyor includes valuing the assets of farms and estates, advising clients on legal and/or tax issues, finance and the planning, development of land uses and so forth.

Following two years of studying rural enterprise and land management at Harper Adams I am currently midway through completing my placement year during my four-year undergraduate Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors accredited degree. The experience I am currently gaining covering a broad spectrum of work enables me to appreciate the relevance of the course to real live situations in a busy rural professional office.

In order to become a rural chartered surveyor it is obligatory that I complete two years’ worth of RICS APC (Assessment of Professional Competence) to which my year on placement will constitute the first year. Following my placement year I will return to Harper Adams University for my final year before hopefully graduating and securing a graduate role to achieve my career ambitions.

In addition to the work of a rural surveyor an insight into the work of a livestock auctioneer and the running of the market is also experienced during my placement year which provides me with a noble start to achieving my childhood ambition of becoming an auctioneer. Following the commencement of my placement year in early June I quickly realised that there is more to what meets the eye to the life of an auctioneer. However, through the opportunities provided here at Nock Deighton Agricultural as an auctioneer at the weekly poultry sales and quarterly machinery sales along with other market responsibilities my ambition of becoming an auctioneer is a much closer vision.

With six months remaining of my placement year before I return for my final year at Harper Adams University it’s safe to say I have an exciting but busy time ahead with the many and varied valuation, planning and property sales jobs I currently work on.

Gwar Jones is a placement student with Nock Deighton Agricultural LLP