Joshua Varrier-Smith
Assistant Quantity Surveyor for project contractors Coniston Ltd.
Twenty-one year old Joshua Varrier-Smith is based on the south coast and has been working with Coniston since 2018, he is currently half way through a five year part-time degree course in Quantity Surveying at the University of Greenwich.
Whilst studying A’levels in Maths, English, Business and Sports studies at his local comprehensive school, Josh was set to go to University and use his maths skills to pursue a career in investment banking. However, his girlfriend’s architect father suggested he explore becoming a Quantity Surveyor and Josh secured summer 6th form work experience with Coniston, to find out more about what the job involved and found the role ideally suited to both his maths and communication skills.
Inspired by his time in the workplace Josh opted for a change of direction and was given the opportunity combine work and learning through a management trainee apprenticeship supported by Coniston who pay his course fees. Josh has one day of University lectures a week and the rest of the time he is at work in his office or on site, completing course module assignments during evenings and weekends.
Joshua surveying the Dockyard Church Photo by Rikard Osterlund
We asked Josh to describe what a Quantity surveyor actually does …
“Every penny spent on a project goes via a QS, at the start they work with an estimator to develop a budget. They then develop packages of work which sub-contractors are invited to tender for, these are then awarded to those that offer the best combination of cost, time and quality. A QS has to have an eye for detail when going through architect’s drawings to ensure every aspect of a build is accounted for. They then have to monitor and forecast cashflow and provide monthly valuations on every aspect of a build until completion to ensure the project stays on budget.”
Josh most enjoys the variety of projects, locations and people he works with and not being at a desk all day. The biggest challenge however was time management as the role is very much focused on meeting regular important deadlines.
He is particularly pleased to be working for a specialist restoration contractor as it makes for much more interesting and varied work and enables him to learn a broader range of construction knowledge to inform his future roles. Looking ahead, Josh is keen to continue working for Coniston to gain greater experience and would eventually like to become a self-employed QS working for multiple clients.
Joshua Varrier-Smith Photo by Rikard Osterlund
Photo by Rikard Osterlund
Josh’s advice to anyone interested in entering the profession is to;
“First get some work experience before committing to a course so you are certain it’s for you, shadow a project manager and really get a feel for the job, then try out as many aspects as possible and don’t specialise too soon.”
“It’s so important that you genuinely enjoy your work, and worth remembering it’s very hard to compete with anyone who really loves their job.”