Quantity Surveyors - Considering Working Internationally?
Posted by Daria Tkach, Senior Recruitment Consultant on Friday, November 24, 2023
Moving abroad to take up a construction job can be an exciting and rewarding experience. It can offer the opportunity to work on large-scale and diverse projects. It can expand your professional experience and network and give you life-changing experiences of working in different countries. However, it is not without its challenges, so in this blog, I will address some of the key factors that Quantity Surveying professionals should consider before relocating abroad.
With offices in the UK, Hong Kong and Canada Maxim Recruitment Consultants are well placed to assist high-calibre Quantity Surveyor job seekers to secure great job opportunities all around the world. We cover the UK, Europe, Australia, Asia, Canada, America as well as other international locations.
For starters, it is a good idea to thoroughly research the construction industry in your preferred destination. This is to make sure your career aspirations are likely to be met from working in this location. Knowing what the construction market conditions are like and the pipeline of projects available may well influence your level of interest. You can seek this information from a specialist recruitment agency like Maxim Recruitment as we are knowledgeable about the markets that we recruit in and can provide helpful advice.
Understanding the VISA and Work Permit requirements of your chosen destination is very important. At Maxim Recruitment we predominantly work with candidates who already have the right to work in their destination country, either through already having citizenship or through having secured the appropriate work permit. We find that having the right to work granted and a clear timeline of when they are moving best optimises job seekers’ chances of securing the best choice of a new job abroad. If this does not apply to you, we would recommend that you review the government website of your target country and learn about routes to obtaining work visas and residency/citizenship. Some people contact visa agencies although we are not able to recommend any specific companies that offer advice.
Another one of the important things to investigate is the cost of living in the country where you are planning to work as this is vital for effective financial planning and enables you to make a quick decision once you are fortunate enough to be in receipt of a job offer. Quantity surveyors should look into accommodation costs, tax, healthcare, and other essential expenses. If you're moving as a family, you should consider potential additional expenses for education and be aware of what age groups if any, are given state education and what ages you will have to cover the costs for yourself.
The Maxim Recruitment team can advise and assist with the salary negotiation process once we get to that stage thanks to our international construction industry experience and market knowledge. We can usually work with you to negotiate a compensation package that aligns with the local market standards and ensures a comfortable standard of living.
As a specialist Quantity Surveyor and Commercial Management recruiter, I often recommend candidates to join professional bodies such as RICS or CIQS or the country specific equivalent. Joining construction industry associations, professional networks and discovering new training opportunities in your target country is valuable and will help with the local differences in methods or procedures or regulations compared to your country of origin. Local professional accreditations can make your CV stand out and look more attractive to new potential employers in your chosen location, which in turn can help you expand your career prospects.
In conclusion, moving abroad as a Quantity Surveyor is a significant step and an important decision that requires careful research and consideration of a variety of factors. Research the construction industry, visa requirements, cost of living, and career growth opportunities in your chosen destination. Also, by using the advice of experienced recruitment consultants such as Maxim Recruitment, it may help you to make a decision more quickly and easily and to ensure that you do it at the right stage in your career.
If you are interested in discussing your relocation options abroad, please do get in touch with your up-to-date CV. Alternatively, you can browse through our selection of jobs in the UK and overseas.
Daria is a Senior Recruitment Consultant with day-to-day responsibility for researching, shortlisting, contacting, and interviewing premium construction industry candidates. Daria works with our UK team to help construction industry jobseekers into exciting new construction jobs with our market leading employer clients. Daria also covers the Canadian market as part of her international recruitment responsibilities. Her focus is on Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa and other major cities in Canada.