The first day flew by with a hundred new faces introducing themselves with smiles and firm handshakes. I’d be lying if I said I remembered who everyone was, but within a week I could match names to most faces. A wide range of experience is key to developing as a surveyor and the company really understand that; the other building surveyors took me out to their various sites so I could shadow them, take on pearls of wisdom and get to know everybody. In my first six months I carried out surveys ranging from Belfast to Edinburgh and delivered an external decorations project for a listed building in Pimlico. Although I have my own desk, I don’t spend much time there!

The company’s five values are really lived. We innovate with our very own Dragon’s Den, which I presented an idea at; we are family with company activities like football and ping-pong tournaments; we are encouraged and supported to be all we can be – I am on my way to becoming a chartered BS and we care about people with everybody willing to share their experience and help my development.

At John Rowan and Partners, if you show potential and willingness you will be given your own projects to run and manage. One year or 52 weeks or 365 days doesn’t seem a long time at all with so much going on and so much to learn.