After completing a 4-week work experience placement, I realised that this was something I enjoyed and wanted to pursue and I subsequently applied to Kingston University to start a 4-year Quantity Surveying Consultancy degree.

I continued working with John Rowan and Partners throughout my degree and did my sandwich year placement here, part of which was lucky enough to be in Christchurch, New Zealand. Following some devastating earthquakes in the region in 2010, I was part of a team that were tasked with costing the repairs to homes that were destroyed. I gained invaluable experience during the 4 months I was there! Seeing as we were on the other side of the world, I took advantage once our secondment had ended, travelling around Australia for a few weeks which was another unbelievable experience.

On completion of my degree I returned to John Rowan and Partners as a graduate and began working in the Residential Development and Regeneration team. This team work with a number of Housing Associations and Developers in providing new homes across London and the South East of England, including members of the ‘G15’ such as A2Dominion, L&Q and Network Housing Group.

The one great thing I enjoy about life at John Rowan and Partners is that everyone truly lives by the company values and this makes it a really enjoyable place to work. In my 2 years since graduating I have been exposed to a number of different residential projects ranging from 10 high end private flats, to a major regeneration scheme including 600 flats, a hotel and commercial units. I’ve completed various tasks such as feasibility estimates, valuations and negotiating contractor variations which has benefited my technical knowledge. I am now responsible for running my own projects and with the empowerment & support provided by John Rowan and Partners, I feel that the experience gained to date has definitely benefited me as a QS.

The John Rowan and Partners graduate development programme has been great for me, the company really support us to become chartered and in turn, provide the support and training that is needed to reach that goal. There are a number of us graduates across all disciplines within the business including QS, BS, PM and Planners who are aiming to pass our APC assessments over the coming year. The training provided by John Rowan and Partners has really helped as we prepare for our final assessments.

It’s not all work work work – we have numerous social events within the company that allow all employees from different teams to get together and have a ‘bit of fun’ outside of the office. The company sponsor an annual football tournament where clients, contractor’s and consultants enter to win the illustrious John Rowan and Partners Cup. As it’s the 50th year, this is being held at Milwall’s ground ‘The New Den’ and will involve a day of football followed by a number of tired legs and more importantly, an ice cold beer! The year is filled with fun events, and there is always something to look forward too which is why I love working here!