Hamish Byers on placement
On placement… with a chartered surveyors and specialist property consultancy
Hamish Byers is a current Harper Adams student and was just coming to the end of his placement year with Fisher German LLP when we caught up with him for a chat.
At the end of a successful placement Hamish Byers firmly believes the experience will put him one step ahead of other graduates who have not undertaken a placement as part of their degree.
Hamish spent his year in industry working for leading national firm of chartered surveyors and specialist property consultants, Fisher German LLP, in Banbury, one of 14 offices throughout the UK. His time with the company has left the 21-year-old in no doubt about the direction of his career once he graduates from his BSc (Hons) Rural Enterprise and Land Management course in 2014.
“I hope to qualify as a chartered surveyor and work with a range of farming and estate clients.”
During his placement Hamish’s responsibilities included renewable energy planning and site promotion, client contact and advice, selling land and properties, and professional services including bank and probate valuations.
“The best thing about my placement was working closely with my colleagues to achieve the best possible outcome for clients. The office environment was an enjoyable place to be. Placement is great for your career opportunities because you are one step ahead of all the other graduates. It allows you to make career choices – which area to specialise in and which areas you don’t like, for instance.
“There are a lot of career choices in the rural sector,” adds Hamish. “Even though REALM is a vocational degree for becoming a chartered surveyor, there are many other opportunities. It is an impressive qualification. If you went back to work on the family farm it would still be useful.”
The student, who will complete one more year of study before graduating, says he chose to study REALM at Harper Adams because it suited his career aspirations and he was keen to undertake a year in industry as part of his course.
“I’m glad I chose to study at Harper Adams because I am surrounded by likeminded people in a brilliant setting. The teacher and staff support is excellent and the facilities are very good for a small university.”
Fisher German
Hamish spent his placement with Fisher German in one of its 15 offices across the UK.
Fisher German LLP is a leading national firm of chartered surveyors and specialist property consultants. The firm has been offering professional services and support in all aspects of land and property management for more than 180 years. It has nationally recognised experts in all property sectors identifying business opportunities for institutional, commercial and private landowning clients.
The team consists of almost 300 highly motivated employees, each on hand to provide clients with excellent service and advice. The firm’s offices can be found at Ashby de la Zouch, Banbury, Bromsgrove, Canterbury, Chester, Hungerford, Knutsford, Market Harborough, Newark, Retford, St Helens, Stafford, Thame and Worcester.
The business is split into six key service areas; commercial, planning and construction, property agency, renewable energy, rural consultancy and utilities and infrastructure.
