Sarah Chambers, Assistant Building Surveyor
I am an Assistant Building Surveyor and work with a team of eight people within the Property Section, based at Windsor Castle.
How did you get your job with the Royal Household?
I applied for the job after seeing it advertised on a graduate job website and was lucky enough to be invited to a series of interviews, one of which included a tour of the estate so that I could fully appreciate the type and scale of work.
What did you do before joining the Royal Household?
I worked for two years after leaving college in an estate agency before I decided I wanted to be a building surveyor. I undertook a degree in Building Surveying at the University of Brighton and was offered my job with the Royal Household two months after I graduated.
What experience and qualifications do you need to work within the Property Section?
As I started this job straight from university I had little practical experience. I would say that the most important thing is to have a real interest in what you do and be willing to learn. It also helps to be a fairly practical minded person and good at problem solving, as working with historic buildings means that no job, however big or small, is ever simple!
What training and support is available to you?
The Royal Household are currently supporting me through my APC (Assessment of Professional Competence) which is a professional qualification accredited by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, and will hopefully lead to me becoming a fully chartered Building Surveyor.
The Household also offers a wide range of internal training courses which aim to help develop key skills such as management and communication.
I have also been given the opportunity to attend external training courses which are more specific to my area of work, and help to develop technical skills and enhance my professional development as a Building Surveyor.
This commitment to training and support means that I will able to progress my career within the Royal Household.
What is it like working for the Royal Household?
Working for the Royal Household is unlike working anywhere else for many reasons.
One of the most striking things about being based at Windsor Castle is the sense of community created by working in an environment where you have to work closely with people from other Departments, and with the many residents who live on the estate. It is also a great experience to be able to play a part in the preparation of events such as State Visits and Garter Day.
Describe a typical day.
As part of the property section based at Windsor Castle I am involved in looking after the buildings on the estate, which range from the Castle itself to residential properties on the Home Park. In general, work can involve anything from relatively minor maintenance such as arranging for someone to carry out a repair to fix a lock, to organising larger works such as a re-roofing job as part of our annual works programme.
On a day-to-day basis I have to split my time between planning and supervising works from the annual works program and reacting to the minor maintenance problems which get reported throughout the day. This involves spending time in the office sorting out paperwork as well as time out of the office meeting contractors to obtain quotes for works and inspecting and supervising works that are underway.
What is the best thing about your job?
Working in the property section enables me to see the whole of the estate and come into contact with a wide range of different people, which ens ures that no one day is ever the same.
What opportunities do you get that you would not get elsewhere?
When I decided I wanted to be a building surveyor my aim was always to try and find a job within building conservation. Working here at Windsor Castle is a fantastic opportunity to be involved in the continuing maintenance, conservation and repair of a historic castle which is over 900 years old.
