Alfie Payne, 18, spent a week with our commercial and professional agency teams towards the end of 2019 as part of his gap year, having achieved two A’s and a B at Ysgol Gyfun Glantaf during the summer. He plans to progress to University at the start of the academic year to undertake a degree in Human Geography.
Alfie wanted to experience different working environments throughout the year and having previously spent time with Admiral Insurance, he took the opportunity to gain an insight into surveying. We asked Alfie how his week with Cooke & Arkwright went:
Which departments at Cooke & Arkwright have you been out with and what sort of places did you visit?
“I’ve been out to retail properties and attended retail meetings with the Retail & Leisure department. I’ve accompanied the Business Rates department to occupied office spaces, and visited unoccupied offices with the Office Agency team to discuss lettings. I’ve attended meetings regarding property development and also went along to a conference held by Cooke & Arkwright for its public sector clients.”
What did you learn from the inspections?
“I learnt basic inspecting skills as well as positive and negative things to look out for when inspecting a property. On top of this I learnt the importance of people skills within surveying and how valuable maintaining a positive relationship with a client is.”
Did anything surprise you about the industry?
“It’s far more varied and interesting than I first thought it would be. There are lots of different disciplines, so you don’t just choose a career as a surveyor, you have to choose what type of surveying path you want to follow.”
From what you experienced, which department’s work was of most interest to you?
“I enjoyed my outings with the Retail & Leisure department as the meetings I attended were regarding urban regeneration and development, which is something I find very interesting. All the things I experienced have taught me that surveying is a broad discipline, that constantly changes as the value of properties fluctuate.”
Has the work experience made you consider a future career as a surveyor?
“It’s a path I hadn’t thought about before but could now be one I will consider going forward. I’ve enjoyed the experience and would like to thank all the surveyors who spent time with me and took the trouble to show me what they do.”
We’re glad Alfie enjoyed his experience with us and wish him all the best with his future endeavours!