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Working Abroad Job Vacancies Job Hunting Guide Voluntary Work Working Part-time and Temping Useful Job Hunting Resources Working in Somerset Wages and Employment Rights Estate Agents in Somerset CLCI: UM CRCI: BC Estate agents are involved in buying and selling houses and other properties. Depending on the job – and your experience – you could be registering client requirements, sending mail shots, arranging viewings, fixing mortgage meetings, taking people to houses and valuing properties. The work involves being good with people, having a keenness for selling and a willingness to do paper work. It’s not a very likely job for immediately after year 11. To find out more look under the above CLCI/CRCI headings in your careers or Connexions library THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT ESTATE AGENTS IN SOMERSET There are estate agents throughout Somerset located in the big towns as well as smaller places. Some specialise in selling town and country houses. Others concentrate on business and farm properties. Most of the big chains have branches in Somerset. There are also locally owned smaller businesses that only have a few branches. The number of employees in offices tends to vary between two and ten HOW DO I GET STARTED?   Get work experience when at school to see if it’s the career for you   Go to college/sixth form to get more qualifications   Get customer care experience and join an estate agency when aged 18+   Start a traineeship – or apprenticeship – soon after leaving school or college (but remember many agents like you to be older) USEFUL QUALIFICATIONS   Good GCSE passes in maths, English and other subjects help   College and sixth form qualifications sometimes useful   Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) qualifications may be part of your training (but not always) More about qualifications, courses and training can be found in Moving On (published by Connexions Somerset) DO YOU KNOW? Some estate agents are owned by building societies and provide other services (like arranging mortgages). These have branches all over the place and offer good promotion prospects WHAT IS THE PAY LIKE? Around £80 per week (maybe more) if starting as a new employed trainee or apprentice (but you’re more likely to be starting at age 18/19 on £9-10,000 per year). Ultimately the more houses you sell, the more you earn. This can be anywhere between £20,000- £40,000 per year. FINDING A JOB   Connexions centres   Job centres   Through applying for work apprenticeships   School and college careers notice boards   Speculative letters/visits/emails   Newspaper and industry publications adverts   Adverts displayed at premises and on industry/company websites   Job offer after work experience   Word of mouth   A Guide to Job Hunting gives tips on CVs, interviews and job letters. To view click here OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER ABOUT THIS WORK   It’s a job you might do after getting customer service experience elsewhere   At first you’ll spend your time in the office. You won’t do viewings and valuations until you’re more experienced   Driving license required for viewing and valuation work   Hours can be long – with targets to be met (so there’s pressure!)   Training varies between jobs and agencies – there can be a lot or very little   Confidence, diplomacy, smart appearance and a good temper are vital   Some customers can be unpleasant and annoying   University surveying and estate management qualifications can lead to top jobs in professions similar to estate agency WHO DOES THE WORK? Carlton is 20 and works for an estate agent in Yeovil that is part of a nationwide chain. After A levels he had a spell working in a big store gaining customer experience. He’s mainly office-based at the moment but – thanks to doing several company courses – Carlton’s hopeful that he’ll soon be showing houses to people. Sian, 30, works in Glastonbury. She did various jobs after leaving school before getting into estate agency work when she was 24. She’s done well and now values business properties. Sian reckons there’s a gap in the local market and – with a colleague – is about to establish her own estate agency More Info: A-Z Careers Careers information dates rapidly. Every effort has been made to ensure information is accurate but please check details before making firm decisions. Make text larger Make text smaller Text Only Display Privacy Policy/Terms of Use