Welcome to the Graduate Profiles Section

He Says : I joined RLB as a graduate in 2007, one of the key benefits that I've experienced is the proactive graduate training programme. I think this is exemplified by their approach to graduate recruitment. The Protege programme is good to get involved with and really tests applicants. Whilst I can't speak for myself I can see that the company really benefits from the consistent quality of the other graduates recruited under Protege.

By the end of the year I could be a Chartered Surveyor able to supplant 'BSc (Hons) Commercial Management and Quantity Surveying' with 'MRICS' when I sign-off letters and emails. These five letters are crucial to furthering my career as a QS and RLB has been more than helpful in facilitating my progress. To my knowledge, none of my peers from university have had such a good training experience since university.

Work, training and alike are supplemented by five-a-side football, networking events and office parties! These certainly make for enjoyable events.

She Says : I work in the Manchester Office with the PM Team. I was a non-cognate graduate in Modern European Languages at Durham University (BA Hons), and RLB sponsored me through an MSc in Construction Project Management at Liverpool John Moores University. I'm now 18 months into my RICS APC Training (PM pathway), and I'm hoping to sit my final assessment next year. Since joining the company I have worked on a wide range of schemes, from being the person in charge of smaller retail projects to being an assistant project manager on larger public sector schemes (up to £160m in value) where I help out experienced professionals in the delivery of consultancy services. I thought Protege was a great experience, the assessment day was really fun and we got some really useful feedback which has definitely helped my development.

He Says : Well... another early start this morning! Things are busy in the Welwyn Office, both with work and some of the more pleasurable aspects of being the office grunt...

I have spent the majority of time working on Tesco stores. Firstly working on Express Refresh (refurbishment of Tesco Expresses) where I was initially working under a team of quantity surveyors and finally being the client face of the Programme. In addition, I have been working under one of the Senior Quantity Surveyors in the office on the construction of purpose built online shopping distribution centre. I have also just made the big step in my experience progression by working on a superstore extension on my lonesome. A daunting £10m project but, we have invaluable experience and support in the office which has made it great so far. Working for Tesco is incredibly interesting, they are not afraid to flex their corporate muscles in the goal of pleasing their customers which leads to tight timelines and budgets. A real challenge but enjoyable.

Outside of the day job at the moment I am studying for an MSc in Quantity Surveying from Northumbria University via a distance learning package. I am now half way through the course and whilst it is enjoyable, it is a lot of work. I need to find approximately 24 hours of study a week (hence the early mornings!). Alan, my line manager, has been really flexible, and when required, he will let me head to the library for half a days study every once in a while. On top of this I am working towards my APC, which is on a bit of a back burner with my course, but I am still recording my days and attending CPD sessions.

Within the office I hold two prestigious titles; Sports and Social Rep and the Environmental Rep. The Sports and Social aspect is a never ending task of geeing people up and encouraging both healthy activities (think half marathons, sky-diving, football matches against our arch-rivals - the London Office) and unhealthy activities (think cake eating, trips to the pub). We try and put a big slant on charity when we do things as an office and we have raised a fair bit of money for our local charity, the Isabel Hospice. On the environmental side, we are big into promoting our environmental credentials in the office. We recycle the majority of our waste, are stingy with air-conditioning (to the delight of the girls and disappointment of the boys) and are just moving onto a green-electricity tariff.

She Says : I've been with RLB in the London Office Building Surveying Team for over two years. In that time I've become more technically competent, going from knowing very few practical skills to running my own jobs in a range of sectors. I am the Corporate Responsibility Representative for the London Office, which entails coordinating volunteering and fundraising for charities. I also take part in activities such as Team Build and get involved in RICS Matrix to meet people of my own age and stage within the industry.

The help I've received with my APC has been excellent and I feel really confident in my competencies and in becoming chartered. The office and my team are really relaxed and welcoming. Within a couple of months of joining I felt really well settled in, and recent graduates have felt the same.

The social nights here are excellent, especially events such as the annual pub crawl (everyone dressed up in all sorts, doing 'challenges' around London) and the Christmas Party. We also have lots of team events and there's always a crowd at the pub on a Friday night.

He Says : Since finishing my placement year, I have now graduated from Loughborough University with a 1st in Commercial Management and Quantity Surveying. After travelling for the summer I am now back working in RLB's Birmingham office as a Graduate QS and it's good to see all the team again. I am now in the second year of my APC and working towards becoming professionally chartered in a years time. Since returning to work I am now working on a number of international projects as well as assisting with work on our Tesco accounts. Protege was a great scheme and tests you in a unique way which you would not experience in standard interviews. The fact you go through the experience with fellow graduates has also given me a network of contacts and friends throughout the company.

Our next major challenge is being tasked to organise the office Christmas party... (they may regret leaving that in the hands of some recently retired students).

He Says : Since successfully making it through Protege 2009 I have been on a massive learning curve. Working for a consultancy was a new turn in my career and one that I continue to grow from. Right from the beginning my colleagues were very active in integrating me into the team, both professionally and socially. There is certainly the ethos of working hard and playing harder, which suits a Protege perfectly. Whether it is a drink in the pub or competing in a triathlon there is something for everyone.

On a work front I have been exposed to projects of varying complexity and value, the most prestigious of which is pre-contract work on a major cultural project in Abu Dhabi, a project that will certainly become an iconic structure of the modern world. The most different but exciting part of my new role is just how responsible you are for the future of the business. Every task has its value and our client focus is paramount to how we operate.

The phrase 'You get out what you put in' would be the best way to describe working for RLB, who look after their clients and their staff in equal measure.

She Says : I have BA (Hons) Architecture from The University of Sheffield and have recently completed a BSc (Hons) Building Surveying part time conversion course at Sheffield Hallam University.

I am currently undertaking a variety of building surveying projects for Royal Mail under the Royal Mail Building Surveying framework agreement. This framework includes the delivery of over £10m worth of property investment to the Royal Mail portfolio each year. The work I am involved in is very varied including visual condition surveys, feasibility studies, measured surveys, specification of remedial works required, procurement and management of the works through to completion. I am often out of the office on site visits and meeting a range of people including Royal Mail staff, contractors, other surveyors and manufacturers. I am enjoying being involved in such varied work and also gaining some valuable experience at the same time.

The Protege scheme is a great idea and I think it will help raise the profile of construction as a career path and encourage more people to get involved. I found it a challenging but enjoyable experience. The fact that RLB put so much effort into the recruitment process gave me the impression that the company values its employees and is careful to choose the right mix. It gave me confidence that RLB would be a good company to work for, and this has since proved to be true. Of course the best part (apart from getting a job) was the presentation event at RICS headquarters and subsequent trip to a pub on Parliament Square with fellow Proteges at the end of the process.

He Says : After graduating as a Quantity Surveyor from the University of Reading, I got straight to work with the Welwyn Garden City office, but not without a few months off to recover from the strain of student life! RLB were extremely flexible in offering a start date which suited me. Now 8 weeks into my new career, not only am I kept extremely busy, but I have kick started my APC Training with plenty of help from previous graduates and the managers within my office. I have already attended CPD lectures and numerous in house training events. I feel part of the team here at RLB and find I am included in key decision making within the office, such as the location of the upcoming Christmas party!

The office is a great place to be. It can be stressful at times with everyone busy on their own jobs, but you find yourself firing questions over your desk to both the managers and previous graduates – something I am finding extremely useful and an excellent way to learn from the voices of experience. Although I have only been here a short time, I am already working on my own project and attend a number of client meetings. I am currently working with Tesco on their Specification III project which has been designed to value engineer the design of new stores and extensions to reduce costs. The work is fast paced and timescales are tight, but that adds to the challenge.

Protege was a great way to take my first step into the industry. Immediately you feel valued with the chairman David Bucknall taking time to meet every individual at the assessment day. The process was tough but rewarding nonetheless. Meeting previous graduates within RLB at the early stages of the Protege process was great to help you relax and understand the working environment. The social side to RLB is excellent with numerous charity events being planned and pub crawls in the diary. Work here at RLB is not for the faint hearted, but it is extremely rewarding.

He Says : I'm currently 4 months into a sandwich placement whilst following the Building Surveying degree at Nottingham Trent University. My placement has been brilliant so far and I really feel that I have expanded my knowledge and understanding of all aspects of surveying. I have been working on so many projects I don't think I could count them with all my fingers and toes. But I am acting as the point of contact on numerous projects and also just starting to be given my own projects, which is obviously fantastic experience to be getting when I'm still an undergraduate. RLB have given me all the help and advice I have needed whilst working in the Birmingham office especially with my APC, having just had my 3 month appraisal. I am well on my way to achieving the targets I set myself and my understanding of all the competencies definitely wouldn't be where it is without RLB.

I came through Protege in 2009 and it was an experience like no other. I arrived on the day expecting it to be more like a bog standard interview. How wrong I was. When you arrive you are greeted by many of the past Protege graduates and you really feel as if everyone within the company is trying to get to know you from the outset. Thus when I did start work in the office I already knew quite a few people, which helped me settle in really easily. The social side at RLB is a good laugh and there is always banter flying around the office. I have been on a few nights out with the Building Surveying team so far and with the Halloween and Christmas parties on the horizon I really can't wait. I'll be honest I don't like the early mornings (As an undergraduate I'm not used to being somewhere for 9am!) but it has definitely been worth it for the experience I am getting.

He Says : I completed my degree in Building Surveying at Reading University in Summer 2008 and have now been working with RLB London for over a year. As a graduate I have had exposure to some really interesting projects and can really feel the progression I'm making from graduate towards chartership. To name a few, I have been involved in the refurbishment of Hyde and Richmond Park lodges, external repairs and redecoration works at the University of Greenwich, and a wealth of estate works for Brixton/Segro plc. RLB has been very easy company to settle into and a good social side makes the long hours worthwhile. I enjoy getting involved in all the sporting (and drinking) occasions and recently took part in the RLB 'Vatican City to Monaco' Charity Run, running 100k in 5 days, something I can't imagine having done if I had joined any other company.

I enjoy working alongside other graduates from Protege years and the connection you have with the other guys from your year's intake. There's a great atmosphere at RLB which has made full time work almost enjoyable.

He Says : In my role as a building surveyor in the RLB Birmingham Office I've been lucky enough to be involved with some great projects which have really made a difference to my level of knowledge and understanding which is contributing massively to my forthcoming APC. Working with RLB on Sandwell council's £90million 'Decent Homes' scheme has allowed me to feel like I can help make a change in the community and inspired me to get involved with the Birmingham Community Foundation's Fundraising committee, which RLB chairman David Bucknall is also a member of. I have also been lucky enough to work with RLB's biggest clients, Tesco and Royal Mail, and am currently lead consultant on both the National Distribution centre and Rugby Maintenance projects for Royal Mail.

Through working for RLB I have been able to further my sporting ambitions, the flexible, relaxed team at the Birmingham Office have allowed me to fit my strenuous triathlon training programme around my work. Undoubtedly I would have struggled to do this elsewhere in the industry. RLB sponsored me in the 2007 Ironman70.3 World Championships and have also supported members of the company in the past two years at the King Sturge Property Triathlon Relay over at Eton, where we have so far not finished outside the top three in the relay category.

Protege helped me as we went through the testing process together and there's nothing like a familiar couple of faces around to help you settle in. When I started I already knew a number of my peers, my seniors and other people around the office, it made the whole thing a lot more comfortable than just jumping in at the deep end!

She Says : I originally studied History at Liverpool University, followed by a Masters in Commercial Building Surveying at Liverpool John Moores University. The Protege assessment day was extremely demanding and challenging; it tested everything that you would be bringing to your employer but in a fun way through presentations, interviews, psychometric tests, a live networking event and role plays. It also provided you with the opportunity to view the Birmingham head office and meet many of the Partners of the other offices who where part of the assessment day team. As a result of the welcoming staff and the fun take on their graduation process, after my degree I opted to join the RLB team in Manchester, starting in June 2007 and I have not been disappointed.

I was assigned projects to work with a senior surveyor, this way you can see a project through from inception to completion learning every step of the way from somebody with experience. Aside from the practical experience that I have picked up by shadowing a senior surveyor there is a heavy emphasis on training and development. In RLB there is a lot of help offered towards achieving RICS membership through the APC. Obviously RLB offer guidance and information, however, it is down to the graduate to keep the diary up to date and accurate which can be a bit time consuming and often overlooked! Currently I am part way through my first year on the APC route, we have identified area's that I need to focus on in order to achieve my milestones.

The Manchester sports and social team organise events every couple of weeks, whether it is dinner and drinks, camping, sports, go karting etc; also each individual team will organise their own night out every month or so although other office staff will attend just to ensure they don't miss out on anything! Having a buzzing social side to work is fun, you mix with people that perhaps on a day to day basis you do not get an opportunity to speak to!