Building control officer

Alternative titles for this job include Building control surveyor

Building control officers make sure building regulations are followed.

Average salary (a year)

£22,000 Starter

to

£60,000 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

38 to 40 a week

You could work

on call on a rota

How to become a building control officer

You can get into this job through:

• a university course
• a college course
• an apprenticeship
• applying directly

University

You can do a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in a relevant subject like:

• building studies
• civil engineering
• structural engineering
• building control
• building surveying

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), including English, maths and a science
• 2 to 3 A levels for a degree

More information

• equivalent entry requirements
• student finance for fees and living costs
• university courses and entry requirements

College

You could do a college course, which could help when you apply for trainee jobs in building control. Courses include:

• Level 3 Certificate in Construction and the Built Environment
• Level 4 Diploma in Building Control Surveying
• Level 4 Diploma in Civil Engineering

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) for a level 3 course
• 1 or 2 A levels, a level 3 diploma or relevant experience for a level 4 or level 5 course

More information

• equivalent entry requirements
• funding advice for higher education courses in college
• search for courses

Apprenticeship

You can do a building control surveyor degree apprenticeship.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and college qualifications like A levels for a degree apprenticeship

More information

• equivalent entry requirements
• guide to apprenticeships

Direct application

You could move into building control from another job in construction, like quantity surveying or site management.

More information

Professional and industry bodies

You could join the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors or The Chartered Institute of Building to help with your professional development.

Further information

You can find out more about careers and training in building control from:

• Chartered Association of Building Engineers
• The Chartered Institute of Building
• Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

• knowledge of building and construction
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• customer service skills
• the ability to use your initiative
• knowledge of English language
• analytical thinking skills
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• thinking and reasoning skills
• to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Restrictions and requirements

You'll need to:

• have a driving licence

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

Your day-to-day duties could include:

• working closely with architects, designers, builders and engineers
• suggesting ways to make building projects more cost effective 
• carrying out site inspections
• writing inspection reports and issuing completion certificates
• surveying unsafe buildings, giving advice or approving their demolition
• authorising entertainment licenses and checking safety at public venues and events

Working environment

You could work in an office or on a construction site.

Your working environment may be outdoors in all weathers and at height.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could specialise in a particular field, like fire safety, or move into technical and planning roles in other departments, like town planning.

You could work as a consultant.

Training opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

Assistant Project Engineer (31019)

• Wage : £156.00 Weekly
• Location: Leeds LS15 8GB

Apprentice Quantity Surveyor (Construction Technical Apprentice)

• Wage : £152.10 Weekly
• Location: Manchester M1 3FY

Find apprenticeships near you

Courses In England

Civil & Infrastructure Engineering BEng(Hons)

• Provider: Kingston University
• Start date: 16 September 2019
• Location: Kingston-Upon-Thames

Civil Engineer Degree Apprenticeship - Subject to Validation

• Provider: UNIVERSITY OF HERTFORDSHIRE
• Start date: 03 September 2019
• Location:

Find courses near you

Related careers

• Building surveyor
• Quantity surveyor
• Commercial energy assessor
• Construction manager
• Civil engineering technician

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