Quantity Surveying Technician

Measure, cost and control the money on construction projects.

Strong demand Level 4 apprenticeship

Typical pay once qualified: £30,000 – £60,000
Training length: 2 years
Apprenticeship standard: Construction quantity surveying technician
Where to train: 44 providers listed

The route, drawn out

DWG CE59 · 5 stops · 2 years to qualify

Day one Start as an apprentice from £15.6k
Year 2 Training continues, pay rises min. £21.2k+
2 years Fully qualified around £30k
+3–5 years Experienced up to £60k
Then Assistant quantity surveyor, then project QS next step

The first figures are legal minimums: the apprentice rate (£8.00/hr) and the National Minimum Wage for 18–20s and 21+ from April 2026, on a 37.5-hour week. Qualified and experienced pay are indicative UK ranges — most employers pay apprentices above the minimum.

What the job is

Quantity surveyors work out what a building should cost, what it actually costs, and who owes whom at the end. As a technician you take off quantities from drawings, price work, value what has been built, and help settle variations and final accounts.

It is the commercial career in construction, and it pays accordingly. A trade background is a real advantage because you already know how long things take and what they involve.

A typical day

Take off quantities from drawings and produce measurements
Price work and assemble tender documents
Value completed work for monthly payments
Track variations, costs and budgets against forecast
Help prepare and agree final accounts

How you get in

Usually 4-5 GCSEs at grade 4 (C) or above including maths and English
A level 3 qualification or relevant site experience
Confident with numbers, spreadsheets and detail
Good negotiation and record-keeping habits

Where it leads

Assistant quantity surveyor, then project QS
Degree apprenticeship in quantity surveying
RICS chartered status (MRICS)
Commercial manager for a contractor or developer

Where to train for this

44 colleges and training providers on our list cover Quantity Surveying Technician training. Open your region to see them, then check current intakes with the provider directly.

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