Thinking of a career as a residential chartered surveyor?

When I think of all the jobs I could have done and here I am a chartered surveyor looking at houses all day, I do wonder how I got so lucky.

Years ago, my father suggested I needed to work in the local engineering factory...start by sweeping the floor he said. For once I was strong and adamant what it was I wanted to do. I wanted to go back to University as a mature student and study to become a chartered surveyor.

With only six o'levels it took a carefully planned application to Nottingham Trent University to get on the HND Estate Surveying course. Once I had passed this course, not easy for a mature student, I decided to leave and get a career back in estate agency. I hoped for a management position and that I would look at becoming a chartered surveyor some other time.

The ambition remained and a couple of years later I revisited the surveying career and took an almost voluntary position for Savills in their newly formed national auction department. It was a very exciting time and the auction was a success. So much so, that they moved the department to London. I (regrettably - hindsight is wonderful) remained in Nottingham and took on more estate agency work.

A couple of years passed and the desire to complete the training became huge. I took a big salary drop to follow chartered surveyors at BBG Surveyors in Derby and Leicester and continue my studies doing a RICS accredited course at MANCAT. I achieved the Diploma in Valuation and next I had to prove I had learnt enough by following surveyors for two years by producing a record of my diary. This was internally known as the ISVA route to RICS status.

I finally qualified after years of sacrifice as a Member of the RICS in 2001 and instantly found myself with offers of employment all over. I took a job with e.surv at Leicester with a great team that included James, John and Andrew, who would look after me whilst I got used to doing the job proper.

I look back now at those days with fondness. A great team that really supported me and a great regional director, Steve Hall. Like him, I still would love an Aston Martin, but for me the emissions are to high! I moved to Yorkshire to work in Leeds when my partner and I decided to move to the beautiful countryside and open an ethical coffee shop in Hovingham, North Yorkshire.

Two years working in Leeds, York and Harrogate led me to consider my long term goal, I still wanted to work for myself and have my own surveying practice. An old friend, Julian Spencer, had inspired me years ago; whilst working in an estate agency he turned up in the office opposite with antique furniture and a fast sports car. I had thought then at 21 years old, that could me.

Here I am now, E Surveyors almost a year on and growing steadily and hoping to create associations across the country to provide a similar friendly level of service at an affordable price.

I have grown up so much since my dreams of becoming a chartered surveyor started, I now have a wife and two children, a house in the country and an ethical lifestyle. Not that I have an electric car, but I use recycled paper, envelopes and send reports by email. I shop ethically; my wife has an ethical shop so most of our food is organic, locally produced, free range or fair trade.

I also like to think that I am good at my job too, I love houses and I love people, what else could I do?