Career Suggestion

Estate agent

Estate agents sell and let commercial and residential property. Some also manage rental properties on behalf of owners.

Average salary (a year)

£23000.0 to £40000.0 (starter to experienced)

Typical hours (a week)

35.0 to 40.0 a week

You could work

weekends on a rota

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role
  • training with a professional body

University

It may help when looking for work if you have a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in a subject like:

  • surveying
  • business studies
  • estate management
  • property development or management
  • urban and land studies

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

More Information

  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • student finance for fees and living costs|https://www.gov.uk/student-finance
  • university courses and entry requirements|https://www.ucas.com/

Apprenticeship

You could become an estate agent by doing an apprenticeship, for example:

  • Junior Estate Agent Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
  • Housing and Property Management Assistant Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
  • Housing and Property Management Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship

These can take 1 year to 1 year and 6 months to complete.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

More Information

  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide

Work

You could work as a trainee sales negotiator or letting agent assistant and learn on the job.

You could also start as an administrator with an estate agent or lettings company and work your way up through training and promotion.

Local knowledge of the area where you'll be working would be an advantage.

Other Routes

You could take a course through an industry body like Propertymark or the Chartered Institute of Housing .

There are courses for people looking to take their first steps in the industry as well as professional development courses for those with experience.

More Information

Career Tips

Estate agents often work on commission. This means that you have a basic salary and also earn a percentage of the sale or rental price of any property you sell or rent.

You may also have the chance to add to your earnings through bonuses linked to meeting individual or company sales targets.

Further Information

You can find our more about working as an estate agent or letting agent from Propertymark.

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • customer service skills
  • the ability to sell products and services
  • the ability to work on your own
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • persuading and negotiating skills
  • persistence and determination
  • the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

  • have a full driving licence

Day-to-day tasks

As an estate agent, you'll:

  • value properties and advise on market rent levels
  • arrange viewing appointments and show clients around properties
  • negotiate between buyers and sellers
  • work with professionals like surveyors, solicitors and conveyancers
  • organise property maintenance and cleaning
  • make sure the buying, selling and letting process meets legal requirements

Working environment

You could work in an office, at a client's business or at a client's home.

Your working environment may be outdoors some of the time.

With experience and a good sales record, you could be promoted to senior negotiator and then branch or lettings manager.

You could specialise in particular types of sales or rentals, like commercial property, holiday homes or student lets.

You might also become self-employed as a partner in a firm, or set up your own agency.

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