Building control officer
Building control surveyor
Building control officers make sure building regulations are followed.
Salary Range: £22,000 to £60,000
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), or equivalent, including English, maths and science
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, 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
- T level in Design, Surveying and Planning
- Level 4 Diploma in Building Control Surveying
- Level 4 Diploma in Civil Engineering
Entry requirements
You may need:
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T level
- 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
- guide to T levels
- 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 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree apprenticeship
More information
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 use a computer and the main software packages competently
Restrictions and requirements
You’ll need to:
- have a full 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 area like fire safety, or move into technical and planning roles in other departments, for example town planning.
You could also work as a consultant.