Guidance

Returners Programme 2020

Published 5 March 2020

The Valuation Office Agency is a world leader in property valuation, and yet here, value isn’t just about property, or business rates. We define value in terms of our people: high quality training, interesting and varied work and a balance with life outside work.

You would be joining the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) at an exciting time. In the 2018 Spring Budget Statement the Chancellor announced that the next revaluation is to be delivered in 2021, a year earlier than scheduled. This means that we have just over 2 years to value every office, shop and industrial property in England and Wales along with everything from airports to zoos. The chancellor also announced that we will now be required to carry out revaluations every 3 years.

Our surveyors take on wide-ranging work with major social impact. We value millions of UK properties and our work underpins the collection of over £50 billion each year to help fund public services. And while our focus is public, the mind-set and pace are distinctly business orientated.

Along the way, your personal development is properly structured, progression is actively supported, exceptional training is available, and some of the most experienced professionals in the industry are on hand to share their expertise. And while we work hard, we respect your work-life balance, with working conditions reflecting the best in the sector.

We offer a range of flexible working options, including term time working, job shares and a generous leave allowance that starts at 25 days and goes up to 30 days after 5 years’ service and a pension scheme.

The VOA Returners programme is open to Chartered Surveyors who have taken time out of work for, normally at least 2 years, or are currently working in a field or profession outside of property or surveying. You should have previous property valuation experience and hold MRICS/FRICS in valuation, commercial real estate or related pathways.

1. About the programme

Salary ranges: London £43,250 to £48,750, National £38,750 to £43,750. Salary varies depending on location.

The programme starts with a comprehensive induction and suite of support to help re-introduce you back into the workplace. You will have a supportive line manager, an initial period of shadowing an experienced surveyor, a buddy in your team and a mentor from the business.

During the programme, you will find immediately that you have a great breadth of work exposure, including the chance to work on some high-profile and unusual properties, progressively taking on more responsibility as you’re ready.

You will work across a range of our teams and be responsible for managing an individual caseload and conducting valuations and negotiations. You will establish and maintain professional relationships with clients and agents, provide technical advice and oversee the quality assurance process. As you would expect, the role involves site visits to inspect properties of various classes and attendance at Valuation Tribunals, where you’ll represent the Valuation Office.

You will receive excellent training and support. You will be part of a network of VOA Returners and you’ll have the opportunity to attend group coaching sessions to refresh your IT skills and rebuild your confidence and resilience following the move back into work.

This programme offers an initial 6 month contract, with the possibility of extension. We expect that at the end of the 6 month contract period, you will apply for a permanent SEO Chartered Surveyor role through fair and open competition. You will receive interview support and coaching at end of programme to help you to secure a permanent role.

Locations likely to include (depending on demand):

Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Colchester, Croydon, Eastbourne, Exeter, Folkestone, Glasgow, Hull, Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool, Plymouth, Preston, Newcastle, Norwich, Nottingham, Sheffield, Southampton, St Austell, Stoke, Wembley, Wrexham

Based on the list of office locations above, please provide up to three ranked location preferences when submitting your CV.

Eligibility

• the programme is open to Chartered Surveyors
• length of career break from the profession: normally at least 2 years (either out of the workforce or in a field or profession outside of property or surveying)
• previous property valuation experience
• MRICS/FRICS In valuation, commercial real estate or related pathways (please contact us to discuss)

Person specification

You will also need:

• the ability to lead, motivate and inspire others to deliver results including sharing your professional knowledge to help others develop
• great communication skills and be able to deal with a wide range of customers and stakeholders, providing a quality service
• to show strong analytical and judgement skills by interpreting a range of evidence to provide relevant advice to reach sound conclusions while delivering at pace
• a personal and professional commitment to your ongoing development

How to apply

To apply for this role, you will need to email us with the following:

• a CV setting out your career history, with responsibilities and achievements – we recognise that there will be recent gaps
• a cover letter (maximum 500 words) focusing on how you meet the person specification, why you would like this opportunity and what you can bring to the VOA
• you preferred 3 locations, in order of preference

The closing date for applications is midnight on Friday 27 March 2020.

If you have any questions about the VOA Returners Programme, or if would like to talk to someone about the programme, please contact us.

Roles for Chartered Surveyors

If this programme is not right for you but you are RICS or IRRV or equivalent qualified or due to sit your APC shortly, we have vacancies you might be interested in. Please see www.voa.gov.uk for further information .

2. Testimonies

Jo Thorneagle BSc (Hons) MRICS

I am a specialist surveyor carrying out complex valuations such as trade related property and development appraisals for the National Taxation team.

I returned to the agency after time in private practice as I valued the flexibility and work-life balance it offered. I found the environment less pressured but the work was still challenging.

The VOA sponsored me through my degree and APC, allowing me to qualify as a Chartered Surveyor. I have since developed my career in the VOA and have had the opportunity to value a wide range of unique and interesting properties. I now have a young child and following maternity leave I have returned to work part time, without losing any of the responsibility in my role.

The VOA offers great flexibility alongside interesting work and without some of the additional pressures found in private practice.

Tracy Anstey BSc (Hons) MRICS

I am a caseworker in RVU Wales & West working on NDR Welsh appeal cases.

I completed a BSc (Hons) in Urban Estate Management in the early 1990s. It was a sandwich course and I spent my sandwich year training with the VOA Carmarthen office, of which I have always had fond memories. Following my degree I worked in private practice for a couple of years and then worked in estate management for 23 years. I returned to the VOA as I felt there would be good career progression and a good variety of work in a challenging environment.

I have a great line manager who has guided me every step of the way, there is ongoing training so I feel I have the tools to do my job and my colleagues have been super supportive giving advice and being a sounding board for me when needed.

I have been a member of the RICS for over 20 years, but I was nervous about whether I could work in a different sector after so long. As soon as I got to the job interview I was put at ease that there would be full training given and that they expected there to be a settling in period, so when I started my new job I was naturally nervous but excited too. It does take time to bed into the job, however having an employer who understands this and guides you makes the transition easier. I would definitely recommend it.

Roger Teagle BSc. MRICS

I work as a Lead Mineral Surveyor in the National Specialist Unit of the VOA. I specialise in the valuation of mining, quarrying, waste management and contaminated land properties for local taxation and compulsory purchase.

I trained and qualified as a Chartered Mineral Surveyor (MRICS) in 1988 and have spent most of my career either overseas in mining and minerals exploration, or in the UK in construction and civil engineering. I was looking for a job based in the UK which would offer a better work/life balance but which would still be challenging and interesting and involve hands-on site work. A former colleague from the mining industry had joined the VOA some years back and recommended it to me.

I consider myself very fortunate to have joined a small, professional and highly motivated team in minerals – probably the closest and most supportive team I have ever worked with. Some of the complexities of local taxation would have been daunting to learn but the support from both colleagues and managers has been unstinting. It is always clear that my managers have my best interests at heart & I’m pleased to now be able to offer some of that support to new colleagues joining the team.

To say the work is interesting and varied is certainly true. In addition to surveying and valuing mining and waste properties across the country - from underground mines to the latest technologically advanced waste-from-energy plants. I have been involved in fascinating and unusual projects outside the team, some of which have even involved helicoptering out to offshore lighthouses and visiting high-security prisons! Once you’re in the VOA, there are excellent opportunities for projects or secondments in other parts of the Agency which add interest and diversity to the work.

If a good work/life balance is important to you, then consider a career with the VOA – flexible working time is a great feature of working here and has made a significant improvement to mine and my family’s quality of life. There’s a genuinely supportive and caring atmosphere within teams and across the wider VOA. The VOA welcomes surveyors from all backgrounds and for instance women are well-represented on the minerals team.

I have been impressed by the dedication and professionalism of colleagues in the VOA. It feels like my experience is welcomed and highly valued. I get a high level of autonomy and trust in how I carry out my day to day work, but there is support there if I need it.

It’s no wonder that people joining the VO tend to stay for a long while.

Chris Curtis BSc (Hons) MRICS

I am a Lead Valuer within the Inner London Team.

In my thirties I decided to have a career change and studied Estate Management at Reading University with a view to becoming a Chartered Surveyor. When I graduated in 2011 the jobs market for Surveyors was pretty tough - most firms were laying people off rather than hiring. The only opening I could find was an unpaid position, which I took and fortunately it did turn into a full time paid position but I was not put on their graduate training scheme and the department I worked for would not allow me to rotate into other areas of the business. While I was there, another unpaid worker looking to get into the industry was told there was no opening for him after working for free for a couple of months and I heard his boss trying to soften the blow by telling him about the VOA’s graduate scheme and how they were recruiting. I was all ears and looked into it for myself. I liked what I saw, applied, passed the interview and join the VOA in Jan 2012.

There was so much support and help at VOA, there was even a graduate manager and regular training events. I was amazed by just how helpful everyone was and how I was able to gain experience in all the different areas of work that I needed to complete my diary and pass the APC. In my experience there are always people that are only too happy to help get you up to speed with any new task or job that come your way in the VOA.

The VOA is a great place for anyone looking to get back into surveying - there is an abundance of training on offer along with friendly, experienced staff members to ease you back into the swing of things. Furthermore, ‘work life balance’ is not just a marketing slogan here at the VOA – it is actually fully embraced by the whole organisation and you will not be expected to work all hours to the detriment of everything else in your life.

Plus the VOA offers flexible working hours so (within reason) you can pick and choose the hours that suit you and they are open to a wide variety of different working patterns.’