Every week a student vote chooses the The Job of the Week which is linked on our Careers page. This week we highlighted Estate Agents.

Estate agents sell and rent out commercial and residential property, acting as negotiators between buyers and sellers.

Day to day tasks

You may:

·         visit sellers and landlords to value properties

·         communicate regularly with potential buyers and tenants to share details of properties that meet their requirements

·         arrange viewing appointments and show properties to buyers or renters

·         get feedback on viewings

·         negotiate between buyers and sellers

·         generate sales leads for mortgages and conveyancing

·         deal in person, on the telephone and through email with solicitors, financial advisers and surveyors

·         manage auction sales

·         work to meet sales targets

·         update computer records.

Working environment

·         You could work in an office, at a store, at a client’s business or at a client’s home.

You can get into this job through:

·         a university course

·         an apprenticeship

·         working towards this role

·         training offered by a professional body

University

You could do a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in:

·         Business studies

·         Civil and structural engineering

·         Estate management

·         Property development or management

·         Surveying

·         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.

Apprenticeship

·         Some estate agents offer an intermediate apprenticeship as a junior estate agent or an advanced apprenticeship in property services.

Entry requirements

You’ll usually need:

·         GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship.

·         5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship.

Work

·         You may be able to start as a trainee sales negotiator and learn on the job.

·         You could also start as an administrator in estate agency or lettings company and work your way up.

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

Other routes

·         You could start by taking qualifications offered by an industry body like NAEA Propertymark.

Requirements and restrictions

You’ll need to:

·         have a full driving licence.

Career tips

·         Estate agents often work on commission which 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 might start on a guaranteed salary for a few months and then move to a commission based salary. You may also have the chance to add to your earnings through bonuses linked to meeting individual or company sales targets.