Insurance surveyors are employed by insurance companies to carry out surveys of buildings, machinery, transport or other sites or items that need to be insured. They produce reports to help underwriters decide on the terms and conditions of insurance policies. They may also be known as risk surveyors, analysts or advisers.

Insurance surveyors usually specialise in one of the following areas:

• Fire and perils - looking at the risks to a building and its contents. Insurance surveyors examine the building’s plans and gather information about its construction, its fire protection and security systems and the way the business is managed.

• Accidents and liability - looking at the risks to employees, customers and visitors to a site. Surveyors examine machinery and equipment, and the health and safety systems and procedures.

• Engineering - specialist engineering surveyors examine mechanical and industrial plants, machinery and equipment to look for faults.

• Burglary and theft - insurance surveyors examine business premises, assess security arrangements and check how goods are stored, to make sure that the risk of burglary or theft is minimised.

Hours and Environment

Insurance surveyors usually work 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. They may sometimes need to work longer or unsocial hours suit the needs of the job.

Insurance surveyors can be office-based or work from home, but they spend much of their time visiting sites. Conditions on site vary, but can be dirty or involve working at heights.

Skills and Interests

To be an insurance surveyor you should:

• be very thorough, observant and pay attention to detail
• have a methodical and investigative approach to gathering information
• have good spoken and written communication skills
• be tactful, assertive and persuasive
• understand technical details and plans but be able to explain them clearly to
• be able to write reports and draw simple plans 
• have computer skills
• be able to work both alone and as part of a team.

Entry

Before becoming an insurance surveyor you will usually need either:

• several years' experience in the insurance industry, usually as an underwriter; or
• to be qualified and experienced in a related profession such as building surveying, engineering or fire safety.

If you come from a general insurance background, employers often ask for some A levels/Highers or equivalent qualifications, plus GCSEs (A-C)/S grades (1-3) in English and maths. You may have an advantage with a degree in insurance, business studies, a science, building surveying or risk management. You will also usually be expected to have achieved professional insurance qualifications such as the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) Diploma and Advanced Diploma in Insurance (see Training section).

To enter a degree you will usually need at least five GCSEs (A-C)/S grades (1-3) plus two A levels/three Highers or equivalent qualifications.  An Access to Higher Education qualification may be accepted for entry to certain courses. Please check with colleges or universities for exact entry requirements.

Although risk surveying is not normally an entry-level job, some larger insurance companies may run graduate training schemes for new entrants. You will usually need a good degree (class 2:1 or above) in a relevant subject.

If you are aged between 16 and 24 you may be able to enter the insurance industry through an apprenticeship programme. However, you would still need to achieve CII qualifications and have several years’ experience before being able to progress to becoming a risk surveyor. To find out more about Apprenticeships (level 2) and Advanced Apprenticeships (level 3) in England, visit www.apprenticeships.org.uk. Apprenticeships may be different in other areas - for further information see Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland.

Training

You will usually be trained on the job, working with an experienced surveyor to gain experience before working alone. Some companies offer in-house training schemes, and external short courses may also be available.

You will usually be expected to qualify as an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute (ACII), by studying for the CII Advanced Diploma in Insurance. This can be through day release, evening classes or distance learning - see the CII's website for more details.

Depending on your specialism, you may also choose to study for further professional qualifications such as:

• the National Examination Board for Occuaptional Safety and Health (NEBOSH) Diploma
• the Institute of Risk Management Certificate and Diploma in Risk Management.

Opportunities

Insurance surveyors are employed all over the country by:

• large and medium-sized insurance companies
• specialist insurance surveying firms
• risk management consultancies
• large insurance brokers.

Engineering surveyors usually work for specialist engineering insurance companies.

There are some opportunities to work abroad. Self employment is possible.

Surveyors may be promoted to senior surveyor or head of department. Some surveyors move into other insurance specialisms such as loss adjusting, although this is not common.

Annual Income

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Trainee insurance surveyors usually start on around £18,000 a year.
Insurance surveyors with around five years’ experience usually earn around £25,000 to £35,000 a year.
Senior surveyors can earn around £40,000 to £60,000 a year.

Further information

Lloyds Avenue House
6 Lloyds Avenue
London
EC3N 3AX
Tel: 020 7709 9808 20 Aldermanbury
London
EC2V 7HY
Tel: 020 8989 8464 51 Gresham Street
London
EC2V 7HQ
Tel: 0845 257 3772