Mentoring and Shadowing
My general advice for Sava students looking for mentoring:
I found some success with the following approaches, that my fellow SAVA students may wish to consider:
- Approaching mentors and requesting for them to ‘be your mentor’ can be quite a lot of pressure and off putting for prospective mentors. They don’t know you, and may not wish to commit to such a long-term arrangement. I’ve found that asking if they mind if you come out with them for a day or two is far less pressuring and has a higher success rate. Then, if you both enjoy each other’s company, it can easily lead to longer term mentoring. A try before you buy for both of you!
- Approach non-conventional mentors for shadowing experiences. As I’ve detailed in my article on the other page, being on site for a day during a wall tie replacement taught me a huge amount. Perhaps a day with other professionals who work outside may benefit you? I’ve no doubt that a day with a roofer, a builder or a drainage company would be of great benefit.
- If a prospective mentor is unable to meet you, due to their health vulnerabilities (re COVID19), or their organisational policies, perhaps they might consider ‘online mentoring’? An hour a week/fortnight/month on zoom to talk through a pre-arranged topic area, or discuss issues you’ve found with your work? I’ve found that if you choose a pre-arranged topic, it really makes you focus on reading up on that topic area prior to the zoom call.
- Create a professional LinkedIn account and a good CV. Add the hyperlink and the CV in your emails. It helps prospective mentors get to know more about you.
- Approach a second year SAVA student! They know what you are going through and should have good knowledge of surveying, construction and valuation, being able to assist you with any areas of weakness you may have. Also, they can answer specific questions you might have about the assessment requirements of the second year. You’ll often find them on LinkedIn. (Feel free to add me too - https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-moran-068569194/ )
We are proud to announce that Chris has just been awarded the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Matrics - Residential Surveyor of the Year 2024.