Building Control Officer

Typical Salary

£22,000 To £60,000

Typical Hours

38 to 40 a week

on call on a rota

How To Become a Building Control Officer

You can get into this job through:

a university course
a college course
an apprenticeship
applying directly

College / 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

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

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

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

Apprenticeship

You can do a building control surveyor degree apprenticeship.

4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a degree apprenticeship

Routes into this Career

Routes into this Career are not listed for this job.

You could move into building control from another job in construction, like quantity surveying or site management.

Other Routes

Other Routes are not listed for this job.

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

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 & 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.

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering Opportunities are not listed for this job.

Tips & 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:

Restrictions & Requirements

You'll need to:

have a full driving licence