My name is Ted Clarke and I am currently half way through my work experience at Roger Hannah. Before coming to work here, I had never heard about the company or any of the things that it does, I only got the work experience through a friend of my dads (Jeremy Banks) offering me the opportunity. Since coming in on my first day, I have felt very welcomed by everyone and everybody is willing to help or answer any questions I have had so far.
In my first three days at Roger Hannah, I have been working in various different sectors of the company, learning about the variety of different jobs that take place within surveying and also more about the world of work as a whole.
My first Day
On my first day, I spent the day with Matt Godwin, BSc (Hons), MSc, visiting various properties that Roger Hannah has recently acquired to manage. This involved asking existing tenants about the quality of the property, visiting empty houses, assessing the build structure and taking photos to see what state it was in. I am told this work helps to support the requirements for a comprehensive Schedule of Condition and Vacant Property Risk Assessment.
Second Day
In the morning, I spent some time going through a report of a site which Rob Donnelly, BSc (Hons) MRICS Registered Valuer, was working on, It was interesting to note just how much detail is required for a standard property appraisal and it was nice to see how much care Rob gave it.
That afternoon, I was with Tom Ellis, BA (Hons) MSc, outside the office, attending several council houses in which the owner wanted to buy their home through the ‘Right To Buy Scheme’. Tom’s job is to value their houses, so to do this, first we had to visit them, take photos and observe the materials that the embedded fixtures and fittings, windows and roofs were made from.
Third day
I was again supporting Tom and was tasked with identifying comparable values of houses in order to help value the council houses I visited the day prior. I then sat in on a high-level investment meeting between senior members and directors of the firm.
Throughout the afternoon, I was with John Somerville, Director of Commercial Property Management, visiting several properties managed by Roger Hannah in the Northern Quarter area as they demanded our close attention. It was also interesting to find out that Roger Hannah now manages over 70,000 sq ft in Manchester’s vibrant the Northern Quarter.
Despite only being halfway through my time at Roger Hannah, I have already learned more about different areas of surveying that I probably never would have encountered without my work experience. I have also gained very valuable experience in a working environment, which I hope will help me when I come to work in a few years. I would definitely recommend partaking in some work experience at Roger Hannah, as it has been a very good place to help me develop my business acumen.
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