A Junior Quantity Surveyor will work as part of a team, usually overseen by a Senior Quantity Surveyor. The kinds of tasks generally carried out by a Junior Quantity Surveyor include:

• Interpreting building plans with the help of the Senior Quantity Surveyor to gain an estimate of the nature and quantity of the building materials required for a project and the scale and nature of the labour required completing (for the building project). They must also estimate the likely time frame of the project.
•Writing up budget statements once the Senior Quantity Surveyor has calculated the total cost and various component costs of the project.
•Writing up bills of quantities.
•Ensuring that bills are paid.
•Completing budgeting and budget reports to a pre agreed time scale.
•Helping compile reports on the budget for the senior management and/or clients
•Preparing contract documents in line with the wishes of the Senior Quantity Surveyor.
•Attending site meetings. May be required to act as minute taker or present on the progress of the project.
•Attending meetings with design teams. Junior Quantity Surveyors may be required to act as minute taker. This will help get a feel for the project and anticipate any future quantity or labour requirements.

A key role of all Quantity Surveyors is to mediate between all of the different parties involved in a construction project including suppliers, site workers, contractors, the client, designers, the public and any other potential stakeholders. This requires diplomacy and excellent communication skills. As with all other surveyors Quantity Surveyors are supposed to be impartial when providing information. Presentation of impartial information should hopefully resolve a dispute by showing a clear way forward. Junior Quantity Surveyors are unlikely to be leading dispute resolution efforts but are likely to be involved in compiling the reports used for this purpose.

To secure a job as a Junior Quantity Surveyor, a candidate must typically have a degree in Quantity Surveying or a degree in a related discipline and be embarking on a post graduate degree. Typically employers will also want to see candidates working towards membership of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

There are plenty of jobs advertised as being for Junior Quantity Surveyors. However competition for them is strong.

In order to improve their chances, would-be Junior Quantity Surveyors, if they are not coming from a RICS accredited course, should try and get some relevant work experience. This is a good way to demonstrate a passion for the career and gain some practical experience that can be played on in a CV and hopefully an interview.