You bring the energy and ambition. We’ll provide the excellent career prospects
Official property advisors to Edinburgh Rugby galbraithgroup.com
We are always keen to meet talented, ambitious and customer oriented people. Careers within Galbraith include: • Residential estate agency • Property lettings • Commercial property sales & management • Farm & estate acquisitions • Forestry services, sales & acquisitions • Estates, farming & land management • Energy, renewables & utilities • Building surveying • Marketing, IT & Accounts Click here to view “This is Galbraith”
Elgin
Inverness
Aberdeen
Oban
Perth Cupar
Stirling
Offices across Scotland & Northern England With a team of over 200 employees in 13 offices across Scotland and Northern England, we offer an unparalleled breadth of skills across all property sectors. If you think you have something to offer please visit our website or contact one of our offices. Offices Regional Agents
Edinburgh
Argyll Ayr
Galashiels
Kelso Blagdon
Stranraer
Castle Douglas
Hexham
Penrith
An Excellent Recommendation It was during this time I got a recommendation from a local solicitor, “CKD Galbraith (as they were known at the time) are looking for a new sales and lettings assistant, you would be good at that”. Aaron Edgar
A
aron joined Galbraith in 2013. He works in both sales and lettings and is a member of the National Association of Estate Agents. With a degree in Criminology and Sociology I didn’t expect to find myself in the sales and letting business. On leaving university I worked for a year organising regional events in Dumfries and Galloway and got involved with a lot of different aspects of event management with many local businesses.
A New Sales Negotiator for Galbraith Aberdeen
Amy Price
I graduated with a degree in Media and Communications BA (hons) from Glasgow Caledonian University in 2009. I focused my studies on marketing and advertising. In my own time, I also undertook creative courses in interior design, styling and sketching at Central St Martins Art School in London to satisfy my growing personal interest in property and design. Prior to my time with Galbraith I worked in sales and marketing for Virgin Active in Glasgow and, thereafter, spent a number of years within the city in letting agencies including Pacitti Jones and Ryden
I applied, interviewed with the local partner Simon and here we are 6 years down the line, so I guess the solicitor was right! I had zero experience in this line of work before starting with Galbraith but now I am a member of the National Association of Estate Agents which I achieved during my time at Galbraith and currently a student member of RICS, working towards my AssocRICS qualification. You are always learning when you work in this field so having that drive and desire to develop is important. There is
where I achieved the highest industry qualification delivered by the ARLA Propertymark. Ultimately Ryden merged with Rettie & Co. where I continued my career until I was selected and offered a sales role within the newly launched Newton Mearns agency branch. I felt it was a significant step in my career and to this day I still find my experience and knowledge of the lettings industry to be helpful. In 2017 my husband and I decided to relocate to Aberdeenshire, my home. Luckily this coincided with a position becoming available with Galbraith Aberdeen, where I have been for the last year and a half working as residential sales negotiator. Something I love about my job is how varied my days can be. My usual day in the office will involve assisting with enquiries and discussing properties we are selling, arranging and following up on viewings and discussing comments and enquiries with our clients, social media and marketing activity, negotiating offers and following the conveyancing process through to the completion of the sale. This can involve dealing with anything from discussing deed plans, planning applications and surveys to mediating
Offices across Scotland & Northern England | galbraithgroup.com
so much more to working in estate agency than I ever could have imagined and as the years pass I feel myself improving and gaining more confidence in handling different situations, clients’ needs and expectations. I’ve pushed myself out of my comfort zone, and for me that is an important way to learn new skills. I love getting out and about in the region, meeting buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants as I cover all aspects of both sales and letting. However, nothing gives me a bigger buzz than negotiating on successful sales! I have achieved so much in my journey with Galbraith so far, from knowing nothing to where I am at today, achieving my Assoc RICS will be the icing on the cake!
complications of a sale between a seller and buyer. I can also be out and about, for example to meet clients to become familiar with their property or visiting potential development sites. In my time at Galbraith I have sold some unusual listings, highlights include the sale of Noranside Prison, New Aberdour Beach, even Balbithan Castle. The more complex sales are challenging and interesting, especially in a turbulent market as we have in Aberdeenshire. We are exceptionally client and service driven, developing relationships with our buyers and sellers which means the satisfaction of a sale is genuinely rewarding on a personal level. If I were to give advice in entering our field of work I would say to be persistent and eager to learn, experience builds your competency and it is incredible how many skills you learn that can be helpful when least expected. Team work and support to create trusting relationships with your colleagues is paramount, especially when in an often pressured sales role. I’m thankful to work in such an environment here in Galbraith Aberdeen.
Lucy Yates
Being a Commercial Graduate Surveyor with Galbraith
I started at Galbraith in September 2019 after graduating from Heriot Watt University with a Masters in Real Estate Management and Development. As a Commercial Graduate Surveyor my day can be quite varied with no two days the same as something always pops up unexpectedly. I was attracted to Galbraith by the multi-faceted aspects of the business and it is the varied and fast-paced nature of the job which I appreciate the most. I particularly enjoy building relationships with both colleagues and clients. When I am in the office I will be answering enquiries for properties we are marketing, drafting reports and catching up with paperwork. When out the office I can be conducting a viewing, measuring and photographing properties for valuation reports or inspecting the property for a marketing report. I typically start my day by replying to emails, checking our property database and responding to enquiries. Then I will usually have a quick catch up with my line manager, Harry
Stott, to discuss what priorities we have for the day. These might include drafting a valuation or marketing report, launching new properties on our website or calculating measurements from a recent inspection. The best thing about being a Graduate Commercial Surveyor is the varied workload which keeps me engaged and always learning. The team at Galbraith have been very welcoming and have made the transition from education to working life much easier and are supportive of my APC studies.
Click here to watch an interview with Lucy
“
When you are managing lots of different projects there is always something to do to keep things moving in the right direction.
There is no such thing as a typical day when you are a forester
Paul Schofield
W
orking outside, solving problems and dealing with a variety of interesting people – there is a lot to like about being a forester. I've been a Professional Member of the Institute of Chartered Foresters since 2002 and joined the Galbraith team in 2015.
James Taylor
When I am in the office I will be working on grant schemes, management plans and organising forestry operations such as planting, timber harvesting and restocking. At some stage, all of this work involves digital mapping work. Forestry is a modern industry and there are always opportunities to explore new technologies and share skills across our Rural, Energy and GIS teams. If I am out of the office I am often on site in Perthshire or the Borders meeting and supervising contractors, looking at harvesting operations or doing survey work for a woodland creation scheme. Designing new woodlands is a creative process and can be a very rewarding part of the job. Site work often involves being quite hands-on and can involve anything from digging soil pits, checking the health of young trees, locating and marking badger setts or measuring the volume of standing trees.
often be one of the big attractions to the role. When you are managing lots of different projects there is always something to do to keep things moving in the right direction. Being out on site is a regular occurrence but with that comes preparation, I must make sure that I have booked a vehicle and pull together everything I need, such as maps, marker paint, GPS unit and tape measure. I try and get there as early as possible and prepare in advance so I can make the most of the day. Time always seems to fly when I'm on site so it can be quite hectic. Sometimes sites are 2 or 3 hours’ drive away so you have to try and get as much out of a visit as possible. Collaborating with clients to create new woodlands, large or small, or make existing woods better through active management is always very rewarding.
There is no such thing as a typical day when you are a forester and that can
From Castles to Cottages and City Center Offices to Industrial Estate Sheds Buildings
I joined Galbraith in 2014 and I am a member of the Stirling Building Surveying Team. Getting to see parts of Scotland I haven’t been to and having access to some spectacular buildings that aren’t open to the public is one of the reasons I love my job. I have been to some truly unique places and have even flown Hebridean Airways to Colonsay to carry out a survey. My day often starts out of the office as I tend to undertake inspections and meetings in the morning. This
will usually involve a bit of travel and then a survey, site inspection or meeting. My work will mostly be somewhere in Scotland, usually between Northern Perthshire and Dumfries but sometimes further afield – I have been as far north as Wester Ross, and have even done some island hopping with surveys on Mull, Islay, Colonsay and Bute to name but a few. When back to the office, I will be catching up on emails or working on a report before preparing a plan for the next day.
I have achieved a lot in my time here so far and look forward to what the future brings. My greatest personal achievement was being promoted to Associate but winning the surveyors tug o’ war against our rival surveyors at the Scone Game Fair 3 years in a row is also impressive. There are many opportunities to take part in shows, events and activities both in and out of the office and these are an excellent way to get to know staff from across all our offices and business streams as well as meet with clients old and new.
Offices across Scotland & Northern England | galbraithgroup.com
Work experience: Jennifer Jeffrey
Jennifer Jeffrey
Jennifer explains how the valuable skills and experiences she gained during her work experience placement back in 2015, ultimately set her up for a career in rural surveying. At the start of my three month work placement with Galbraith in July 2015 I only had some idea of the various types of work a rural surveyor would undertake as well as a vague notion of the career path I would find myself choosing. This placement was the first major stepping stone to my career in which I am now a Chartered Rural Surveyor and a Fellow of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers I was involved in work across Scotland and the North of England and my working week ranged greatly from training days taking place on estates within the Cairngorms National Park to hiking up hills on the Scotland England Border in order to GPS water sources. I was involved in a wide variety of work including estate management, forestry, valuations and farm sales ranging from valuing large mixed farming and sporting
Graduate Training Programme Rural Recruitment
G
albraith has a second to none Graduate Training Programme which offers comprehensive on - the - job training and full support in attaining your RICS qualification. Our training and development team are dedicated and committed to empowering you to reach your full potential. With friendly, approachable staff in our offices across Scotland and Northern England there is a wealth of knowledge to tap into from our estate agents, building surveyors, commercial, forestry and energy teams and graduates are encouraged to use the vast experience within the firm for advice and support.
estates to renewing smaller grazing leases on a few acres of land.
Northumberland and north Aberdeenshire all within a few days.
The first week started with various inductions and training courses including the usual health & safety training but I also learnt how to use Galbraith's GIS (geographic information system) platform where layers of data are recorded onto a digital map of Scotland. By the end of the week I was helping set up the Galbraith trade stand at the Border Union Show.
Aside from the day job, throughout my APC training, I attended a vast number of events held and attended by Galbraith including The Royal Highland Show, Scottish Game Fair, Stirling Bulls Sales, a farming seminar at Murrayfield Stadium and many Edinburgh Rugby games with clients.
During the placement I assisted with the sale of a farm by taking prospective buyers around the farm cottages and answering any queries. In addition I researched a variety of issues arising from the sale of farms including the new Basic Payment Scheme and various local planning policies and what this means for prospective buyers. I learnt many skills including professionalism and communication during this aspect of the job all invaluable experience which I would not have gained through university study. After the placement I applied to Galbraith's graduate scheme and was offered an interview. The abundance of experience and skills I gained during the placement allowed me answer questions with more depth than I would have otherwise been able to. After the interview I was offered a graduate rural surveyor position and re-joined the Edinburgh office in September 2016. My graduate APC training lasted just over two years and if I thought that my placement was varied, it was nothing compared to how varied my APC training would be. My work took me south to
Being enrolled in our graduate training scheme includes many benefits and is the reason for our consistently high pass rate: • Galbraith covers your training costs including RICS enrolment and attendance of training courses. • You are given full support and guidance throughout the APC process with a dedicated counsellor. • You will have the support of our rural division training team, which includes APC Assessors who know exactly what is required to pass. • We provide regular in house training days, both general CPD and APC specific training. • As you approach your assessment you are given presentation training, mock interviews and study leave to
to
The Assessment of Professional Competence means you have to complete a minimum of 40 hours of Continuing Professional Development each year. I completed a varied amount of CPD, supported by Galbraith. CPD included internal graduate training days, Central Association of Agricultural Valuers Training Days, RICS mid-session conference, and Galbraith land agent days. Following the successful completion of the APC I qualified as a Chartered Rural Surveyor in October 2018 and became a RICS Registered Valuer shortly after. I also completed the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers exams in November 2018. Both my experience and that of many other graduates of Galbraith prove that a work experience placement is the most useful and constructive few months you can spend. Placements allow you a true insight into an industry - and ultimately set me up for my graduate job and beyond!
Click here to watch an interview with Jennifer
help put you in the best possible position for success. With eight Graduates joining us in our 2020 programme alone we have a superb graduate community which you will become part of, enabling you to share your learning among your peers. As a Galbraith graduate, there is plenty of fun and exciting opportunities to be involved in. You will be encouraged to come along and join in at events, training days, days out, conferences and seminars, giving you the opportunity to network and develop your skills. Following our recent merger and expansion into Northern England opportunities across our 13 offices, from Aberdeen to Hexham, are endless.
Rory Morrison-Low Galbraith Cupar I undertook a placement with the Rural Team in the Cupar office. During the two week placement, I got involved with a wide range of work which included getting out of the office taking part in a farm valuation, telecoms mast inspections, preparing records of condition and crop walks for establishing compensation due. I also spent time in the office where I experienced the desk based side of being a land agent such as finding land ownership. The Galbraith team were extremely helpful, giving up a large amount of their valuable time to explain different aspects of their profession. This experience has broadened my knowledge of the property industry as a whole and will be invaluable in supporting my studies at the University of Reading as well as informing my decision on future career options.
Charlie Fox Galbraith Galashiels I spent a year in the Galbraith Galashiels office assisting Mike Thompson with the day to day management of a number of rural estates throughout the Borders and Lothians. The role of the firm varies substantially between each client; for some we manage only the residential portfolio
and for others we oversee forestry and inhand farming. I was expected to assist Mike in all areas although a large amount of the job focussed specifically on residential management. I have managed to learn a lot regarding traditional management. It was extremely beneficial to observe someone with Mike’s level of experience in rural management. I enjoyed the diversity between the Estates; the attitudes and objectives of the different clients was very varied meaning Mike and I had to adapt our management accordingly. I was very impressed with the standard of in-house training on offer: the APC and graduate training days were well organised and extremely educational. I was also impressed with the quality of the GIS training which I was frequently able to make use of.
Rose Nash Galbraith Castle Douglas I spent a 7 week period - as opposed to the standard 4 week block – with the Castle Douglas office working with both the rural and residential team. Within my first week I attended the Galbraith marquee at the Royal Highland Show and represented the firm with my own branded name badge and gilet. This was a good opportunity to network and make connections, as well as
build up my confidence as I was communicating with staff members of all levels as well as clients.
Mairi Macdonald Galbraith Stirling
Whilst working with the residential team I accompanied staff on client visits to carry out market appraisals, drew floor plans and assisted with writing up sales particulars. I enjoyed gaining an understanding of the full process which is undertaken when putting a property on the market.
As a third-year student studying Rural Business Management at SRUC, Edinburgh I joined the Galbraith Stirling office for my summer internship taking on a variety of tasks both in and out with the office which allowed me to gain a fuller experience of what being part of the Rural team involves.
Whilst I was in the rural team a lot of my time was spent assisting with farm valuations. One of my highlights was travelling to Cumbria to carry out a valuation of a large dairy unit. This was a process I got to follow from start to finish which made clear the skills and knowledge required to carry out a valuation efficiently. Overall, my 7 week placement at Galbraith was very interesting and enjoyable. It highlighted that no two days are the same within the job and that there is a good mix between being in the office and out on site visits.
A large amount of my time at Galbraith was spent working with Robert Taylor the partner in charge of AMC agency and it was extremely interesting to see the process from application to receiving a loan offer for a client. I gained an understanding of how important it is to listen to clients and build up a picture of what they are wanting to achieve through investment and that having a first hand understanding of the industry is key to this. My internship at Galbraith was valuable and thoroughly enjoyable, helping me decide a career in this sector is the path I would love to follow
A Chance to Give Something Back Mark Smith
I always wanted to give something back and to help shape the area I grew up in for the better. I still do and this was what drove me to take up a job as a Land Agent.
W
ith an MA in Rural Surveying from Aberdeen University under my belt I immediately took on a job with an Exeter based firm of Chartered Surveyors partly to experience another part of the country and partly because it was the recession and sense told me to take the first job going. A year on, I seized the opportunity to join a firm based in my home town, Land Factor. 8 years later have seen the team grow, cross the border and merge with Galbraith. The variety of work and the characters I meet day to day underpin my enjoyment of the job. You name it I will have no doubt have been involved in it, I am for want of a better word a jack of all trades. Landlord and tenant matters, agency, valuation, repairs and maintenance, commercial, fishing, forestry and sporting is about as specific as I can be!
My agricultural experience was fairly limited when compared to some of my peers who have grown up on farms but my in depth knowledge of the family caravan site, a placement with a national firm of surveyors and a month labouring on a friends farm in Norfolk helped to give me a broader perspective on things which I believe help to set me apart. Becoming a Fellow of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV) has got to be one of my biggest career achievements to date. The confidence and support gained through memberships of the CAAV and RICS cannot be understated - in my experience it is far more valuable than who you might know.
All job opportunities are featured on our website along with further Day in the Life articles
Offices across Scotland & Northern England | galbraithgroup.com