What’s the Point of Being Qualified?

Most of the blogs on our site are written in the third person with no specific personal reference in mind. This blog is different as it comes from a place where personal experience and a background in education is brought to the fore. Training/teaching the delivery of - is as a natural as breathing for me. It’s been part of my adult life for a little over 30 years. From being a newly qualified teacher working with 11 to 18 year olds in a secondary school to leaving the profession as a Head of Sixth Form and the challenging transition into the private rented sector, my place of Zen has always been the classroom. Creating a safe, comfortable and fun environment for people to learn in, interact and want to come back to, is really not like hard work.

So today, working with a group of letting agents and property managers, the conversation turned to ROPA - Regulation of Property Agents and qualifications. The group was divided- comments ranging from “I’m too old, so I will retire” to “How am I going to find the time?” mixed with excitement, nerves and apprehension.

The sector has been unregulated forever and so this new horizon does create a dialogue. Not many agents are qualified so what’s the point? Currently there is no legal requirement, things work well, what difference will it make?

As with training, being qualified has a purpose.

1. Underpinning knowledge. It’s good to know that what you have tucked away in your brain is right. Mixed with the right amount of experience and common sense, it works well.

2. Qualification can be a benchmark of competency. As with any syllabus, the content sets out what the level for a particular role or job needs to be and this provides structure for the person doing the job.

3. Professionalism. Hmm …. not convinced that all people that hold a qualification are professional! But the kudos of making that statement “I’m qualified” does add weight to what you can offer.

4. Being taken seriously. Working in the property sector is not easy or straightforward. Just the sheer volume of legislation shocks not only those new to the industry but the seasoned practitioners have to wade through so many different elements of law. This is a proper job! Definitely not for the faint hearted. And it is a great sector to work in.

5. It helps career progression and becomes a foundation for future opportunities personally and professionally.

6. You can prove you are a lifelong learner and looking forward to being a part of a culture where that learning and progression will continue.

7. The industry is worth billions of pounds in revenue to employers, landlords, investment groups, companies, banks, obviously, the Government and the Economy, so in short, it is great to take the whole thing seriously.

Thirteen years ago, the Guild became a BTEC Centre and developed the first suite of BTEC qualifications in Residential Letting & Management at Levels 2, 3 and 4. Each qualification was developed for a particular job role, however, it was the Level 4 Professional Diploma in Residential Letting & Management that became the most popular. The qualifications are vocational and focus on ensuring that the learner understands that the job they do daily is reflected in the qualification. The assignment scenarios are generally work based and assessed; once they have been completed, a three hour exam follows.

Alongside the BTEC qualifications, the Guild has just become a PropertyMark Centre. We will be offering the Level 3 Technical Award with a difference. There will be tutorial classes which facilitate learning and ensure a much smoother transition towards the exams.

For further information on both the BTEC and Technical Award, please contact Lauren - info@guild-let.co.uk