Level 3 Surveying Technician Apprentice Preston, North West England, England
Job description
Details
Reference number
Salary
Job grade
Contract type
Apprenticeship
Length of employment
Business area
Type of role
Surveying
Working pattern
Number of jobs available
Contents
Location
About the job
Benefits
Things you need to know
Apply and further information
Location
About the job
Job summary
Job description
We are looking for talented individuals eager to start a new career with our fully-funded Surveying Technician Level 3 Apprenticeship. An integrated programme of work and learning will be put in place to ensure you get the right mix and breadth of experience required to complete your apprenticeship.
This will include:
- Property inspection, producing and recording digital surveys.
- Valuing properties for Council Tax, Non-Domestic Rating or District Valuer Services.
- Preparing case notes and deciding outcomes within set guidelines and supervision.
- Responding to ratepayer enquiries on the telephone, on site and in writing.
- Working closely with Property Caseworkers, Researchers, and Inspectors and wider teams within the Valuation Office.
- Managing your time and work with others to deliver work promptly and accurately.
- Completing the Level 3 Surveying Technician Apprenticeship.
Please read candidate pack attached for full details on the role, benefits and how to apply.
We are holding two live events on 9 February 13:00-13:45 and 23 February 10:00-10:45 on Microsoft Teams for candidates to find out more about the role.
Please sign up using links above.
Person specification
Essential Requirements
Successful candidates will need to:
- Be committed to undertake and complete the Surveying Technician Level 3 Apprenticeship.
- Have an interest in and desire to learn more about surveying, property and valuation.
- Be able to communicate clearly both verbally and in writing.
- Be able to work with others to deliver aims and objectives.
- Have strong organisation skills to manage a diverse workload, delivering to deadlines.
- Be self-motivated, flexible and prepared to work across a range of duties.
- Be willing to travel on a regular basis, including potential overnight stays.
Successful candidates will also need to meet the following qualification requirements by end of August 2023:
- GCSE Grade C /4 or above or an equivalent Level 2 qualification in English and Mathematics as defined by the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF).
- During the recruitment process you will need to be able to provide certificates for the above. A statement of results from your exam board will suffice initially if you are awaiting certificates. But you will need to provide certificates when enrolling on the apprenticeship programme.
- Candidates must not already hold a qualification at the same level or above in in the same subject area as the apprenticeship.
- For the duration of the apprenticeship, candidates can not undertake another qualification at the same time (including other apprenticeships, degrees, sandwich placements and other qualifications).
Please see candidate pack for full details.
Successful candidates will also need to meet certain residency requirements. These are set out in the candidate pack attached below.
Please note that candidates who do not meet the qualifications and residency requirements are not eligible to apply.
Qualifications
- GCSE Grade C /4 or above or an equivalent Level 2 qualification in English and Mathematics as defined by the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF).
- During the recruitment process you will need to be able to provide certificates for the above. A statement of results from your exam board will suffice initially if you are awaiting certificates. But you will need to provide certificates when enrolling on the apprenticeship programme.
- Candidates must not already hold a qualification at the same level or above in in the same subject area as the apprenticeship.
- For the duration of the apprenticeship, candidates can not undertake another qualification at the same time (including other apprenticeships, degrees, sandwich placements and other qualifications)
- Please see candidate pack for full details.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process: At interview candidates will undertake a Technical discussion. This will be an opportunity for candidates to build on the evidence provided in the personal statement at appl
Benefits
We offer a range of flexible working options, a generous leave allowance that starts at 25 days and goes up to 30 days after 5 years’ service and a pension scheme. Maternity, adoption or shared parental leave of up to 26 weeks with full pay followed by 13 weeks statutory pay and a further 13 weeks unpaid, and paternity leave of 4 weeks at full pay.
The most popular parts of our reward package include:
- Pay – in the few years, we have increased both the minimum and maximum pay points for everyone in the VOA.
- Pension - we make contributions to our colleagues’ Alpha pension equal to at least 26% of their salary.
- Working hours and location flexibility – everyone in the VOA has some opportunity to work from home, and we support a full range of flexible working options including part time, part year, compressed hours and job shares.
- Family friendly policies – including four weeks of paid paternity leave.
- Personal support – we offer extensive special leave to help balance your life and work commitments, a variety of non-financial rewards (including a Cycle to Work scheme of up to £4000) and we work with professional providers to provide occupational health and full mental and physical wellbeing services.
Download the Employee Value Proposition for full details of the benefits of being a VOA employee at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/valuation-office-agency/about/recruitment
Things you need to know
Selection process details
If you can meet our person requirements above we are keen to hear from you.
To apply for this post, you must complete an online application with the following:
Online Test
After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Numerical Test. If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application. Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the tests is 2nd March 2023 @ 23:55 . If you fail to complete the online test before the deadline your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website
Personal Statement
In no more than 500 words please:
- Describe a building in your local area and what factors might be considered when inspecting and valuing it.
- Explain why you are interested in becoming a Surveying Technician Apprentice at the VOA.
- Refer to the job description, essential requirements and your own research.
Sift - 7-9 March 2023.
We will assess you on your Personal Statement, technical and qualifications
Technical skills to be assessed via your personal statement.
IMPORTANT: At application stage you will be asked to confirm you have, or expect to have by end of August 2023, the qualifications as outlined above. Please note you will be asked to provide copies of your certificates at pre-employment checks stage.
Interviews - 23 March – 4 April 2023
Interviews are currently taking place using Microsoft Teams Video. We will provide more detail if you are shortlisted for interview.
We will assess you on the Behaviours listed in the job description, technical and strengths. The Technical element will be assessed via a technical discussion at the interview.
Behaviours
The distinguishing Behaviours (the required skills, knowledge and behaviours) for this role are set out in the Civil Service Behaviours Framework 2018 (Success Profiles - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)) and should be referred to when making this application.
You are required, under the Behaviours approach, to describe how you have dealt with a specific situation.
You must give evidence of your knowledge, skills and behaviours and how you have applied this, such as what you did or said and how you interacted with other people.
When you are giving your examples, do not spend too many words on description and background information. Avoid using general or unspecific statements. Instead say what the situation was, what you did what your thought process was and so on.
After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Numerical Test,. If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application.
Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the tests is 02 March 2023 (23:55 GMT). If you fail to complete the online test before the deadline your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.
Additional Information
These posts are advertised on a full time only basis due to the needs of the business and the requirement for candidates to undertake an apprenticeship as part of their role.
Choice of Locations
As part of the application process, you will be asked to tell us which of the locations available, you can work in. You will be able to specify up to 3 options.
Due to the way the CS Jobs system is set up, when choosing your preferred locations, you will find that the Wembley & Canary Wharf location will not appear on the list of options. They are replaced by Harlesden & Tower Hamlets.
Should you wish to choose Wembley as a location then please select Harlesden.
Please note the Tower Hamlets location is our Canary Wharf location, 10 South Colonnade, E14 4PU.
Should you wish to choose Canary Wharf as a location then please select Tower Hamlets.
Any move to VOA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
VOA employees only: If you are currently in receipt of DTA as a result of a VOA office closure/restructure and it is agreed for you to take up this role in your current location, you may continue to receive DTA for the remainder of the period you can claim for. Please check with the Vacancy Holder on preferred locations for this role before you apply.
The VOA is an office-based organisation, however as all of our roles have aspects which can be completed from home, all colleagues have the ability to work a hybrid working pattern. The amount that colleagues work from home or office is defined by several factors including the nature of the work they carry out, the needs of their stakeholders, their development needs and personal circumstances such as caring responsibilities. To learn more about the hybrid working arrangements that could be available in this role, please contact the vacancy holder.
Reasonable Adjustment
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
Contact Government Recruitment Service via [email protected] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing [email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
Terms & Conditions
Voluntary terms apply.
Please note that the VOA has updated its terms and conditions of employment as part of Civil Service Reform. For more information on how this will affect you, please see attached FAQ document.
Reserve Lists
If we have more successful candidates than available vacancies, we will hold a 6-month reserve list as standard.
During that time, we may use the list to fill the same, or similar roles with closely matching essential criteria, without further testing of merit. Any appointments from the Reserve list will be made in strict merit order
Starting Work
The successful candidates will normally take up duty within one month from notification of successful completion of pre-employment checks.
Applying
All applications for these vacancies must be made online. There are limited exceptions to this. Paper applications will only be considered if you have a disability that will prevent you from applying online. If this is the case, please email [email protected]
Once you have submitted your application it cannot be amended; only submit your application when you have completely finished and answered all the relevant questions.
Please note that late applications will not be accepted.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Concerns/Complaints
The Valuation Office Agency’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the Civil Service Commissioner’s Recruitment Principles, which outlines that selection for appointment is made on merit based on fair and open competition.
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the values in the Civil Service Code and/or if you feel the recruitment has been conducted in such a way that conflicts with the Civil Service Commissioner’s Recruitment Principles, you may make a complaint, by contacting the Central Recruitment Team at the following address [email protected]
If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint you have the right to complain to the Civil Service Commissioners.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
Recruitment team :
