10 reasons to get started in building control

As well as the colleagues you’ll be working alongside, you’ll get to meet contractors, site managers, builders, project managers, architects, designers, engineers, fire officers and householders. And you’ll get to be part of a project team.

You’ll help make sure buildings are constructed in a way that keeps users safe. Whether it’s fire safety, glazing, a sound structure or protection from falling or a collision, you’ll be trained to advise on the correct construction methods and have the power to intervene when something isn’t right.

You could also be involved in inspecting for safety at sports grounds, arenas and festivals and dangerous structure call-outs.

You’ll get to know the issues around accessibility in buildings – whether that’s in the approach to buildings, entrances, stairs or rooms. You’ll also carry out inspections to check for issues that could affect the comfort of the occupants – their well-being, thermal comfort, air quality and more.

As well as making people safe, you'll also be doing your bit for energy efficiency by advising on heat loss, solar gains, water consumption on more. And you'll be playing a key role in protecting the property owner from cowboy builders.

You’ll likely begin by inspecting plans for domestic buildings, and as you progress through you’re career you’ll move onto more complex constructions. You may even get to be involved with a new shopping centre or even a stadium project. (The Olympic stadium was one of ours.) One thing all of the projects have in common is that you’ll be providing a customer focused service for each.

Your time will be split between working in the office pricing up quotations, checking plans or dealing with enquiries. And unlike some of us you’ll be outdoors too, carrying out site inspections where you could be looking at roofs, foundations, floors, climbing up ladders or down into holes in the ground. You may also be called out to inspect a dangerous structure – a car hitting a building, or a collapsed building.

Of course, benefits vary from council to council, but what you might expect are flexible hours, a good pension, home and mobile working, the opportunity to work anywhere in England and Wales and to transfer your knowledge to Scotland and Northern Ireland. And you’ll get the opportunity to develop specialisms. That and a competitive salary package, relative job security compared to working in the private sector, staff training schemes.

One thing’s for sure - you’ll be kept on your toes throughout your building control career… You’ll always be learning. You’ll have the chance to use all of your skills, whether that’s technical or numerical, whether that’s in communication or in your ability to solve problems or manage your time. You may well be called upon to make key decisions on dangerous structures. You might even get to make inspections and provide safety advice for public events like Glastonbury.

In building control you'll always be learning. As a local authority employee and LABC member you'll have access to 223 courses and 685 CPD hours (Continuing Professional Development), as well as exclusive access to a host of face to face training courses.

Local authorities need people like you. Scores of building control vacancies around the UK need to be filled and you could be the very person they're looking for....