Graduate Surveyor Josh Darley says he has been delighted with the opportunities he’s been given to learn from experienced colleagues at Garness Jones after completing his first three months with the business.
Josh, 22, joined in November 2022 after completing a degree in Real Estate at Sheffield Hallam University, and says he was thrilled to be given an opportunity at such a long-established and respected business in the property sector.
Since joining, he has benefitted from working alongside directors and highly-experienced Chartered Surveyors, providing a steep learning curve in many aspects of commercial property lettings, sales and management.
“It has been non-stop really since I joined and I’ve been given every opportunity to learn and experience a wide range of the roles across the business, which has been fantastic,” said Josh, of Beverley, East Yorkshire.
“I’ve always been interested in property, and although that interest stemmed from television programmes mainly around residential property design, development and sales, I’ve found the commercial property sector really interesting.”
Directors passing on years of knowledge
Taken under the wing of company Directors Paul White and Simon Preston, as well as Director or Professional Services Chris Noble, Josh has been experiencing the demands of selling and letting commercial properties, the skills of successful property management, and the essential element of commercial property work, valuations.
“I’ve really enjoyed the variety of work. I soon realised it is a very experienced and knowledgeable team, and that is why it has been great to work alongside Paul, Simon, Chris and Zoe Clarvis,” Josh said.
“I’ve worked most closely with the commercial property management team, but I’ve also been able to experience the property lettings and sales side of the business. I’ve enjoyed that as it is very much about getting out, meeting people and generating a rapport with them.”
Josh says he was a little unsure of what to expect when joining Garness Jones, but was soon made to feel like he had always been part of the team.
“I didn’t really know what the vibe would be, but I was made to feel very welcome right from the start and there is a great atmosphere across all departments in which everybody helps one another out and its clear people enjoy coming here to work,” he said.
“I’ve quickly realised that you can never learn like you do by doing a job and working alongside people who have worked in the industry for years. I’ve learned so much about so many aspects of commercial property already, and I’m grateful for that.”
Josh will continue gaining experience and maintaining his Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) APC diary over the next two years, detailing the experience he gains.
He will need to be in a position to demonstrate up to 400 days of relevant work experience before having a final assessment to become a Chartered Surveyor, something Garness Jones has a long-established record of helping trainees to achieve by giving them daily opportunities to be involved as key deals and decisions are made.
Managing Director David Garness said: “We’re delighted to see Josh enjoying his work with us and his passion for the kind of work we do. He will gain experience across all of our departments, and given the wide variety of clients we work for, he will learn a lot quickly.
“As a business we are very much focussed on long-term planning and succession, to ensure we have a future ahead which is as positive as the 26 years of success which has brought us to this point now. It is so important to invest time in training young people and passing on the skills you have within your business. It’s something we have a track-record of doing here, and of which we are very proud.”
