Continuing our celebration of Women in Construction Week 2023, today we hear from Quantity Surveyors Laura Elson and Pelin Erginsoy and their perspectives of being a woman in the construction industry.
How did you get into Quantity Surveying?
LE: My Dad was a Chartered Architect and Town Planner, I was brought up looking at buildings and drawing on the back of old plans. Aged 16, I went to a Careers lecture at the RICS and heard an amazing woman talking about her career as a QS. I did two work placements one at a large company and one at a fairly small company, had a great time at both and then applied for a BSc in Quantity Surveying.
PE: Got into QS’ing by accident! I graduated with a History Degree in 2012 and struggled finding my pathway so was just working admin jobs for a few years. I heard about Playle’s through my mum who worked with the mum of one of the now partners. I decided to come in for an informal chat style interview with no real knowledge on what a QS is or does and see if it was suitable for me. That’s how it all started…
Has anything changed since you started out?
LE: Almost everything has changed since I started working in the industry in 1985! From a practical point of view the smallest steel toe cap boots you could get were mens size 6! Not all sites had toilet facilities and none had a ladies! From a work viewpoint, all the regulations, contracts etc. have changed, the emphasis of the role of the QS has changed to be far more pro-active.
PE: I feel as though there has been an increase in the number of female QS’s that I see and work with in the industry which is great to see as QS’ing is often seen as a male dominated role.
Challenges you face as a woman?
LE: I honestly don’t see that there are specific challenges for women, except perhaps an image problem with the wider public who do not understand that Construction is not just muddy boots and hard hats (although I do have both!). There are pros and cons to all careers, life is what you make of it.
PE: The general attention/double take that you sometimes receive as a woman entering a construction site.
Highlights?
LE: So many! Working with the British Museum and the British Library to help them set up their maintenance contracts, I got to see behind the scenes and work with some amazing people and some of the oldest lifts!
PE: Completing my part-time two-year masters with two other colleagues at the time. It was stressful but definitely fun, and some good memories of a university trip to Dubai for our final year submission.
Advice for women wanting to start a career in the construction industry?
LE:Think about what you enjoy, research options and speak to people and organisations involved in the industry, then get some work experience in different types and sizes of company.
PE: Don’t be put off by the thought that it is a male dominated industry, or that the only route open to you is design related. There are so many options and roles within the industry and I think the difficulty in general is people not knowing enough about them, or that they even exist, this was definitely true for me