Published: 18 Sep 2024
In conversation with Benjamin Brewster MCInstCES, Senior Engineer, TfL Land Survey
How did your interest in surveying as a career develop?
This was a happy accident. It was actually my mum who spotted a job advert in the local paper for something called an Assistant Land Surveyor (no experience necessary). After applying with no knowledge whatsoever, I was surprised to find myself in gainful employment alongside a fantastic team, undertaking surveys up and down the country. As my tolerance to the wind and rain developed, so did my interest in surveying. The balance between site and office suited me well, as did the technical side of the job, and knowing that the surveys I produced were fundamental in the design of a new road or infrastructure project instilled a sense of pride in the work I was doing.
What is a key memory from your time spent studying at The Survey School*?
Beyond sampling the cultural delights of Worcester, of which there were many, I would say a key memory was trying to undertake a practical exercise in the pouring rain after the river had burst its banks. It’s something that comes to mind any time I consider downing tools because of the weather! Of course it goes without saying that The Survey School wouldn’t have been the same without the fantastic staff and lecturers – particularly Frank Buckley and Andrew Crumpler, and my fellow students.
What was the most valuable lesson you learned from your time at The Survey School?
It took a while to realise the purpose of learning how to do all the jobs that we did in our day job manually, with only a calculator to help with the computations. We’d never have to actually do that in our jobs, of course, but I cannot express how useful it’s been in terms of solving problems in the field, and gaining a deeper understanding of why we do things the way we do them. I was definitely one of those people who’d convinced themselves that maths was a scary subject, and something I just wasn’t good at, but it was incredibly useful to learn the practical applications of these concepts. It’s helped me all through my career.
What is your role at TfL?
I’m a Senior Engineer in the Land Survey Team at Transport for London. I oversee survey work from conception to delivery for all stages of a project, from the surveys required for improving the network, through to final as-built surveys at completion. We do much more besides, but this is a relatively new role, and I am discovering more every day.
What has your journey been to your current role?
I began my career as an assistant surveyor at Atkins in Essex, during which time I attended The Survey School, became a junior surveyor, and then a surveyor. I later joined Laing O’Rourke as a senior civil engineering surveyor, which lead to me becoming lead surveyor for their newly formed monitoring department, working on some exciting projects including Crossrail (Elizabeth Line) and the Thames Tideway Tunnel. Following this, I joined the Hinkley Point C project as a principal surveyor, managing survey works on the construction of two nuclear reactors.
Five years of commuting back and forth between Somerset and London was plenty for me, and after finding an opportunity to join the survey team at Transport for London, I took on a new challenge much closer to home – which brings me to the present day.
What is it about your role that you enjoy and value most?
The most rewarding parts of my role have always been the ability to see your input, however small, on much larger projects, although as my career took me towards more supervisory and management roles, I have found a great deal of satisfaction from mentoring and supporting others through their own career journeys. This has “grown legs” over the past few years since taking a more active role in mentorship with the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (CICES), and helping to set up the CICES Approved Development Scheme in TfL.
How would you describe your career in three words?
Varied, rewarding, worthwhile.
How do you encourage others to get involved in the surveying profession?
I am always ready to engage with people new to, or interested in the profession, and have volunteered at several apprenticeship events over the past few years to try and spread the word amongst those who might not have considered surveying before. Having said that, there is always more we can do as a whole within the industry to champion surveying as a career, and something I’m keen to do more of in the future.
If you could give your younger self career advice now, what would it be?
Much like the old saying about watching the pennies – concentrate on learning, building experience, seeking challenges, and helping others. The pounds will watch themselves (as difficult to believe as that may have been in the early years!)
Do you have any new/exciting projects you’re working on that you’re able to share?
I would probably have to say that working on the original and most iconic transportation network in the world – in my humble opinion – has to be pretty exciting, and there is of course always something “new” going on!
What has been your most memorable project to work on?
Hinkley Point C will rank highly here, for the pure scale of the project, and the technical challenges we seemed to face daily. Every morning arriving at site you would see something that wasn’t there the day before, much of which the surveyors in our team were directly involved in.
What has been your proudest career moment to date?
After winning my award for “Best Assignment” at The Survey School, you mean? I would have to say gaining membership of the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors was a career high, among many personal highlights.
*The Survey School is home to the TSA Surveying Course and is the UK’s only commercial training centre that provides training to the land survey profession which is accredited by The Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (CICES).
